Population growth (annual %) (World Population) in OECD members
OECD members: Population growth (annual %) (World Population) was 0.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Population growth in OECD members, 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 OECD members is 0.4%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 40.0% on the previous year and down 37.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in OECD members peaked at 1.4% in 1962 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2021.
OECD members ranks 37th of 47 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Population growth (annual %) (World Population) in OECD members, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.4% | — |
| 1962 | 1.4% | +0.5% |
| 1963 | 1.4% | -1.4% |
| 1964 | 1.4% | -0.8% |
| 1965 | 1.3% | -4.1% |
| 1966 | 1.2% | -5.1% |
| 1967 | 1.2% | -3.1% |
| 1968 | 1.2% | -3.1% |
| 1969 | 1.1% | -0.6% |
| 1970 | 1.1% | -2.3% |
| 1971 | 1.3% | +16.7% |
| 1972 | 1.2% | -11.3% |
| 1973 | 1.1% | -4.2% |
| 1974 | 1.1% | -3.5% |
| 1975 | 1.0% | -4.1% |
| 1976 | 1.0% | -6.9% |
| 1977 | 0.9% | -1.3% |
| 1978 | 0.9% | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 0.9% | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 0.9% | -1.7% |
| 1981 | 0.9% | -2.7% |
| 1982 | 0.9% | -6.0% |
| 1983 | 0.8% | -2.3% |
| 1984 | 0.8% | -5.1% |
| 1985 | 0.8% | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 0.8% | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 0.8% | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 0.8% | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 0.8% | +5.0% |
| 1990 | 0.9% | +4.8% |
| 1991 | 1.0% | +8.1% |
| 1992 | 0.9% | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 0.9% | -5.3% |
| 1994 | 0.8% | -6.6% |
| 1995 | 0.8% | -3.8% |
| 1996 | 0.8% | -3.0% |
| 1997 | 0.8% | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 0.7% | -4.1% |
| 1999 | 0.7% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 0.7% | -3.1% |
| 2001 | 0.7% | +3.2% |
| 2002 | 0.7% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 0.7% | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 0.7% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 0.7% | -2.1% |
| 2006 | 0.7% | +3.0% |
| 2007 | 0.7% | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 0.8% | +10.3% |
| 2009 | 0.7% | -7.9% |
| 2010 | 0.7% | -6.4% |
| 2011 | 0.5% | -20.9% |
| 2012 | 0.6% | +15.8% |
| 2013 | 0.6% | -5.5% |
| 2014 | 0.6% | +3.8% |
| 2015 | 0.6% | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 0.6% | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 0.6% | -6.3% |
| 2018 | 0.6% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 0.6% | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 0.4% | -35.3% |
| 2021 | 0.2% | -52.2% |
| 2022 | 0.5% | +174.4% |
| 2023 | 0.7% | +35.1% |
| 2024 | 0.6% | -3.6% |
| 2025 | 0.4% | -40.0% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Population growth (annual %) (World Population) in OECD members 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +174.4% | 0.2% | 0.5% |
| 2021 | -52.2% | 0.4% | 0.2% |
| 2025 | -40.0% | 0.6% | 0.4% |
| 2023 | +35.1% | 0.5% | 0.7% |
| 2020 | -35.3% | 0.6% | 0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.4% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near OECD members
More climate change data for OECD members
- Population, total, annual growth rate 0.3873 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, total, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population, total 1.40 billion (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.5% (2025)
- Urban population 1.14 billion (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate 0.5485 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.8132 units per person (2025)
- Urban population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population, total, per square kilometre 39.29 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Urban population, per square kilometre 31.85 units per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in OECD members?
- Population growth in OECD members was 0.4% 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 OECD members?
- The highest recorded value was 1.4% in 1962.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in OECD members?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2021.
- How does OECD members rank for population growth?
- OECD members ranks 37th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is population growth rising or falling in OECD members?
- Over the last ten years it is down 37.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this OECD members 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.