Population growth in OECD members
OECD members: Population growth was 0.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Population growth in OECD members, 1961–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population growth in OECD members is 0.4%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 40.0% on the previous year and down 37.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in OECD members peaked at 1.4% in 1962 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2021.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.4% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.7% | 6 |
More climate change data for OECD members
- Population, total 1.40 billion (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.5% (2025)
- Urban population 1.14 billion (2025)
- Urban population 81.3% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 38.1% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 1,013 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 7.9% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 17.0% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 21.1% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 24.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in OECD members?
- Population growth in OECD members was 0.4% 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 OECD members?
- The highest recorded value was 1.4% in 1962.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in OECD members?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2021.
- Is population growth rising or falling in OECD members?
- Over the last ten years it is down 37.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this OECD members 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.