Historical chart and dataset showing World population growth rate by year from 1961 to 2023.

Graph and download economic data for Population Growth for the United States (SPPOPGROWUSA) from 1961 to 2024 about population, rate, and USA.

Population growth (annual %) in World was reported at 0.9512 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. World - Population growth (annual %) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Before 2025, the world's total population is expected to reach eight billion. Furthermore, it is predicted to reach over 10 billion in 2060, before slowing again as global birth rates are expected to decrease. Moreover, it is still unclear to what extent global warming will have an impact on population development. A high share of the population increase is expected to happen on the African continent.

Until the 1800s, population growth was incredibly slow on a global level. The global population was estimated to have been around 188 million people in the year 1CE, and did not reach one billion until around 1803. However, since the 1800s, a phenomenon known as the demographic transition has seen population growth skyrocket, reaching eight billion people in 2023, and this is expected to peak at over 10 billion in the 2080s.

Population growth (annual %) in United States was reported at 0.97642 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - Population growth (annual %) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Population Growth for Brazil (SPPOPGROWBRA) from 1961 to 2024 about Brazil, population, and rate.

Graph and download economic data for Population Growth for Developing Countries in Middle East and North Africa (SPPOPGROWMNA) from 1961 to 2023 about North Africa, Middle East, population, and rate.

Graph and download economic data for Population Growth for Argentina (SPPOPGROWARG) from 1961 to 2024 about Argentina, population, and rate.

The world's population first reached one billion people in 1803, and reach eight billion in 2023, and will peak at almost 11 billion by the end of the century. Although it took thousands of years to reach one billion people, it did so at the beginning of a phenomenon known as the demographic transition; from this point onwards, population growth has skyrocketed, and since the 1960s the population has increased by one billion people every 12 to 15 years. The demographic transition sees a sharp drop in mortality due to factors such as vaccination, sanitation, and improved food supply; the population boom that follows is due to increased survival rates among children and higher life expectancy among the general population; and fertility then drops in response to this population growth. Regional differences The demographic transition is a global phenomenon, but it has taken place at different times across the world. The industrialized countries of Europe and North America were the first to go through this process, followed by some states in the Western Pacific. Latin America's population then began growing at the turn of the 20th century, but the most significant period of global population growth occurred as Asia progressed in the late-1900s. As of the early 21st century, almost two thirds of the world's population live in Asia, although this is set to change significantly in the coming decades. Future growth The growth of Africa's population, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, will have the largest impact on global demographics in this century. From 2000 to 2100, it is expected that Africa's population will have increased by a factor of almost five. It overtook Europe in size in the late 1990s, and overtook the Americas a decade later. In contrast to Africa, Europe's population is now in decline, as birth rates are consistently below death rates in many countries, especially in the south and east, resulting in natural population decline. Similarly, the population of the Americas and Asia are expected to go into decline in the second half of this century, and only Oceania's population will still be growing alongside Africa. By 2100, the world's population will have over three billion more than today, with the vast majority of this concentrated in Africa. Demographers predict that climate change is exacerbating many of the challenges that currently hinder progress in Africa, such as political and food instability; if Africa's transition is prolonged, then it may result in further population growth that would place a strain on the region's resources, however, curbing this growth earlier would alleviate some of the pressure created by climate change.

The graph shows the population growth in China from 2000 to 2024. In 2024, the Chinese population decreased by about 0.1 percent or 1.39 million to around 1.408 billion people. Declining population growth in China Due to strict birth control measures by the Chinese government as well as changing family and work situations of the Chinese people, population growth has subsided over the past decades. Although the gradual abolition of the one-child policy from 2014 on led to temporarily higher birth figures, growth rates further decreased in recent years. As of 2024, leading countries in population growth could almost exclusively be found on the African continent and the Arabian Peninsula. Nevertheless, as of mid 2024, Asia ranked first by a wide margin among the continents in terms of absolute population. Future development of Chinese population The Chinese population reached a maximum of 1,412.6 million people in 2021 but decreased by 850,000 in 2022 and another 2.08 million in 2023. Until 2022, China had still ranked the world’s most populous country, but it was overtaken by India in 2023. Apart from the population decrease, a clear growth trend in Chinese cities is visible. By 2024, around 67 percent of Chinese people lived in urban areas, compared to merely 36 percent in 2000.

The annual population growth in the United States increased by 0.1 percentage points (+27.03 percent) in 2023. In total, the population growth amounted to 0.49 percent in 2023. Population growth deals with the annual change in total population, and is affected by factors such as fertility, mortality, and migration.Find more key insights for the annual population growth in countries like Mexico and Canada.

Brazil: Population growth, percent: The latest value from 2023 is 0.51 percent, an increase from 0.46 percent in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 1.15 percent, based on data from 196 countries. Historically, the average for Brazil from 1961 to 2023 is 1.72 percent. The minimum value, 0.46 percent, was reached in 2022 while the maximum of 3.02 percent was recorded in 1961.

The USA: Population growth, percent: The latest value from 2023 is 0.49 percent, an increase from 0.37 percent in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 1.15 percent, based on data from 196 countries. Historically, the average for the USA from 1961 to 2023 is 0.98 percent. The minimum value, 0.16 percent, was reached in 2021 while the maximum of 1.66 percent was recorded in 1961.

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the state of California from 1900 to 2024.

Historical chart and dataset showing Pakistan population growth rate by year from 1961 to 2023.

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the state of Colorado from 1900 to 2024.

Ireland: Population growth, percent: The latest value from 2023 is 2.6 percent, an increase from 1.85 percent in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 1.15 percent, based on data from 196 countries. Historically, the average for Ireland from 1961 to 2023 is 0.99 percent. The minimum value, -0.43 percent, was reached in 1988 while the maximum of 2.89 percent was recorded in 2007.

Historical chart and dataset showing Japan population growth rate by year from 1961 to 2023.

Micronesia: Population growth, percent: The latest value from 2023 is 0.92 percent, an increase from 0.91 percent in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 1.15 percent, based on data from 196 countries. Historically, the average for Micronesia from 1961 to 2023 is 1.56 percent. The minimum value, -0.77 percent, was reached in 2009 while the maximum of 3.61 percent was recorded in 1962.