Population growth in World
World: Population growth was 0.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Population growth in World, 1961–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
World recorded 0.9% for population growth in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.3% on the previous year and down 23.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in World peaked at 2.1% in 1963 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, 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 | 2.0% | 1.4% | 2.1% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.9% | 1.8% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.5% | 1.4% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.0% | 6 |
More climate change data for World
- Population, total 8.22 billion (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.4% (2025)
- Urban population 4.75 billion (2025)
- Urban population 57.8% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 25.3% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 3,853 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 9.0% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 16.5% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 17.0% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 17.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in World?
- Population growth in World was 0.9% 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 World?
- The highest recorded value was 2.1% in 1963.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 2021.
- Is population growth rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this World 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.