2015 Rate of Natural Increase

In 2015, the world's rate of natural increase (RNI)—the difference between birth rates and death rates, excluding migration—stood at approximately 1.2% per year, translating to an annual global population growth of about 83 million people. This rate, however, varied significantly across continents and regions. Africa had the highest RNI, with many countries, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, experiencing rates above 2.5% per year, driven by high birth rates and declining mortality. Asia, the most populous continent, had a moderate RNI of around 1.1%, with South and Southeast Asia growing faster than East Asia, where countries like Japan and China saw much lower rates due to aging populations and low fertility. Europe, in contrast, had a near-zero or even negative RNI in several countries, reflecting low birth rates and aging demographics, while Latin America and the Caribbean had an intermediate RNI, generally between 1% and 1.5%. Countries such as Niger and Uganda topped the charts with RNIs exceeding 3%, while nations like Germany, Russia, and Japan had negative or near-zero natural increase, highlighting stark contrasts in population dynamics worldwide in 2015.

Data from US Census International Database