In 2006, the world's rate of natural increase (RNI)—the difference between the crude birth rate and crude death rate, excluding migration—stood at approximately 1.2% per year, equating to a net addition of about 79 million people annually. This global average masked significant regional and continental disparities. Africa had the highest RNI, with many Sub-Saharan countries experiencing rates above 2.5% due to high birth rates and relatively young populations, despite elevated mortality. Asia, home to more than half the world's population, saw moderate rates, with South and Southeast Asia (notably India, Pakistan, and the Philippines) registering higher RNIs than East Asia, where China’s RNI had dropped below 0.7% due to policies like the one-child policy. Latin America’s RNI was also above the world average, though lower than Africa’s, while Europe’s natural increase was close to zero or even negative in some countries (such as Russia and Ukraine), reflecting low birth rates and aging populations. North America’s RNI was modest, with the United States experiencing a higher rate than Canada, largely due to higher fertility among certain demographic groups. In summary, while population growth was rapid in Africa and parts of Asia, it was stagnant or declining in much of Europe and East Asia, highlighting the demographic divide between developed and developing regions.
Rank | Country | Rate of Natural Increase | Population |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Niger | 3.956 | 13,410,761 |
2 | Gaza Strip | 3.834 | 1,341,475 |
3 | Uganda | 3.832 | 27,818,685 |
4 | Chad | 3.63 | 10,345,994 |
5 | Angola | 3.497 | 19,490,354 |
6.5 | Mali | 3.438 | 12,834,556 |
6.5 | Malawi | 3.438 | 13,183,557 |
8 | Burundi | 3.357 | 7,708,418 |
9 | The Gambia | 3.306 | 1,552,615 |
10.5 | Burkina Faso | 3.279 | 13,947,108 |
10.5 | Sao Tome and Principe | 3.279 | 161,085 |
12 | Zambia | 3.242 | 12,073,975 |
13 | Senegal | 3.202 | 11,206,875 |
14 | Congo Kinshasa | 3.186 | 63,647,861 |
15 | Liberia | 3.178 | 3,310,671 |
16 | Benin | 3.072 | 8,088,414 |
17 | Kenya | 3.061 | 36,969,809 |
18 | Togo | 3.022 | 5,532,242 |
19 | Yemen | 3.017 | 20,610,699 |
20 | Comoros | 2.998 | 642,791 |
21 | Equatorial Guinea | 2.991 | 794,798 |
22 | Tanzania | 2.982 | 39,840,807 |
23 | Rwanda | 2.945 | 9,035,459 |
24 | Timor-Leste | 2.918 | 999,588 |
25.5 | Eritrea | 2.888 | 4,846,152 |
25.5 | Somalia | 2.888 | 9,015,938 |
27 | Guinea-Bissau | 2.874 | 1,379,367 |
28 | Cameroon | 2.845 | 18,655,414 |
29 | Madagascar | 2.825 | 18,614,838 |
30 | Marshall Islands | 2.818 | 60,409 |
31 | Nigeria | 2.815 | 148,689,670 |
32 | Congo Brazzaville | 2.798 | 3,628,169 |
33 | Iraq | 2.79 | 26,813,519 |
34 | Côte d'Ivoire | 2.787 | 19,500,737 |
35 | Ethiopia | 2.718 | 73,608,652 |
36 | Solomon Islands | 2.676 | 505,546 |
37 | Guinea | 2.63 | 8,649,520 |
38 | Vanuatu | 2.624 | 223,196 |
39 | West Bank | 2.622 | 2,216,308 |
40 | Mozambique | 2.62 | 20,934,250 |
41 | Papua New Guinea | 2.615 | 6,362,103 |
42 | Mauritania | 2.563 | 2,908,262 |
43 | Pakistan | 2.559 | 171,905,824 |
44 | Syria | 2.554 | 19,402,732 |
45 | Jordan | 2.508 | 5,868,448 |
46 | Belize | 2.5 | 295,760 |
47 | Afghanistan | 2.488 | 27,152,418 |
48 | Guatemala | 2.453 | 13,007,251 |
49 | Ghana | 2.446 | 22,201,009 |
50 | Sierra Leone | 2.44 | 5,416,024 |
51 | Tonga | 2.381 | 103,845 |
52 | Honduras | 2.365 | 7,359,013 |
53 | Samoa | 2.263 | 186,252 |
54 | Egypt | 2.206 | 74,359,424 |
55 | Gabon | 2.197 | 1,407,901 |
56 | Philippines | 2.19 | 87,078,202 |
57 | Bolivia | 2.162 | 9,268,469 |
58 | Nauru | 2.126 | 9,549 |
59 | Central African Republic | 2.094 | 4,395,420 |
60 | American Samoa | 2.057 | 57,131 |
61 | Northern Mariana Islands | 2.053 | 66,233 |
62 | Kuwait | 2.051 | 2,316,845 |
63 | Libya | 2.044 | 5,777,140 |
64 | Tajikistan | 2.019 | 6,943,913 |
65 | Namibia | 2.018 | 2,068,876 |
66 | Laos | 2.012 | 5,931,832 |
67 | Cambodia | 1.997 | 13,617,707 |
68 | Federated States of Micronesia | 1.988 | 107,940 |
69 | Haiti | 1.972 | 9,216,487 |
70 | Djibouti | 1.955 | 678,088 |
71 | Nepal | 1.918 | 25,484,399 |
72 | Eswatini | 1.91 | 1,021,334 |
73 | Oman | 1.892 | 2,745,973 |
74 | Zimbabwe | 1.867 | 12,336,240 |
75 | Kiribati | 1.831 | 94,267 |
76 | Peru | 1.787 | 28,321,089 |
77 | Algeria | 1.782 | 33,420,968 |
78 | Nicaragua | 1.746 | 5,330,730 |
79 | Venezuela | 1.741 | 26,772,897 |
80 | Saudi Arabia | 1.727 | 24,290,219 |
81 | Bangladesh | 1.717 | 140,316,899 |
82 | Ecuador | 1.709 | 13,915,489 |
83 | Fiji | 1.708 | 843,827 |
84 | Cabo Verde | 1.679 | 478,254 |
85 | Guam | 1.663 | 160,298 |
86 | Panama | 1.658 | 3,260,504 |
87 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 1.632 | 30,579 |
88 | Mexico | 1.624 | 107,916,378 |
89 | Dominican Republic | 1.612 | 8,968,957 |
90 | Kyrgyzstan | 1.576 | 5,212,761 |
91 | Paraguay | 1.56 | 6,017,567 |
92 | Israel | 1.546 | 6,841,549 |
93 | Morocco | 1.542 | 30,681,046 |
94 | Brunei | 1.538 | 367,712 |
95 | Indonesia | 1.51 | 233,666,879 |
96 | India | 1.501 | 1,155,507,369 |
97 | Suriname | 1.434 | 500,908 |
98 | Bhutan | 1.431 | 719,693 |
99 | Botswana | 1.424 | 1,845,723 |
100 | El Salvador | 1.405 | 5,905,773 |
101 | Turkey | 1.388 | 71,328,326 |
102 | Guyana | 1.374 | 787,694 |
103 | Saint Martin | 1.37 | 28,399 |
104 | Turkmenistan | 1.359 | 4,719,453 |
105 | United Arab Emirates | 1.349 | 4,458,540 |
106 | Colombia | 1.342 | 42,894,825 |
107 | French Polynesia | 1.339 | 256,803 |
108 | Uzbekistan | 1.334 | 26,811,716 |
109 | Vietnam | 1.317 | 86,014,941 |
110 | New Caledonia | 1.315 | 236,510 |
111 | Mongolia | 1.312 | 2,632,747 |
112 | Malaysia | 1.305 | 26,819,653 |
113 | Iran | 1.3 | 71,306,684 |
114 | Burma | 1.293 | 49,767,531 |
115 | Jamaica | 1.287 | 2,852,242 |
116 | Bahrain | 1.278 | 984,394 |
117 | Sri Lanka | 1.277 | 20,311,049 |
118 | Tuvalu | 1.271 | 10,227 |
119 | Costa Rica | 1.244 | 4,269,767 |
120 | Lesotho | 1.225 | 1,932,268 |
121 | Maldives | 1.212 | 348,136 |
122 | Kosovo | 1.206 | 1,776,648 |
123.5 | Tunisia | 1.108 | 10,120,017 |
123.5 | Lebanon | 1.108 | 4,221,787 |
125 | Cook Islands | 1.107 | 13,100 |
126 | Brazil | 1.106 | 190,173,706 |
127 | Qatar | 1.095 | 1,119,975 |
128 | Azerbaijan | 1.085 | 8,919,169 |
129 | Grenada | 1.074 | 105,198 |
130 | Antigua and Barbuda | 1.047 | 82,339 |
131 | Argentina | 1.017 | 39,761,782 |
132 | The Bahamas | 0.986 | 307,069 |
133 | Sint Maarten | 0.946 | 34,559 |
134 | Wallis and Futuna | 0.944 | 15,147 |
135 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 0.935 | 105,630 |
136 | Saint Lucia | 0.922 | 158,011 |
137 | South Africa | 0.913 | 48,737,105 |
138.5 | Seychelles | 0.903 | 84,675 |
138.5 | Chile | 0.903 | 16,130,387 |
140 | Kazakhstan | 0.888 | 16,279,403 |
141 | Anguilla | 0.878 | 13,442 |
142 | Ireland | 0.857 | 4,309,024 |
143 | Singapore | 0.853 | 4,872,210 |
144 | Iceland | 0.827 | 303,734 |
145 | Cayman Islands | 0.796 | 45,435 |
146 | Dominica | 0.777 | 72,569 |
147 | New Zealand | 0.756 | 4,089,964 |
148 | U.S. Virgin Islands | 0.744 | 108,369 |
149 | Mauritius | 0.712 | 1,252,892 |
150 | Saint Barthelemy | 0.699 | 7,573 |
151 | Australia | 0.685 | 20,277,945 |
152 | Greenland | 0.672 | 57,637 |
153 | Thailand | 0.647 | 64,501,340 |
154 | Trinidad and Tobago | 0.622 | 1,294,420 |
155 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 0.6 | 48,277 |
156 | North Korea | 0.59 | 23,813,559 |
157 | Curaçao | 0.587 | 137,552 |
158 | Albania | 0.575 | 3,005,777 |
159 | Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha | 0.571 | 7,529 |
160 | Andorra | 0.566 | 78,294 |
161 | Barbados | 0.55 | 283,962 |
162 | British Virgin Islands | 0.544 | 26,655 |
163 | Aruba | 0.52 | 98,461 |
164 | Bermuda | 0.506 | 66,530 |
165 | China | 0.505 | 1,312,247,029 |
166 | Armenia | 0.504 | 3,081,103 |
167 | Palau | 0.503 | 20,454 |
168 | Uruguay | 0.5 | 3,271,310 |
169 | Macau | 0.499 | 499,427 |
170 | Faroe Islands | 0.495 | 48,321 |
171 | France | 0.488 | 63,451,017 |
172 | Cyprus | 0.47 | 1,031,032 |
173 | Gibraltar | 0.436 | 28,468 |
174 | South Korea | 0.427 | 48,163,516 |
175 | Liechtenstein | 0.401 | 35,164 |
176 | Norway | 0.371 | 4,662,367 |
177 | Luxembourg | 0.368 | 474,942 |
178 | Canada | 0.355 | 32,674,080 |
179 | Netherlands | 0.305 | 16,320,438 |
180 | United Kingdom | 0.29 | 60,846,808 |
181 | Taiwan | 0.28 | 22,815,797 |
182 | Cuba | 0.271 | 11,266,431 |
183 | San Marino | 0.257 | 29,953 |
184 | Montenegro | 0.252 | 620,482 |
185 | Spain | 0.251 | 44,431,750 |
186 | Hong Kong | 0.248 | 6,955,186 |
187 | Jersey | 0.214 | 89,245 |
188 | Finland | 0.205 | 5,257,972 |
189 | Belgium | 0.199 | 10,535,514 |
190 | North Macedonia | 0.191 | 2,061,665 |
191 | Georgia | 0.179 | 4,830,793 |
192 | Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 0.178 | 6,177 |
193.5 | Denmark | 0.175 | 5,433,195 |
193.5 | Switzerland | 0.175 | 7,478,652 |
195 | Isle of Man | 0.171 | 80,472 |
196 | Guernsey | 0.164 | 63,432 |
197 | Sweden | 0.162 | 9,133,722 |
198 | Malta | 0.138 | 407,973 |
199 | Greece | 0.06 | 10,985,750 |
200 | Japan | 0.056 | 127,740,790 |
201 | Monaco | 0.046 | 30,949 |
202.5 | Montserrat | 0.043 | 4,625 |
202.5 | Austria | 0.043 | 8,352,180 |
204 | Slovenia | 0.037 | 2,026,870 |
205 | Portugal | 0.032 | 10,595,717 |
206 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0.021 | 3,894,411 |
207 | Czechia | 0.013 | 10,300,229 |
208 | Slovakia | 0.012 | 5,408,943 |
209 | Italy | 0.003 | 59,272,879 |
210 | Poland | -0.014 | 38,542,453 |
211 | Moldova | -0.166 | 3,901,079 |
212 | Romania | -0.182 | 21,239,780 |
213 | Estonia | -0.184 | 1,322,944 |
214 | Croatia | -0.201 | 4,440,594 |
215 | Germany | -0.217 | 82,346,364 |
216 | Hungary | -0.316 | 10,046,269 |
217 | Belarus | -0.427 | 9,763,711 |
218 | Serbia | -0.432 | 7,384,820 |
219 | Latvia | -0.457 | 2,238,543 |
220 | Lithuania | -0.465 | 3,271,018 |
221 | Russia | -0.478 | 143,701,958 |
222 | Bulgaria | -0.52 | 7,558,418 |
223 | Ukraine | -0.638 | 46,685,257 |
Data from US Census International Database