Population growth in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Population growth was 1.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Population growth in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1961–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population growth in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan is 1.8%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.2% on the previous year and down 7.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 3.3% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 2021.
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 14th of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Population growth in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.6% | — |
| 1962 | 2.6% | +1.8% |
| 1963 | 2.7% | +1.2% |
| 1964 | 2.7% | +1.2% |
| 1965 | 2.7% | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 2.7% | +1.2% |
| 1967 | 2.8% | +3.0% |
| 1968 | 2.8% | -0.3% |
| 1969 | 2.8% | +1.0% |
| 1970 | 2.8% | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 2.8% | -2.1% |
| 1972 | 2.8% | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 2.9% | +2.9% |
| 1974 | 2.9% | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 3.0% | +3.5% |
| 1976 | 3.1% | +2.6% |
| 1977 | 3.0% | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 3.1% | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 3.1% | +1.1% |
| 1980 | 3.2% | +1.7% |
| 1981 | 3.2% | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 3.2% | -0.6% |
| 1983 | 3.2% | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 3.2% | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 3.2% | -0.7% |
| 1986 | 3.2% | -1.1% |
| 1987 | 3.1% | -1.3% |
| 1988 | 3.0% | -2.4% |
| 1989 | 3.0% | -1.2% |
| 1990 | 3.3% | +10.6% |
| 1991 | 2.8% | -15.2% |
| 1992 | 2.9% | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 2.7% | -5.2% |
| 1994 | 2.6% | -5.5% |
| 1995 | 2.5% | -3.5% |
| 1996 | 2.5% | -2.1% |
| 1997 | 2.4% | -1.4% |
| 1998 | 2.4% | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 2.4% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 2.3% | -2.0% |
| 2001 | 2.3% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 2.3% | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 2.3% | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 2.4% | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 2.4% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 2.4% | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 2.4% | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 2.4% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 2.4% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 2.1% | -13.3% |
| 2011 | 2.3% | +9.6% |
| 2012 | 2.2% | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 2.1% | -2.4% |
| 2014 | 2.0% | -8.5% |
| 2015 | 2.0% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1.8% | -7.1% |
| 2017 | 1.7% | -8.8% |
| 2018 | 1.6% | -4.8% |
| 2019 | 1.7% | +5.9% |
| 2020 | 1.8% | +8.9% |
| 2021 | 1.5% | -19.7% |
| 2022 | 1.9% | +30.0% |
| 2023 | 2.0% | +2.6% |
| 2024 | 1.9% | -2.4% |
| 2025 | 1.8% | -5.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.7% | 2.6% | 2.8% | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.9% | 2.8% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.1% | 3.0% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.7% | 2.4% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.4% | 2.3% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.9% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.8% | 1.5% | 2.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
More climate change data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- Population, total 828.02 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 2.3% (2025)
- Urban population 463.33 million (2025)
- Urban population 56.0% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 22.8% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 491.71 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 148.3% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 8.7% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 7.8% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 4.3% (2025)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Population growth in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 1.8% 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 3.3% in 1990.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 2021.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for population growth?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 14th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is population growth rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 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.