Population growth by country statistics & facts

Population growth at a glance

The world population is growing by about 68.9 million people in 2026, or 0.83 percent, according to UN projections. That is the equivalent of adding a country the size of Thailand every year. But the growth is extremely uneven. The Central African Republic, Somalia, Niger and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are growing by more than 3 percent a year, enough to double their populations in 21 to 23 years, while 65 countries and areas are shrinking, including China, Japan, Italy and much of eastern Europe.

This report ranks countries by population growth rate and absolute change, shows how migration shapes growth, identifies the countries whose populations have already peaked and sets out the outlook to 2050 and beyond. It focuses on the country-level detail behind the global totals in our world population statistics.

How world population growth has changed

The world population grew fastest in relative terms in 1963, when the growth rate peaked at 2.28 percent. The largest absolute increase came later, in 1990, when the population grew by 93.7 million people in a single year. Since then, both the rate and the absolute increase have declined, with a sharp dip during the COVID-19 pandemic, when annual growth fell to 63.7 million in 2021.

From 94 million to below zero: Annual growth peaked at 93.7 million in 1990 and is projected to turn negative in 2084.

The UN projects that annual growth will fall to 40.7 million by 2050 and reach zero in 2084, when the world population is expected to peak at about 10.3 billion. After that, the world population would start to shrink slowly, losing about 12.9 million people in 2100. The milestones of 9 billion and 10 billion are projected for 2037 and 2060.

Africa now accounts for more than half of world population growth, adding 35.2 million people in 2026 against 28.0 million in Asia. Europe is the only continent whose population is shrinking, by about 1.1 million a year.

Fastest-growing countries

Among countries with at least one million people, the Central African Republic has the highest growth rate in 2026 at 3.28 percent, followed by Somalia (3.24 percent), Niger (3.14 percent), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (3.13 percent), Syria (3.04 percent) and Sudan (3.03 percent). Angola, Mali, Oman, Tanzania, Mozambique and Yemen complete the top twelve, all above 2.7 percent.

Doubling in a generation: At more than 3 percent a year, the four fastest-growing countries would double their populations in about 21 to 23 years.

For most of these countries, growth comes from a large excess of births over deaths, with natural increase of around 30 per 1,000 people. Two cases are different. Syria and Sudan show high growth in 2026 partly because of projected return migration after years of conflict, and in Oman, migration contributes about as much as natural increase. These projections are particularly uncertain.

Countries with shrinking populations

At the other end of the ranking, Moldova has the fastest population decline among countries with at least one million people, at minus 0.98 percent in 2026, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine, Albania, Bulgaria and Armenia, all shrinking by more than 0.7 percent a year. Every country in the bottom twelve is in eastern or south-eastern Europe or the Caucasus.

Eastern Europe empties: Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Baltic states are losing close to 1 percent of their people every year.

Two forces drive these declines: more deaths than births, and emigration. In Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Ukraine, natural decrease of 6 to 8 per 1,000 people is the main driver. In Albania and Armenia, births still exceed deaths, and the decline comes almost entirely from emigration, at 8 to 9 people per 1,000. Moldova loses population both ways. In 2026, 65 countries and areas, with 27 percent of the world population, are shrinking. Natural decrease is covered in our report on the global death rate.

Where the most people are added and lost

In absolute numbers, India adds by far the most people, about 12.7 million in 2026, followed by Nigeria with 4.9 million, Pakistan with 4.1 million, the Democratic Republic of the Congo with 3.6 million and Ethiopia with 3.4 million. The United States, which grows by about 1.7 million a year, is the only high-income country in the top ten, largely because of immigration.

India adds 12.7 million: India alone accounts for nearly a fifth of world population growth.

China loses the most people, about 3.1 million in 2026, more than all other shrinking countries in the top ten combined. Japan loses about 689,000, Russia 330,000, Ukraine 291,000, Italy 232,000 and Germany 194,000. According to UN estimates, China has been shrinking since 2021, and its decline is covered in our report on the population of China.

China loses 3.1 million: China shrinks by more people each year than the next nine shrinking countries combined.

The role of migration

Migration does not change the world total, but it reshapes national populations. In high-income countries as a group, deaths already exceed births by about 600,000 a year, yet the population still grows by about 2.7 million in 2026 because of net immigration of about 3.3 million. In other words, all of the population growth in the rich world now comes from migration.

The US takes the most: The United States receives about 1.2 million net migrants a year, more than the next three countries combined.

The United States has the largest net immigration, about 1.18 million people in 2026, followed by the United Kingdom (364,000), Russia (325,000), Syria (306,000), Canada (291,000) and Sudan (252,000). The figures for Syria and Sudan reflect projected returns of refugees. More detail on the United States is in our report on immigration to the United States, and the UK picture is covered in our report on the UK population.

South Asia sends the most: Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Nepal together lose about 2.2 million people a year to net emigration.

Pakistan has the largest net emigration, about 1.15 million people in 2026, followed by India (440,000), Bangladesh (371,000) and Nepal (292,000), all major sources of labour migrants to the Gulf states and other regions. China, Turkey, Brazil and the Philippines also record net outflows. Relative to population, emigration matters most for smaller countries such as Albania and Armenia.

Countries that have already peaked

A growing number of countries have passed their peak population. Of 236 countries and areas, 65 had already reached their maximum by 2026, including China (peak 1.43 billion in 2020), Japan (2009), Italy (2013), Russia (1991), South Korea (2020), Thailand (2021) and Germany (2023). Another 47 are projected to peak between 2027 and 2054, including Brazil (2041), Vietnam (2049), Indonesia (2058) and India, which is expected to peak at about 1.70 billion in 2061.

For 124 countries, including the United States, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the UN projects that the population will still be growing in 2054 or later. In the United States, growth is projected to continue to 2100, mainly because of immigration.

Who will grow by 2050

Between 2026 and 2050, the UN projects that the world population will grow by about 1.35 billion people, and Africa will account for about 65 percent of that increase. India is projected to add 199 million people, Nigeria 116 million, Pakistan 113 million, the Democratic Republic of the Congo 102 million and Ethiopia 86 million. The populations of DR Congo and Angola are projected to grow by more than 80 percent.

Five countries, 616 million: India, Nigeria, Pakistan, DR Congo and Ethiopia are projected to add more than 600 million people between them by 2050.

China, by contrast, is projected to lose about 156 million people by 2050, more than the current population of Russia, and Japan about 17 million. Population growth and decline are closely linked to the trends in our reports on the global fertility rate, the global ageing population and urbanization, since most of the additional people will live in cities.

Population growth in numbers

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