Population growth in South Asia (IDA & IBRD)
South Asia (IDA & IBRD): Population growth was 0.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Population growth in South Asia (IDA & IBRD), 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 South Asia (IDA & IBRD) stood at 0.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 23.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in South Asia (IDA & IBRD) peaked at 2.4% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 2022.
South Asia (IDA & IBRD) ranks 24th of 45 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 South Asia (IDA & IBRD), year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.4% | — |
| 1962 | 2.4% | -0.5% |
| 1963 | 2.4% | -0.8% |
| 1964 | 2.4% | -0.1% |
| 1965 | 2.3% | -3.2% |
| 1966 | 2.2% | -4.1% |
| 1967 | 2.2% | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 2.2% | +0.1% |
| 1969 | 2.2% | -1.8% |
| 1970 | 2.3% | +2.9% |
| 1971 | 2.2% | -4.3% |
| 1972 | 2.2% | -0.1% |
| 1973 | 2.3% | +6.8% |
| 1974 | 2.3% | +1.6% |
| 1975 | 2.4% | +1.3% |
| 1976 | 2.4% | -0.7% |
| 1977 | 2.4% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 2.3% | -2.2% |
| 1979 | 2.3% | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 2.4% | +2.1% |
| 1981 | 2.4% | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 2.4% | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 2.3% | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 2.3% | -0.6% |
| 1985 | 2.3% | -1.0% |
| 1986 | 2.3% | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 2.3% | -1.6% |
| 1988 | 2.2% | -1.8% |
| 1989 | 2.2% | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 2.2% | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 2.1% | -2.0% |
| 1992 | 2.1% | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 2.1% | -1.3% |
| 1994 | 2.0% | -2.6% |
| 1995 | 2.0% | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 2.0% | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 2.0% | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 1.9% | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 1.9% | -1.6% |
| 2000 | 1.9% | -1.6% |
| 2001 | 1.8% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 1.8% | -4.0% |
| 2003 | 1.7% | -4.7% |
| 2004 | 1.6% | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 1.6% | -4.6% |
| 2006 | 1.5% | -4.5% |
| 2007 | 1.4% | -4.1% |
| 2008 | 1.4% | -4.7% |
| 2009 | 1.4% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 1.4% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1.3% | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 1.3% | -2.5% |
| 2013 | 1.2% | -6.8% |
| 2014 | 1.2% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 1.1% | -4.7% |
| 2016 | 1.1% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1.1% | -3.0% |
| 2018 | 1.1% | -5.4% |
| 2019 | 1.0% | -3.4% |
| 2020 | 1.0% | -4.6% |
| 2021 | 0.8% | -13.2% |
| 2022 | 0.8% | -4.3% |
| 2023 | 0.9% | +9.3% |
| 2024 | 0.9% | +0.7% |
| 2025 | 0.9% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.3% | 2.2% | 2.4% | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.3% | 2.2% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.3% | 2.2% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.0% | 1.9% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.6% | 1.4% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Asia (IDA & IBRD)
More climate change data for South Asia (IDA & IBRD)
- Population, total 1.69 billion (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.8% (2025)
- Urban population 605.70 million (2025)
- Urban population 35.8% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 16.8% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 706.16 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 37.6% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 9.2% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 4.6% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 0.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?
- Population growth in South Asia (IDA & IBRD) was 0.9% 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 South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?
- The highest recorded value was 2.4% in 1961.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 2022.
- How does South Asia (IDA & IBRD) rank for population growth?
- South Asia (IDA & IBRD) ranks 24th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is population growth rising or falling in South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Asia (IDA & IBRD) 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
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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.