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Mapped: Population Growth in Every Country (2000–2025)
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Key Takeaways
- A small group of countries saw explosive population growth, led by Qatar with an increase of over 400% since 2000.
- Most countries grew, but nearly 1 in 7 experienced population decline.
- The sharpest declines were concentrated in Eastern Europe, led by Ukraine at -32.5%.
Over the past 25 years, population trends have split in two directions. Some countries have seen their populations multiply several times over, while others have steadily declined.
This map shows cumulative population change by country from 2000 to 2025, based on data from the IMF. The contrast is clear: migration-driven growth in parts of the Gulf and Africa, and sustained population decline across Eastern Europe.
Where Population Growth is Surging
The fastest-growing populations are concentrated in a relatively small group of countries, mainly in the Gulf and sub-Saharan Africa, where migration and demographic momentum have driven rapid expansion.
The data table below shows the cumulative population change of each country from 2000 to 2025:
| Rank | Country | Population Change 2000–2025 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qatar | 423.4 |
| 2 | United Arab Emirates | 249.7 |
| 3 | Equatorial Guinea | 166.6 |
| 4 | Niger | 157.0 |
| 5 | Bahrain | 153.9 |
| 6 | Papua New Guinea | 149.6 |
| 7 | Angola | 139.7 |
| 8 | Kuwait | 139.1 |
| 9 | Oman | 129.1 |
| 10 | Chad | 126.9 |
| 11 | Jordan | 126.3 |
| 12 | Burundi | 123.6 |
| 13 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 121.8 |
| 14 | Uganda | 120.1 |
| 15 | Zambia | 119.5 |
| 16 | Mali | 118.4 |
| 17 | Yemen | 112.9 |
| 18 | Gambia, The | 112.8 |
| 19 | Madagascar | 108.7 |
| 20 | Benin | 106.6 |
| 21 | Republic of Congo | 107.0 |
| 22 | Tanzania | 106.4 |
| 23 | Mozambique | 102.3 |
| 24 | Côte d'Ivoire | 102.3 |
| 25 | Burkina Faso | 102.0 |
| 26 | Liberia | 101.2 |
| 27 | Cameroon | 100.4 |
| 28 | Malawi | 99.3 |
| 29 | Saudi Arabia | 98.5 |
| 30 | Timor-Leste | 97.5 |
| 31 | Senegal | 95.7 |
| 32 | Sierra Leone | 92.4 |
| 33 | Gabon | 91.4 |
| 34 | Nigeria | 90.2 |
| 35 | Togo | 90.3 |
| 36 | Solomon Islands | 88.7 |
| 37 | Vanuatu | 86.9 |
| 38 | Rwanda | 83.9 |
| 39 | Ethiopia | 83.5 |
| 40 | Kenya | 80.9 |
| 41 | Guinea | 80.7 |
| 42 | Ghana | 78.6 |
| 43 | Pakistan | 77.4 |
| 44 | Mauritania | 75.1 |
| 45 | Egypt | 71.0 |
| 46 | Namibia | 69.6 |
| 47 | Comoros | 69.5 |
| 48 | Guinea-Bissau | 69.1 |
| 49 | Belize | 66.8 |
| 50 | Tajikistan | 66.7 |
| 51 | São Tomé and Príncipe | 66.7 |
| 52 | Honduras | 65.0 |
| 53 | Sudan | 62.1 |
| 54 | Israel | 61.9 |
| 55 | Botswana | 60.0 |
| 56 | Guatemala | 59.5 |
| 57 | Luxembourg | 57.8 |
| 58 | Algeria | 54.9 |
| 59 | Uzbekistan | 54.0 |
| 60 | Kiribati | 53.6 |
| 61 | Maldives | 52.2 |
| 62 | Singapore | 50.9 |
| 63 | Panama | 50.1 |
| 64 | Mongolia | 49.1 |
| 65 | Philippines | 48.6 |
| 66 | Zimbabwe | 48.5 |
| 67 | Kyrgyz Republic | 48.2 |
| 68 | Bolivia | 47.7 |
| 69 | Djibouti | 47.1 |
| 70 | Cambodia | 46.6 |
| 71 | Haiti | 46.4 |
| 72 | Central African Republic | 45.8 |
| 73 | Australia | 44.9 |
| 74 | Ecuador | 45.1 |
| 75 | Malta | 44.7 |
| 76 | Malaysia | 44.1 |
| 77 | Lao P.D.R. | 43.4 |
| 78 | Ireland | 43.4 |
| 79 | South Africa | 42.4 |
| 80 | Turkmenistan | 42.5 |
| 81 | Brunei Darussalam | 41.5 |
| 82 | Nicaragua | 41.4 |
| 83 | Costa Rica | 41.0 |
| 84 | Suriname | 40.7 |
| 85 | Iceland | 40.1 |
| 86 | India | 38.4 |
| 87 | Paraguay | 38.0 |
| 88 | Bhutan | 38.0 |
| 89 | Antigua and Barbuda | 38.2 |
| 90 | Indonesia | 37.9 |
| 91 | Iran | 37.8 |
| 92 | New Zealand | 37.9 |
| 93 | Kazakhstan | 36.9 |
| 94 | Cyprus | 36.5 |
| 95 | Bangladesh | 36.1 |
| 96 | Colombia | 35.7 |
| 97 | Canada | 35.6 |
| 98 | Bahamas, The | 35.9 |
| 99 | Libya | 34.8 |
| 100 | Mexico | 34.2 |
| 101 | Türkiye, Republic of | 33.9 |
| 102 | Morocco | 32.5 |
| 103 | Chile | 31.7 |
| 104 | Peru | 30.4 |
| 105 | Argentina | 29.4 |
| 106 | Dominican Republic | 29.6 |
| 107 | Azerbaijan | 29.1 |
| 108 | Vietnam | 28.7 |
| 109 | Tunisia | 28.2 |
| 110 | Switzerland | 26.0 |
| 111 | Seychelles | 25.9 |
| 112 | Norway | 25.0 |
| 113 | Cabo Verde | 24.2 |
| 114 | Liechtenstein | 24.2 |
| 115 | Spain | 22.3 |
| 116 | Brazil | 22.1 |
| 117 | Samoa | 21.8 |
| 118 | Eswatini | 21.5 |
| 119 | United States | 21.0 |
| 120 | Nepal | 20.8 |
| 121 | Sweden | 20.2 |
| 122 | Myanmar | 19.5 |
| 123 | Lesotho | 19.4 |
| 124 | United Kingdom | 18.6 |
| 125 | Belgium | 15.9 |
| 126 | Fiji | 15.7 |
| 127 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 15.6 |
| 128 | Austria | 14.6 |
| 129 | Saint Lucia | 14.5 |
| 130 | Netherlands | 13.8 |
| 131 | France | 13.4 |
| 132 | Trinidad and Tobago | 13.3 |
| 133 | Denmark | 12.6 |
| 134 | Grenada | 12.6 |
| 135 | Hong Kong SAR | 12.2 |
| 136 | Thailand | 11.7 |
| 137 | China | 10.9 |
| 138 | South Korea | 9.9 |
| 139 | Venezuela | 9.3 |
| 140 | Finland | 8.5 |
| 141 | Barbados | 8.1 |
| 142 | Guyana | 7.7 |
| 143 | El Salvador | 7.2 |
| 144 | Slovenia | 7.2 |
| 145 | Kosovo | 7.1 |
| 146 | Aruba | 6.9 |
| 147 | Jamaica | 6.6 |
| 148 | Czechia | 6.1 |
| 149 | Mauritius | 5.8 |
| 150 | Dominica | 5.6 |
| 151 | Taiwan Province of China | 5.0 |
| 152 | Portugal | 4.5 |
| 153 | Uruguay | 4.1 |
| 154 | Italy | 3.5 |
| 155 | Montenegro | 3.1 |
| 156 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 2.8 |
| 157 | Germany | 2.7 |
| 158 | Slovak Republic | 0.4 |
| 159 | Tonga | 0.0 |
| 160 | Russia | -0.7 |
| 161 | Estonia | -1.6 |
| 162 | Japan | -2.8 |
| 163 | Armenia | -3.3 |
| 164 | Greece | -3.7 |
| 165 | Poland | -4.6 |
| 166 | Palau | -5.3 |
| 167 | Hungary | -6.5 |
| 168 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | -8.2 |
| 169 | Belarus | -9.0 |
| 170 | North Macedonia | -10.0 |
| 171 | Georgia | -10.3 |
| 172 | Micronesia | -11.2 |
| 173 | Croatia | -12.0 |
| 174 | Albania | -12.8 |
| 175 | Serbia | -13.1 |
| 176 | Romania | -16.1 |
| 177 | Puerto Rico | -16.7 |
| 178 | Lithuania | -17.5 |
| 179 | Moldova | -18.8 |
| 180 | Latvia | -21.6 |
| 181 | Bulgaria | -23.2 |
| 182 | Marshall Islands | -29.4 |
| 183 | Ukraine | -32.5 |
Qatar stands far ahead of every other country, with its population increasing more than fivefold (+423.4%) since 2000. This surge has been driven largely by an influx of foreign workers tied to energy and infrastructure booms. Other Gulf economies also rank among the fastest-growing, including the United Arab Emirates (+249.7%), Bahrain (+153.9%), Kuwait (+139.1%), Oman (+129.1%), and Saudi Arabia (+98.5%).
Outside the Gulf, several African economies also posted strong gains, including Equatorial Guinea (+166.6%), Niger (+157.0%), Angola (+139.7%), and Chad (+126.9%).
At the opposite extreme, several countries are shrinking rapidly. Ukraine leads the declines at -32.5%, followed by a cluster of Eastern European and Baltic states, including Bulgaria (-23.2%), Latvia (-21.6%), Lithuania (-17.5%), Moldova (-18.8%), and Romania (-16.1%).
EU accession opened westward migration routes for parts of Eastern Europe, accelerating long-term population losses in a region already facing aging demographics and low birth rates.
Large Economies Saw More Moderate Growth
Among the world’s largest economies, population growth was generally more moderate. India grew 38.4%, while the U.S. rose 21.0%, China 10.9%, and Brazil 22.1%. Canada posted a stronger 35.6% increase, and Australia climbed 44.9%.
Elsewhere in Asia, Japan declined 2.8% and South Korea rose 9.9%, both trailing the global average increase of 46.6%.
Taken together, the map shows that the fastest population expansion has not been driven by the largest economies, but by a mix of migration-heavy Gulf states and younger, faster-growing developing countries.
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