Population growth in North America
North America: Population growth was 0.6% in 2025. βΌ Falling
Population growth in North America, 1961β2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
North America recorded 0.6% for population growth in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 51.8% on the previous year and down 28.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in North America peaked at 1.7% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2021.
North America ranks 31st of 46 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.3% | 1.0% | 1.7% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7% | 0.2% | 1.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near North America
- 28 Madagascar 2.4% compare
- 29 Equatorial Guinea 2.4% compare
- 30 Sudan 2.4% compare
- 31 Congo 2.4% compare
- 32 Solomon Islands 2.3% compare
- 33 Palestinian Authority or West Bank and Gaza Strip 2.3% compare
- 34 Guinea 2.3% compare
More climate change data for North America
- Population, total 383.50 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.7% (2025)
- Urban population 308.67 million (2025)
- Urban population 80.5% (2025)
- Annual Net Emissions/Removals 6,870 (2024)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 46.7% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 480.42 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 8.5% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 12.9% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 13.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in North America?
- Population growth in North America was 0.6% 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 North America?
- The highest recorded value was 1.7% in 1961.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in North America?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2021.
- How does North America rank for population growth?
- North America ranks 31st out of 46 groups with data for 2025.
- Is population growth rising or falling in North America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North America 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 Β· JSON β 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.