1993 Rate of Natural Increase

In 1993, the global rate of natural increase (RNI)—the difference between birth rates and death rates, excluding migration—stood at approximately 1.6% per year, equating to a net annual addition of about 90 million people. The RNI varied dramatically across continents and regions: Africa exhibited the highest rates, often exceeding 2.5% in many countries due to high fertility and relatively young populations, while Asia's RNI averaged around 1.8%, with South and Southeast Asia experiencing higher rates than East Asia, where China's one-child policy had already begun to slow growth. Latin America and the Caribbean saw moderate RNIs, generally between 1.5% and 2.5%. In stark contrast, Europe’s RNI was near zero or even negative in some Eastern European countries, reflecting low birth rates and aging populations, while North America’s RNI hovered around 0.7%–1.0%. At the country level, nations such as Nigeria and Pakistan experienced RNIs above 2.5%, whereas Germany and Russia had near-zero or negative rates, highlighting the demographic divide between developed and developing regions in the early 1990s.

Data from US Census International Database