Population growth in Small states
Small states: Population growth was 0.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Population growth in Small states, 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 Small states stood at 0.8%.
The figure is down 5.9% on the previous year and down 26.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in Small states peaked at 2.1% in 1963 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 1999.
Small states ranks 28th of 49 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 | 1.8% | 1.7% | 2.1% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.6% | 1.4% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.0% | 0.5% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 0.6% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Small states
- 25 Burundi 2.4% compare
- 26 Cote d'Ivoire 2.4% compare
- 27 Benin 2.4% compare
- 28 Madagascar 2.4% compare
- 29 Equatorial Guinea 2.4% compare
- 30 Sudan 2.4% compare
- 31 Congo 2.4% compare
More climate change data for Small states
- Population, total 20.35 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.1% (2025)
- Urban population 10.60 million (2025)
- Urban population 52.1% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 10.28 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 1.2% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 16.5% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 7.5% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 7.2% (2025)
- CPIA public sector management and institutions cluster average 3.16 1=low to 6=high (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in Small states?
- Population growth in Small states was 0.8% 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 Small states?
- The highest recorded value was 2.1% in 1963.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in Small states?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 1999.
- How does Small states rank for population growth?
- Small states ranks 28th out of 49 groups with data for 2025.
- Is population growth rising or falling in Small states?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Small states 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.