Population, total in Small states
Small states: Population, total was 20.35 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
20.35 million
Change on year
up 0.8%
Rank
44th
of 47 groups
All-time high
20.35 million
in 2025
All-time low
8.77 million
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population, total in Small states, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
Small states recorded 20.35 million for population, total in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 10.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population, total in Small states peaked at 20.35 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 8.77 million, in 1960.
Small states ranks 44th of 47 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population, total in Small states, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 8.77 million | — |
| 1961 | 8.93 million | +1.8% |
| 1962 | 9.11 million | +2.1% |
| 1963 | 9.30 million | +2.1% |
| 1964 | 9.49 million | +2.0% |
| 1965 | 9.67 million | +1.9% |
| 1966 | 9.85 million | +1.8% |
| 1967 | 10.01 million | +1.7% |
| 1968 | 10.18 million | +1.7% |
| 1969 | 10.35 million | +1.7% |
| 1970 | 10.53 million | +1.7% |
| 1971 | 10.70 million | +1.7% |
| 1972 | 10.88 million | +1.6% |
| 1973 | 11.04 million | +1.5% |
| 1974 | 11.20 million | +1.4% |
| 1975 | 11.36 million | +1.5% |
| 1976 | 11.54 million | +1.6% |
| 1977 | 11.73 million | +1.6% |
| 1978 | 11.92 million | +1.6% |
| 1979 | 12.11 million | +1.6% |
| 1980 | 12.30 million | +1.6% |
| 1981 | 12.49 million | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 12.68 million | +1.5% |
| 1983 | 12.88 million | +1.5% |
| 1984 | 13.07 million | +1.5% |
| 1985 | 13.28 million | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 13.49 million | +1.6% |
| 1987 | 13.71 million | +1.6% |
| 1988 | 13.92 million | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 14.15 million | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 14.38 million | +1.6% |
| 1991 | 14.61 million | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 14.74 million | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 14.84 million | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 14.97 million | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 15.09 million | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 15.25 million | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 15.44 million | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 15.62 million | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 15.70 million | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 15.79 million | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 16.02 million | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 16.25 million | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 16.44 million | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 16.60 million | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 16.70 million | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 16.87 million | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 17.05 million | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 17.23 million | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 17.40 million | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 17.58 million | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 17.75 million | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 17.93 million | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 18.11 million | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 18.29 million | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 18.48 million | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 18.67 million | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 18.87 million | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 19.08 million | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 19.29 million | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 19.47 million | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 19.65 million | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 19.85 million | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 20.03 million | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 20.19 million | +0.8% |
| 2025 | 20.35 million | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 9.57 million | 8.77 million | 10.35 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 11.30 million | 10.53 million | 12.11 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 13.20 million | 12.30 million | 14.15 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.06 million | 14.38 million | 15.70 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.63 million | 15.79 million | 17.40 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.40 million | 17.58 million | 19.29 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.92 million | 19.47 million | 20.35 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Small states
- 41 Morocco 38.43 million compare
- 42 Uzbekistan 37.05 million compare
- 43 Saudi Arabia 36.97 million compare
- 44 Poland 36.44 million compare
- 45 Malaysia 35.98 million compare
- 46 Mozambique 35.63 million compare
- 47 Ghana 35.06 million compare
More climate change data for Small states
- Urban population 10.60 million (2025)
- Population, total, annual growth rate 0.7611 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, total, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate 1.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.521 units per person (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.1% (2025)
- Population growth 0.8% (2025)
- Urban population, per square kilometre 13.79 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population, total, per square kilometre 26.64 units per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population, total in Small states?
- Population, total in Small states was 20.35 million in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population, total recorded in Small states?
- The highest recorded value was 20.35 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population, total recorded in Small states?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.77 million in 1960.
- How does Small states rank for population, total?
- Small states ranks 44th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is population, total rising or falling in Small states?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Small states data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.