Highlights
Central African Republic
Saint MartinTop 20 countries by population growth rate
Population Growth Rate by Country — full ranking
Somalia
Niger
DR Congo
Mayotte
Sudan
Angola
Mali
Oman
Tanzania
Mozambique
Yemen
Zambia
Afghanistan
Mauritania
Uganda
Chad
Malawi
Cameroon
Ethiopia
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Ivory Coast
Madagascar
Republic of the Congo
Equatorial Guinea
Burundi
Solomon Islands
Senegal
Guinea
Liberia
Vanuatu
Burkina Faso
Gambia
Togo
Jordan
Rwanda
Guinea-Bissau
Eritrea
Gabon
Iraq
Nigeria
South Sudan
Sierra Leone
São Tomé and Príncipe
Palestine
Kenya
Namibia
Zimbabwe
Bahrain
Comoros
Ghana
Uzbekistan
Tajikistan
Saudi Arabia
United Arab Emirates
Papua New Guinea
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba
Qatar
Botswana
Honduras
Pakistan
Western Sahara
Seychelles
Turkmenistan
Guatemala
Egypt
Kiribati
Belize
Kyrgyzstan
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Vatican City
Israel
Bolivia
Djibouti
Timor-Leste
Nicaragua
Laos
Algeria
Bangladesh
Panama
Paraguay
Libya
Cambodia
Kazakhstan
Sint Maarten
Lesotho
Malaysia
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Eswatini
Haiti
Saint Barthélemy
South Africa
Luxembourg
Northern Cyprus
Peru
Andorra
Colombia
Iceland
Australia
Ireland
Faroe Islands
India
Ecuador
Lebanon
Morocco
New Caledonia
Suriname
Cyprus
Canada
Philippines
Mexico
Iran
Dominican Republic
Indonesia
Brunei
Bhutan
Guam
New Zealand
Nauru
Guyana
Myanmar
Turks and Caicos Islands
Liechtenstein
Samoa
Singapore
Vietnam
Azerbaijan
Tunisia
United Kingdom
Netherlands
Sri Lanka
United States
Anguilla
Réunion
British Virgin Islands
Antigua and Barbuda
Fiji
Micronesia
Cape Verde
Switzerland
Venezuela
Chile
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Sweden
Bahamas
Malta
Norway
Maldives
Brazil
Argentina
Niue
Denmark
Turkey
Macau
North Korea
French Polynesia
Saint Lucia
Guernsey
France
Nepal
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Belgium
Jersey
Trinidad and Tobago
San Marino
Grenada
Aruba
Curaçao
Georgia
Austria
Uruguay
Finland
Isle of Man
Thailand
Spain
Slovenia
South Korea
Bermuda
Jamaica
Portugal
Slovakia
Czechia
China
Germany
Greenland
Russia
Mauritius
Palau
Kosovo
Hungary
Guadeloupe
Poland
Italy
Cuba
Greece
Tonga
Taiwan
Hong Kong
Puerto Rico
Dominica
Estonia
Montenegro
Japan
North Macedonia
Monaco
Romania
Croatia
Serbia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Belarus
Wallis and Futuna
Bulgaria
Albania
Barbados
Ukraine
Latvia
Martinique
Lithuania
Montserrat
Bosnia and Herzegovina
U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Tuvalu
Northern Mariana Islands
American Samoa
Cook Islands"10-yr change" compares the latest value with the value about ten years earlier (difference in % per year).
Population growth rate by continent
| Continent | Countries | Fastest-growing | Fastest-shrinking | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asia | 52 |  Syria +3 |  Armenia -0.7 | +0.9 |
| Europe | 50 |  Gibraltar +1.7 |  Moldova -1 | -0.1 |
| Africa | 58 | Central African Republic +3.3 |  Saint Helena -1.1 | +2.1 |
| North America | 41 |  Cayman Islands +1.7 | Saint Martin -4.2 | +0.4 |
| South America | 14 |  French Guiana +1.7 |  Falkland Islands -0.1 | +0.7 |
| Oceania | 23 |  Tokelau +2.6 |  Marshall Islands -3.3 | +0.4 |
Population Growth Rate by Country: what the numbers say
The three fastest-growing countries are Central African Republic (+3.3), Somalia (+3.2), Niger (+3.1); the three fastest-shrinking are Saint Martin (-4.2), Marshall Islands (-3.3), Cook Islands (-3.3).
Across all 238 countries the median is +0.7 % per year and the simple (unweighted) average is +0.8; the spread from -4.2 to +3.3 shows how differently countries fare on this measure.
By continent, the leaders are Syria in Asia (+3), Gibraltar in Europe (+1.7), Central African Republic in Africa (+3.3), Cayman Islands in North America (+1.7), French Guiana in South America (+1.7), Tokelau in Oceania (+2.6).
About this indicator
The growth rate comes from the UN World Population Prospects and combines natural increase (births minus deaths) with net migration. Negative values mean the population is shrinking. Small territories with heavy migration flows can show extreme values from one revision to the next.
Source: UN World Population Prospects. Countries without a published value are not ranked. Each country's own page shows the full historical series and its rank on this and every other indicator.
Frequently asked questions
Which country ranks first for population growth rate?
Central African Republic ranks first with +3.3% per year, followed by Somalia (+3.2) and Niger (+3.1).
Which country has the lowest population growth rate?
Saint Martin is last of the 238 countries with current data, at -4.2% per year; Marshall Islands (-3.3) and Cook Islands (-3.3) are just above it.
What is the world median population growth rate?
The median across 238 countries is +0.7% per year: half of all countries are above that value and half below. The unweighted average is +0.8.
Where does the data come from and how current is it?
From UN World Population Prospects; the figures refer to the current UN baseline (2026).
More rankings
Cite or link to this page
Glostats. (2026). Population Growth Rate by Country 2026: 238 Countries Ranked. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://glostats.com/stats/population-growth-rate/<a href="https://glostats.com/stats/population-growth-rate/">Population Growth Rate by Country 2026: 238 Countries Ranked</a> — GlostatsFigures on this page may be quoted, charted or republished as long as the page is credited with a link. Terms · Download the data as CSV · Embed a live counter.
Ranking generated 2026-10-20 from UN World Population Prospects. Figures are the latest published values; live population figures are statistical extrapolations, not counts. More about our data.