Population growth by country
Global population growth is the result of birth rate and death rate. The world population is rising steadily. In 2024, it reached a total population of 8.142 billion people on our planet with a growth rate of 1.0%.With a growth rate of about 0.7% in the last decade, the United States is well in the middle of the global comparison. The last slight increase in it's growth rate was in 90s.
Until a few years ago, Qatar and Oman (both in the Middle East) were still far ahead of the rest. Today, it is mainly African developing countries.
Population growth 2015 - 2024
Other periods:1960 - 20242015 - 20242005 - 20141995 - 20041985 - 1994
| Country/Region | Ø Growth/year | Growth 2015-2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Equatorial Guinea | 5.50% | 40.50% |
| Yemen | 4.68% | 42.31% |
| Chad | 4.04% | 43.56% |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 4.02% | 38.93% |
| Mali | 3.76% | 35.14% |
| Burundi | 3.64% | 30.96% |
| Somalia | 3.54% | 38.11% |
| Ivory Coast | 3.52% | 35.33% |
| Benin | 3.48% | 32.29% |
| Angola | 3.47% | 34.69% |
| Niger | 3.46% | 34.30% |
| Solomon Islands | 3.41% | 33.71% |
| Zambia | 3.31% | 31.18% |
| Turkmenistan | 3.24% | 29.97% |
| Tanzania | 3.22% | 30.48% |
| Gambia | 3.18% | 22.50% |
| British Virgin Islands * | 3.17% | 34.41% |
| Madagascar | 3.09% | 28.63% |
| Uganda | 3.09% | 33.45% |
| Seychelles | 3.04% | 29.90% |
| Ethiopia | 3.02% | 28.87% |
| Sudan | 2.90% | 32.17% |
| Nigeria | 2.82% | 26.46% |
| Egypt | 2.59% | 19.25% |
| Pakistan | 2.57% | 19.10% |
| Cameroon | 2.53% | 26.56% |
| Afghanistan | 2.49% | 26.35% |
| Ghana | 2.38% | 19.25% |
| Zimbabwe | 2.05% | 17.52% |
| Cayman Islands * | 2.04% | 22.24% |
| Maldives | 1.96% | 21.17% |
| Israel | 1.96% | 19.02% |
| Guatemala | 1.87% | 18.24% |
| Algeria | 1.86% | 18.39% |
| Mongolia | 1.83% | 18.89% |
| United Arab Emirates | 1.80% | 23.21% |
| Kazakhstan | 1.77% | 17.38% |
| Malaysia | 1.76% | 14.45% |
| Iran | 1.70% | 11.95% |
| Iceland | 1.68% | 16.83% |
| Qatar | 1.66% | 18.36% |
| South Africa | 1.61% | 14.55% |
| New Zealand | 1.59% | 14.71% |
| Canada | 1.54% | 15.64% |
| Bolivia | 1.49% | 11.93% |
| Australia | 1.48% | 14.20% |
| Ireland | 1.48% | 14.76% |
| Cambodia | 1.45% | 14.41% |
| Philippines | 1.43% | 12.44% |
| Saudi Arabia | 1.42% | 7.79% |
| Ecuador | 1.29% | 11.98% |
| Colombia | 1.19% | 12.24% |
| Dominican Republic | 1.18% | 9.82% |
| Bangladesh | 1.17% | 9.97% |
| India | 1.14% | 9.68% |
| Haiti | 1.10% | 11.44% |
| Morocco | 1.08% | 9.81% |
| Chile | 1.08% | 10.60% |
| Indonesia | 1.06% | 9.42% |
| Turkey | 1.03% | 7.37% |
| Singapore | 1.02% | 9.07% |
| Vietnam | 0.97% | 9.54% |
| Switzerland | 0.96% | 8.73% |
| Sweden | 0.87% | 7.86% |
| Mexico | 0.84% | 8.91% |
| Norway | 0.82% | 7.39% |
| Austria | 0.72% | 6.19% |
| Fiji | 0.71% | 1.26% |
| United Kingdom | 0.69% | 6.31% |
| Argentina | 0.69% | 5.94% |
| Costa Rica | 0.68% | 4.79% |
| United States of America | 0.66% | 6.04% |
| Netherlands | 0.65% | 6.22% |
| Denmark | 0.58% | 5.16% |
| Belgium | 0.57% | 5.18% |
| North Korea | 0.56% | 4.91% |
| Sri Lanka | 0.54% | 2.72% |
| Spain | 0.50% | 5.18% |
| Thailand | 0.47% | 1.95% |
| Brazil | 0.45% | 3.32% |
| Myanmar | 0.42% | 5.86% |
| Aruba * | 0.41% | 3.59% |
| Hong Kong * | 0.41% | 3.19% |
| Czechia | 0.36% | 3.40% |
| Principality of Monaco | 0.35% | 5.09% |
| France | 0.33% | 3.01% |
| Germany | 0.31% | 2.24% |
| Finland | 0.29% | 2.56% |
| Portugal | 0.28% | 3.25% |
| China | 0.27% | 2.11% |
| South Korea | 0.20% | 1.44% |
| El Salvador | 0.07% | 1.72% |
| Montenegro | 0.03% | 0.22% |
| Russia | -0.02% | -0.39% |
| Georgia | -0.05% | -0.69% |
| Bermuda * | -0.08% | -0.92% |
| Barbados | -0.08% | 1.58% |
| Jamaica | -0.12% | 1.60% |
| Japan | -0.26% | -2.49% |
| Cuba | -0.29% | -3.18% |
| Italy | -0.31% | -2.93% |
| Hungary | -0.31% | -2.85% |
| Poland | -0.39% | -3.76% |
| Romania | -0.44% | -3.85% |
| Greece | -0.46% | -3.84% |
| Venezuela | -0.55% | -6.96% |
| Dominica | -0.71% | -5.43% |
| Lebanon | -0.74% | -9.27% |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | -0.78% | -5.51% |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | -0.79% | -1.98% |
| Serbia | -0.79% | -7.17% |
| Croatia | -0.91% | -8.03% |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | -0.95% | -10.22% |
| Puerto Rico * | -0.97% | -7.77% |
| Bulgaria | -1.13% | -10.26% |
| North Macedonia | -1.22% | -11.88% |
| Kosovo | -1.26% | -10.84% |
| Tuvalu | -1.28% | -11.32% |
| Moldova | -1.72% | -15.29% |
| American Samoa * | -1.72% | -8.96% |
| Ukraine | -1.72% | -16.15% |
| Albania | -1.91% | -17.48% |
| Northern Mariana Islands * | -2.18% | -14.05% |
| Saint Martin * | -3.10% | -25.39% |
| Marshall Islands | -4.06% | -24.01% |
There is a noticeable concentration of countries with high population growth in Central and Southern Africa. Most of these countries are classified economically as developing countries, some of which are heavily indebted. The reason for this is the exceptionally high birth rate, which in some cases exceeds 50‰ (=50 births per 1,000 inhabitants per year). At the beginning of this decade, the proportion of under-15s in Central Africa was 46% (cf. World Population Datasheet).
Less than a decade ago, small states in the Middle East such as Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain were at the top of the list. These countries had above-average birth rates and low mortality rates. The explanation for this was the very low proportion of older people in the population. Older residents over the age of 55 were practically non-existent.
Worldwide, the average birth rate since the turn of the millennium is around 22‰. In addition, due to the aging society, there has been a noticeable decline in the overall mortality rate from about 20‰ to about 10‰ in the fast-growing countries over the past 20 years.
The opposite is clear at the other end of the table, where there are disproportionately many Eastern European countries. The death rate in these countries has been higher than the birth rate in recent decades. Also in this region, churn plays a greater role than e.g., in Western European or Asian countries.
Click on one of the country names in the table to see more information about each country.
Population growth worldwide
In the last 2,000 years, the population increased slowly and steadily. Just 350 years ago, there were only half a billion people on earth. With the "Industrial Revolution" at the end of the 18th century, an unprecedented increase in population began. Numerous technical and chemical developments such as medicine and fertilizer dropped the death rate drastically. At the same time, there was an improved supply of food for large parts of the population, which also ensured the future of the offspring and thus led to an increased birth rate. Population growth jumped from 0.3% up to 0.8%. In the following 300 years alone, the world population grew from 0.5 to over three billion people.Considering recent times, the curve flattens off again. The following graph shows the evolution of the world population from 1960 to 2024. The exponential development of the population has subsided and the graph is almost linear. There is only a minimal decline in growth rates.
At the end of 2024, there were 8.14 billion people on earth. The growth rate has been at 0.96 percent.
Population pyramids: different growth by economy
The population does not rise equally in all countries. There is a striking difference when looking at the aggregated age pyramids by countries with different economic strengths. Globally, the age pyramid looks like a hive or bell with a few smaller outliers. This is due to a balanced increase in the younger generations with a birth rate of 16.3 ‰ currently and a high, late mortality, at least in relation to the entire world population.
A direct comparison of the age pyramids shows that poor and rich countries differ massively in their population growth. In rich countries, people reach old age much more frequently, which is due to a pronounced social system, above-average health care and financial stability. Not only is the number of older people increasing, but the average age also differs considerably from that in less developed countries. At the same time, pressure to perform, high costs of living and a lack of evolutionary necessity are causing birth rates to fall. The majority of the population is now between 30 and 50 years old, while the under-20s are conspicuously underrepresented. In countries with a state pension system, this constellation will lead to fewer and fewer people having to pay for pensions financed by taxes in 10-20 years.
In poor countries, on the other hand, the age pyramid has a pagoda shape, i.e., a broadened pyramid with disproportionately rising younger cohorts. Due to higher and earlier mortality, the older inhabitants remain clearly in the minority. At the same time, there is often a lack of social systems and financial security for the population, which can thus be obtained only from within the family circle. Large families with many children also mean greater economic security in the future, which leads to an increased birth rate. In most poorer countries, family groups play a much more essential role than in rich countries. Children usually remain spatially bound for life and provide not only financial security but also care in old age.
Data sources
- World Population Prospects (United Nations Population Division
- Population and Vital Statistics Report (United Nations Statistical Division)
- Demographic Statistics from Eurostat
- International Database of the US Census Bureau
- Statistics and Demography Programme of the Pacific Community
- World Bank Gender Statistics
- Statistical publications from national statistical offices