The 2025 global population growth map shows how sharply the pace of population change differs across countries and economies. Using one World Bank World Development Indicators series—SP.POP.GROW—keeps the comparison on a common metric and a common year. The raw API table also contains regional and income-group aggregates, so those non-country rows are removed before the country-level calculations. The resulting comparison contains 216 ISO-coded countries and economies.
Table of Contents
The global distribution is broad, not centered on one growth pattern
Across the 216 country/economy observations, the median population growth rate is about 0.90% and the simple unweighted mean is 0.99%. Population growth is positive in 167 observations and negative in 49. There are 49 countries and economies at or above 2%, including 12 at or above 3%. At the other end, 20 observations are at or below -0.5%.
The highest rates are concentrated partly in the Gulf and partly in African countries. The United Arab Emirates is at 4.7%, Saudi Arabia 4.6%, Oman 4.0%, and Qatar 3.9%. Syria is at 3.8%, while Chad, the Central African Republic, Somalia, Niger, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are all above 3%. The map identifies where rapid change appears, but it does not by itself explain whether births, deaths, or migration produced those rates.
Highest and lowest population growth rates in 2025
| Highest 2025 population growth | Rate |
|---|---|
| United Arab Emirates | 4.7% |
| Saudi Arabia | 4.6% |
| Oman | 4.0% |
| Qatar | 3.9% |
| Syrian Arab Republic | 3.8% |
| Chad | 3.4% |
| Central African Republic | 3.4% |
| Somalia, Fed. Rep. | 3.3% |
| Niger | 3.2% |
| Congo, Dem. Rep. | 3.2% |
The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are the only observations above 4% in this filtered set. Oman and Qatar are just below that threshold, while Syria is at 3.8%. Several African economies follow in the 3.2–3.4% range. These are rankings of the percentage pace of population change, not rankings of total population size.
| Lowest 2025 population growth | Rate |
|---|---|
| St. Martin (French part) | -4.7% |
| Marshall Islands | -3.4% |
| Moldova | -1.8% |
| Northern Mariana Islands | -1.7% |
| Tuvalu | -1.6% |
| American Samoa | -1.6% |
| Albania | -1.2% |
| Kosovo | -1.1% |
| Latvia | -1.0% |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | -0.8% |
On the negative side, St. Martin (French part) is at -4.7% and the Marshall Islands at -3.4%. Moldova, the Northern Mariana Islands, Tuvalu, and American Samoa are below -1.5%, while Albania and Kosovo are below -1%. Several of the lowest observations are small islands or special territories, which is one reason to treat the ranking as a description of the 2025 statistical distribution rather than a league table of national performance.
How several large economies compare
| Country | 2025 population growth |
|---|---|
| United States | 0.5% |
| China | -0.2% |
| India | 0.9% |
| Japan | -0.5% |
| Korea, Rep. | -0.1% |
| Germany | -0.0% |
| France | 0.2% |
| United Kingdom | 0.3% |
| Brazil | 0.4% |
| Mexico | 0.8% |
| Canada | 0.9% |
| Indonesia | 0.8% |
| Nigeria | 2.1% |
| South Africa | 1.1% |
Nigeria is at 2.1% and South Africa at 1.1%, both above many of the large economies in this comparison. Canada is at 0.9%, India 0.9%, Mexico 0.8%, Indonesia 0.8%, the United States 0.5%, and Brazil 0.4%. France and the United Kingdom remain positive but below 0.3%. Germany, South Korea, China, and Japan are slightly negative in the 2025 observations.
This is why a population growth map should not be read as a population size map. India and China remain among the world’s most populous countries, but their percentage growth rates do not sit near the top of this table. A smaller economy can post a much faster percentage increase while adding far fewer people in absolute terms. Growth rates answer a question about speed; population totals answer a question about scale.
Why 44 World Bank aggregate rows are removed
The World Bank API response for “all countries” includes more than countries. It also contains rows such as World, OECD members, European Union, Sub-Saharan Africa, and income-group aggregates. The supplied table has 260 rows, of which 44 are not ISO country/economy entries. Mixing those aggregates into a country ranking would place regional averages beside individual countries, so the calculations here retain only the 216 ISO-coded country/economy rows.
The visualization uses a low-resolution world boundary layer. Very small islands and some special territories do not have a visible matching polygon at this scale, even when the statistical row exists. The rendered layer connects values to 170 of 177 polygons. The mean, median, and rankings are calculated from the 216 statistical observations, not only from the polygons visible on the map.
What annual population growth can—and cannot—tell you
Annual population growth measures how the population changes from one year to the next in percentage terms. It does not identify the mechanism behind that change. A high rate may reflect some combination of births, deaths, and international migration; a negative rate may reflect a different combination of those same components. Explaining the cause requires separate demographic indicators rather than an assumption based on the growth rate alone.
The measure also should not be treated as a direct score of economic performance or living standards. Rapid population growth can occur in very different economic settings, and population decline does not automatically mean economic contraction. The map is strongest as a screening tool: it shows where 2025 population change is unusually fast, slow, or negative, after which more specific demographic evidence can be used for explanation.
Source and mapping method
The statistical source is the World Bank World Development Indicators Population growth (annual %) series, code SP.POP.GROW. The comparison uses 2025 observations and expresses growth in percent. Regional, income-group, and other non-country aggregate rows are excluded before ranking and summarizing the distribution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this map show each country’s total population in 2025?
No. It shows the annual population growth rate, not the number of residents. A very populous country can have a low growth rate, while a smaller country can have a much higher percentage rate.
What does a negative population growth rate mean?
It means the population declined over the measured annual period. The growth rate alone does not show whether the decline was driven mainly by births, deaths, migration, or a combination of those factors.
Is 0.99% the population-weighted global growth rate?
No. It is the simple unweighted mean of the 216 country/economy growth-rate observations retained here. A population-weighted global rate would require weighting each observation by population size.
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