Population growth in Nauru
Nauru: Population growth was 0.7% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Population growth in Nauru, 1961–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, population growth in Nauru stood at 0.7%.
The figure is up 7.7% on the previous year and down 66.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in Nauru peaked at 5.6% in 1965 and was at its lowest, -0.5%, in 2002.
Nauru ranks 126th of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Population growth in Nauru, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 3.6% | — |
| 1962 | 4.2% | +18.1% |
| 1963 | 4.8% | +15.2% |
| 1964 | 5.4% | +11.2% |
| 1965 | 5.6% | +3.8% |
| 1966 | 3.6% | -36.4% |
| 1967 | 1.5% | -57.5% |
| 1968 | 3.1% | +105.0% |
| 1969 | 3.9% | +26.6% |
| 1970 | 1.9% | -50.5% |
| 1971 | 0.8% | -60.2% |
| 1972 | 0.7% | -4.6% |
| 1973 | 0.8% | +7.2% |
| 1974 | 0.8% | +4.7% |
| 1975 | 0.9% | +11.3% |
| 1976 | 1.1% | +19.1% |
| 1977 | 1.4% | +27.0% |
| 1978 | 1.9% | +34.2% |
| 1979 | 2.3% | +23.3% |
| 1980 | 2.4% | +4.0% |
| 1981 | 2.5% | +2.5% |
| 1982 | 2.5% | +3.2% |
| 1983 | 2.2% | -14.5% |
| 1984 | 1.9% | -10.4% |
| 1985 | 2.1% | +5.9% |
| 1986 | 2.2% | +7.5% |
| 1987 | 2.3% | +4.4% |
| 1988 | 2.4% | +4.8% |
| 1989 | 2.4% | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 2.4% | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 2.3% | -4.0% |
| 1992 | 1.7% | -26.5% |
| 1993 | 0.8% | -53.2% |
| 1994 | 0.3% | -57.0% |
| 1995 | 0.3% | -20.2% |
| 1996 | 0.2% | -35.9% |
| 1997 | 0.1% | -22.3% |
| 1998 | 0.0% | -92.9% |
| 1999 | -0.1% | -1200.5% |
| 2000 | -0.2% | +73.0% |
| 2001 | -0.4% | +100.6% |
| 2002 | -0.5% | +26.9% |
| 2003 | -0.2% | -51.9% |
| 2004 | 0.0% | -104.4% |
| 2005 | -0.1% | -1200.5% |
| 2006 | -0.1% | +36.5% |
| 2007 | -0.1% | -6.5% |
| 2008 | -0.1% | -21.3% |
| 2009 | 0.1% | -163.6% |
| 2010 | 0.3% | +285.1% |
| 2011 | 0.5% | +102.9% |
| 2012 | 1.7% | +203.9% |
| 2013 | 2.4% | +45.0% |
| 2014 | 2.1% | -12.0% |
| 2015 | 2.0% | -7.7% |
| 2016 | 1.8% | -9.3% |
| 2017 | 1.5% | -12.7% |
| 2018 | 1.3% | -13.3% |
| 2019 | 1.0% | -28.9% |
| 2020 | 0.5% | -49.5% |
| 2021 | 0.6% | +17.2% |
| 2022 | 0.8% | +38.5% |
| 2023 | 0.6% | -20.1% |
| 2024 | 0.6% | -3.3% |
| 2025 | 0.7% | +7.7% |
Nauru compared with similar countries
- Nauru's 0.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.4%, 1.5× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Nauru's 0.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.6%, 1.0× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Population growth in Nauru changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | -1200.5% | 0.0% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | -1200.5% | 0.0% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | +285.1% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| 2012 | +203.9% | 0.5% | 1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.0% | 1.5% | 5.6% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.3% | 0.7% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.3% | 1.9% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8% | -0.1% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | -0.2% | -0.5% | 0.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.5% | 0.3% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nauru
- 123 Turks and Caicos Islands 0.7% compare
- 124 British Virgin Islands 0.7% compare
- 125 New Zealand 0.7% compare
- 127 Bhutan 0.6% compare
- 128 Myanmar 0.6% compare
- 129 Vietnam 0.6% compare
More climate change data for Nauru
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 0 kg (2023)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 2.6 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 0.3975 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2.2 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 0.0015 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 0.0787 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 0 kt (2023)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 0 kt (2023)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0 kt (2023)
- Synthetic Fertilizers — Emissions (CO2eq) 0 kt (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in Nauru?
- Population growth in Nauru was 0.7% 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 Nauru?
- The highest recorded value was 5.6% in 1965.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in Nauru?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.5% in 2002.
- How does Nauru rank for population growth?
- Nauru ranks 126th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population growth rising or falling in Nauru?
- Over the last ten years it is down 66.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nauru 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.