Population growth in East Asia & Pacific
East Asia & Pacific: Population growth was 0.1% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Population growth in East Asia & Pacific, 1961–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
East Asia & Pacific recorded 0.1% for population growth in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 34.2% on the previous year and down 85.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in East Asia & Pacific peaked at 2.6% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2025.
That places East Asia & Pacific 43rd out of 45 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Population growth in East Asia & Pacific, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.2% | — |
| 1962 | 1.4% | +643.3% |
| 1963 | 2.4% | +75.5% |
| 1964 | 2.3% | -3.6% |
| 1965 | 2.3% | +0.2% |
| 1966 | 2.5% | +9.3% |
| 1967 | 2.4% | -5.6% |
| 1968 | 2.5% | +2.2% |
| 1969 | 2.6% | +4.1% |
| 1970 | 2.6% | -0.1% |
| 1971 | 2.6% | +2.2% |
| 1972 | 2.3% | -10.3% |
| 1973 | 2.2% | -5.4% |
| 1974 | 2.1% | -6.9% |
| 1975 | 1.8% | -11.3% |
| 1976 | 1.7% | -9.3% |
| 1977 | 1.5% | -7.6% |
| 1978 | 1.5% | -1.4% |
| 1979 | 1.5% | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 1.5% | -3.2% |
| 1981 | 1.5% | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 1.6% | +8.2% |
| 1983 | 1.6% | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 1.5% | -6.1% |
| 1985 | 1.5% | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 1.6% | +3.1% |
| 1987 | 1.6% | +3.9% |
| 1988 | 1.6% | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 1.6% | -3.6% |
| 1990 | 1.5% | -3.4% |
| 1991 | 1.4% | -4.0% |
| 1992 | 1.3% | -7.2% |
| 1993 | 1.3% | -4.1% |
| 1994 | 1.3% | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 1.2% | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 1.2% | -1.8% |
| 1997 | 1.2% | -2.9% |
| 1998 | 1.1% | -4.8% |
| 1999 | 1.0% | -9.5% |
| 2000 | 0.9% | -6.9% |
| 2001 | 0.9% | -4.5% |
| 2002 | 0.8% | -6.6% |
| 2003 | 0.8% | -5.6% |
| 2004 | 0.8% | -4.5% |
| 2005 | 0.7% | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 0.8% | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 0.8% | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 0.8% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 0.7% | -5.3% |
| 2010 | 0.7% | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 0.7% | +4.1% |
| 2012 | 0.8% | +11.7% |
| 2013 | 0.8% | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 0.8% | -4.5% |
| 2015 | 0.7% | -5.6% |
| 2016 | 0.7% | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 0.7% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 0.6% | -14.6% |
| 2019 | 0.5% | -14.1% |
| 2020 | 0.4% | -21.1% |
| 2021 | 0.2% | -41.2% |
| 2022 | 0.2% | -21.2% |
| 2023 | 0.2% | +7.0% |
| 2024 | 0.2% | -19.8% |
| 2025 | 0.1% | -34.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.1% | 0.2% | 2.6% | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.0% | 1.5% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.3% | 1.0% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific
More climate change data for East Asia & Pacific
- Population, total 2.39 billion (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.7% (2025)
- Urban population 1.55 billion (2025)
- Urban population 64.8% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 1,212 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 12.1% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 17.6% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 22.0% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 24.1% (2025)
- CPIA public sector management and institutions cluster average 2.98 1=low to 6=high (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in East Asia & Pacific?
- Population growth in East Asia & Pacific was 0.1% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest population growth recorded in East Asia & Pacific?
- The highest recorded value was 2.6% in 1971.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in East Asia & Pacific?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2025.
- How does East Asia & Pacific rank for population growth?
- East Asia & Pacific ranks 43rd out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is population growth rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific?
- Over the last ten years it is down 85.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this East Asia & Pacific data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.