Population growth (annual %) (World Population) in World
World: Population growth (annual %) (World Population) was 0.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Population growth in World, 1961–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
World recorded 0.9% for population growth in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.3% on the previous year and down 23.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in World peaked at 2.1% in 1963 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 2021.
World ranks 23rd of 47 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 (annual %) (World Population) in World, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.4% | — |
| 1962 | 1.8% | +30.3% |
| 1963 | 2.1% | +19.8% |
| 1964 | 2.1% | -1.4% |
| 1965 | 2.1% | -1.3% |
| 1966 | 2.1% | +1.3% |
| 1967 | 2.0% | -2.3% |
| 1968 | 2.1% | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 2.1% | +1.3% |
| 1970 | 2.1% | +0.2% |
| 1971 | 2.1% | +0.8% |
| 1972 | 2.0% | -4.8% |
| 1973 | 2.0% | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 1.9% | -2.4% |
| 1975 | 1.9% | -3.7% |
| 1976 | 1.8% | -3.2% |
| 1977 | 1.8% | -2.4% |
| 1978 | 1.8% | -0.0% |
| 1979 | 1.8% | +1.1% |
| 1980 | 1.8% | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 1.8% | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 1.8% | +2.3% |
| 1983 | 1.8% | -0.9% |
| 1984 | 1.8% | -2.1% |
| 1985 | 1.8% | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 1.8% | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 1.8% | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 1.8% | -0.9% |
| 1989 | 1.8% | -1.4% |
| 1990 | 1.7% | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 1.7% | -4.2% |
| 1992 | 1.6% | -2.3% |
| 1993 | 1.6% | -2.7% |
| 1994 | 1.5% | -3.3% |
| 1995 | 1.5% | -2.0% |
| 1996 | 1.5% | -1.0% |
| 1997 | 1.5% | -1.8% |
| 1998 | 1.4% | -1.8% |
| 1999 | 1.4% | -2.8% |
| 2000 | 1.4% | -2.4% |
| 2001 | 1.3% | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 1.3% | -2.2% |
| 2003 | 1.3% | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 1.3% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 1.3% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 1.3% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 1.3% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 1.3% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 1.3% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 1.2% | -2.8% |
| 2011 | 1.2% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 1.3% | +3.3% |
| 2013 | 1.2% | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 1.2% | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 1.2% | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 1.2% | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 1.1% | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 1.1% | -4.8% |
| 2019 | 1.0% | -2.7% |
| 2020 | 1.0% | -6.3% |
| 2021 | 0.8% | -15.1% |
| 2022 | 0.9% | +4.1% |
| 2023 | 0.9% | +6.9% |
| 2024 | 1.0% | +3.9% |
| 2025 | 0.9% | -5.3% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Population growth (annual %) (World Population) in World 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | +30.3% | 1.4% | 1.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.0% | 1.4% | 2.1% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.9% | 1.8% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.5% | 1.4% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near World
More climate change data for World
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 135.91 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 4.94 million kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1.27 million kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 3.67 million kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 4,791 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 130,918 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 1.64 million kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 957,726 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 685,096 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 3,614 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in World?
- Population growth in World 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 World?
- The highest recorded value was 2.1% in 1963.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 2021.
- How does World rank for population growth?
- World ranks 23rd out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is population growth rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this World 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.