Data / Rankings / Population growth rate / Countries

Countries by population growth

British Virgin Islands had the highest population growth of 215 countries in 2018, at 5.82%. Puerto Rico had the lowest, at -3.59%. The median was 1.24% and the figure for the World was 1.08%. Source: the World Bank.

Highest5.82British Virgin Islands
Lowest-3.59Puerto Rico
Median1.24215 countries
World1.08History

Top 40 countries, 2018

CSVChart (SVG)

British Virgin IslandsBritish Virgin Islands: 5.82 %5.82Turks and Caicos IslandsTurks and Caicos Islands: 4.04 %4.04KuwaitKuwait: 3.98 %3.98MaltaMalta: 3.53 %3.53SomaliaSomalia: 3.53 %3.53SudanSudan: 3.49 %3.49AngolaAngola: 3.45 %3.45NigerNiger: 3.45 %3.45Equatorial GuineaEquatorial Guinea: 3.4 %3.4UgandaUganda: 3.4 %3.4Solomon IslandsSolomon Islands: 3.36 %3.36ChadChad: 3.36 %3.36Democratic Republic of the CongoDemocratic Republic of the Congo: 3.35 %3.35MaldivesMaldives: 3.18 %3.18TanzaniaTanzania: 3.16 %3.16MaliMali: 3.13 %3.13BurundiBurundi: 3.02 %3.02ZambiaZambia: 3.01 %3.01MozambiqueMozambique: 2.98 %2.98MauritaniaMauritania: 2.97 %2.97YemenYemen: 2.96 %2.96GuyanaGuyana: 2.96 %2.96AfghanistanAfghanistan: 2.91 %2.91BeninBenin: 2.81 %2.81SenegalSenegal: 2.8 %2.8NamibiaNamibia: 2.77 %2.77CameroonCameroon: 2.77 %2.77Burkina FasoBurkina Faso: 2.7 %2.7Côte d’IvoireCôte d’Ivoire: 2.7 %2.7EthiopiaEthiopia: 2.7 %2.7IcelandIceland: 2.68 %2.68MalawiMalawi: 2.67 %2.67MadagascarMadagascar: 2.6 %2.6GuineaGuinea: 2.54 %2.54GabonGabon: 2.54 %2.54PalestinePalestine: 2.53 %2.53Republic of the CongoRepublic of the Congo: 2.44 %2.44GambiaGambia: 2.42 %2.42TajikistanTajikistan: 2.41 %2.41VanuatuVanuatu: 2.4 %2.4
%. Source: World Bank. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

RankCountries2018 (%)Change on 2017
1British Virgin Islands5.82+9.36 pts
2Turks and Caicos Islands4.04-0.04 pts
3Kuwait3.98+0.29 pts
4Malta3.53+0.8 pts
5Somalia3.53-0.35 pts
6Sudan3.49+0.02 pts
7Angola3.45-0.09 pts
8Niger3.45-0.11 pts
9Equatorial Guinea3.4-0.13 pts
10Uganda3.4-0.09 pts
11Solomon Islands3.36-0.1 pts
12Chad3.36+0.05 pts
13Democratic Republic of the Congo3.35-0.31 pts
14Maldives3.18-0.14 pts
15Tanzania3.16-0.19 pts
16Mali3.13-0.06 pts
17Burundi3.02+0.67 pts
18Zambia3.01-0.06 pts
19Mozambique2.98-0.01 pts
20Mauritania2.97-0.01 pts
21Yemen2.96-0.05 pts
22Guyana2.96+2.32 pts
23Afghanistan2.91+0.1 pts
24Benin2.81-0.07 pts
25Senegal2.8-0.09 pts
26Namibia2.77+0.04 pts
27Cameroon2.77-0.06 pts
28Burkina Faso2.7-0.16 pts
29Côte d’Ivoire2.7-0.13 pts
30Ethiopia2.7-0.03 pts
31Iceland2.68+0.33 pts
32Malawi2.67-0.04 pts
33Madagascar2.6-0 pts
34Guinea2.54-0.01 pts
35Gabon2.54-0.12 pts
36Palestine2.53+0.54 pts
37Republic of the Congo2.44+0.01 pts
38Gambia2.42-0.1 pts
39Tajikistan2.41-0.05 pts
40Vanuatu2.4+0.06 pts
41Guinea-Bissau2.37-0.06 pts
42Sierra Leone2.35-0.04 pts
43Iraq2.33+0.1 pts
44Papua New Guinea2.32-0.07 pts
45Rwanda2.32-0.03 pts
46Nigeria2.31-0.12 pts
47Turkmenistan2.26-0.03 pts
48Jordan2.2-0.05 pts
49Cayman Islands2.16-0.09 pts
50Kyrgyzstan2.15+0.05 pts
51Ghana2.08-0.12 pts
52San Marino2.04-0.12 pts
53Kenya2.03-0.14 pts
54Liberia1.96+0.01 pts
55Comoros1.95-0.04 pts
56Algeria1.94-0.09 pts
57Luxembourg1.93-0.5 pts
58Israel1.93-0.01 pts
59Timor-Leste1.92+0.03 pts
60Egypt1.9-0.1 pts
61Andorra1.88-0.29 pts
62Mongolia1.86-0.06 pts
63Belize1.86-0.44 pts
64Colombia1.84+0.39 pts
65Honduras1.83-0.02 pts
66Syria1.82+1.66 pts
67Sint Maarten1.82-0.11 pts
68Peru1.81+0.34 pts
69Togo1.81+0.11 pts
70New Zealand1.79-0.3 pts
71Chile1.79+0.2 pts
72Gibraltar1.76+0.03 pts
73Central African Republic1.76+0.08 pts
74Uzbekistan1.73+0.03 pts
75Ecuador1.72+0.19 pts
76Malaysia1.7-0.06 pts
77South Africa1.68+1.03 pts
78Panama1.67-0.04 pts
79Guatemala1.67-0.15 pts
80Pakistan1.62+0.21 pts
81Libya1.62+0.03 pts
82Faroe Islands1.62+0.18 pts
83Macao1.61+2.24 pts
84Djibouti1.6-0.04 pts
85Laos1.55-0.02 pts
86São Tomé and Príncipe1.54-0.06 pts
87Australia1.5-0.15 pts
88Kazakhstan1.49-0.06 pts
89Kiribati1.49-0.01 pts
90Zimbabwe1.49+0.04 pts
91Ireland1.45+0.1 pts
92Bolivia1.43-0.03 pts
93Canada1.43+0.24 pts
94Botswana1.42-0 pts
95Paraguay1.39-0.03 pts
96Qatar1.36-1.37 pts
97Türkiye1.35+0.06 pts
98Nauru1.34-0.21 pts
99Eritrea1.34+0.52 pts
100United Arab Emirates1.33-1.84 pts
101Haiti1.33-0.03 pts
102Oman1.32-1.96 pts
103Nicaragua1.32-0.01 pts
104Cyprus1.3-0.07 pts
105Iran1.28-0.16 pts
106Monaco1.26+0.18 pts
107Cambodia1.24-0.14 pts
108Philippines1.24-0.05 pts
109Lesotho1.22-0.02 pts
110Sweden1.16-0.19 pts
111Brunei1.16-0.05 pts
112Vietnam1.11-0.14 pts
113Morocco1.1-0.1 pts
114India1.1-0.07 pts
115Dominican Republic1.07-0.01 pts
116Samoa1.05+0.11 pts
117Sri Lanka1.01-0.14 pts
118Tunisia0.98-0.07 pts
119Suriname0.97-0.04 pts
120Indonesia0.97-0.05 pts
121Seychelles0.95-0.27 pts
122Mexico0.95+0.01 pts
123Eswatini0.92+0.17 pts
124Costa Rica0.9-0.04 pts
125Azerbaijan0.87-0.11 pts
126Argentina0.82-0.06 pts
127Bangladesh0.82-0.03 pts
128Hong Kong0.8+0.03 pts
129Liechtenstein0.75+0.1 pts
130Switzerland0.74-0.2 pts
131Myanmar0.72-0.05 pts
132Bhutan0.72-0.14 pts
133Brazil0.68-0.04 pts
134Norway0.66-0.15 pts
135United States0.59-0.11 pts
136Netherlands0.58-0.01 pts
137Bahamas0.57-0.05 pts
138Antigua and Barbuda0.5-0.05 pts
139Denmark0.5-0.15 pts
140United Kingdom0.49-0.06 pts
141Austria0.49-0.21 pts
142Singapore0.47+0.38 pts
143China0.47-0.14 pts
144Belgium0.46+0.07 pts
145Spain0.45+0.21 pts
146North Korea0.44-0.03 pts
147South Korea0.43+0.15 pts
148Bermuda0.4+0.19 pts
149Micronesia0.39+0.02 pts
150Saint Lucia0.38-0.01 pts
151Slovenia0.36+0.3 pts
152France0.36+0.07 pts
153Estonia0.35+0.23 pts
154Czechia0.33+0.07 pts
155Thailand0.3-0.12 pts
156Germany0.3-0.07 pts
157Nepal0.24+0.04 pts
158Isle of Man0.23+0.06 pts
159Grenada0.22-0.05 pts
160Tonga0.2+0.36 pts
161Barbados0.19-0.01 pts
162Trinidad and Tobago0.19-0.01 pts
163Uruguay0.18-0.09 pts
164Aruba0.16+0.15 pts
165Jamaica0.15-0.05 pts
166Slovakia0.14-0.02 pts
167Finland0.13-0.1 pts
168Bahrain0.13-5.16 pts
169Cape Verde0.1+0.04 pts
170El Salvador0.1-0.1 pts
171Montenegro0.07-0.03 pts
172Russia0.07-0.12 pts
173Mauritius0.05-0.04 pts
174Palau0.01-0.07 pts
175Poland-0-0.01 pts
176New Caledonia-0-0.05 pts
177Georgia-0.04-0.05 pts
178Saint Kitts and Nevis-0.09-0.04 pts
179French Polynesia-0.1-0.42 pts
180Japan-0.13-0.05 pts
181Portugal-0.16+0.08 pts
182Fiji-0.17-0.13 pts
183Cuba-0.18-0.03 pts
184Greece-0.2-0.01 pts
185Hungary-0.2+0.13 pts
186Italy-0.21-0.02 pts
187Belarus-0.21-0.1 pts
188U.S. Virgin Islands-0.26-0.04 pts
189Greenland-0.27-0.24 pts
190Armenia-0.35+0.08 pts
191Dominica-0.47+1.14 pts
192Guam-0.5-0.04 pts
193Ukraine-0.5-0.1 pts
194North Macedonia-0.51-0.1 pts
195Curaçao-0.53-0.84 pts
196Serbia-0.55-0.01 pts
197Romania-0.59-0.01 pts
198Saint Vincent and the Grenadines-0.7-0.05 pts
199Latvia-0.78+0.11 pts
200Lithuania-0.83+0.38 pts
201Tuvalu-1.09-0.53 pts
202Bosnia and Herzegovina-1.22+0.06 pts
203Croatia-1.31+0.3 pts
204American Samoa-1.32-0.05 pts
205South Sudan-1.34+4.08 pts
206Bulgaria-1.37-0.05 pts
207Albania-1.540 pts
208Moldova-1.76-0.03 pts
209Northern Mariana Islands-1.78-0.17 pts
210Saint Martin-2.27-1.35 pts
211Venezuela-2.51-1.86 pts
212Saudi Arabia-2.55-2.63 pts
213Marshall Islands-2.71-0.21 pts
214Lebanon-2.9-0.29 pts
215Puerto Rico-3.59-1.57 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Exponential rate of change of the mid-year population from the previous year to the reported year, as a percentage. Includes births, deaths and migration.

Total change, not natural increase (births minus deaths). World Bank series.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the countries are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

World Bank, World Development Indicators. Population growth, annual % (SP.POP.GROW). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.GROW. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

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Questions

Which country has the highest population growth?

British Virgin Islands, with 5.82% in 2018, according to the World Bank.

Which country has the lowest population growth?

Puerto Rico, with -3.59% in 2018.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: World Bank, Population growth, annual % (SP.POP.GROW). Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Population growth rate: other rankings

Countries: more rankings