Fastest Growing Countries 2026

Fastest Growing Countries 2026

UN World Population Prospects, 2024 revision (medium variant)

These are the countries whose population is growing fastest, ranked by their population change over the last ten years.

  • 201 countries and areas ranked
  • Highest: Chad
  • Lowest: United States Virgin Islands

Download this table as Excel (.xlsx)

Rank Country 10-yr growthRegionAnnual growthPopulationProjected +25 yrs
1 Chad +42.6% AFRICA +2.7% 21,560,380 39,636,033
2 Somalia +41.5% AFRICA +3.3% 20,305,907 37,953,802
3 Niger +39.3% AFRICA +3.2% 28,814,878 53,546,930
4 D.R. Congo +38.7% AFRICA +3.2% 116,452,162 223,027,957
5 Syrian Arab Republic +37.9% ASIA +3.3% 26,472,497 38,104,386
6 Angola +37.8% AFRICA +3.0% 40,215,180 75,892,826
7 Uganda +36.0% AFRICA +2.7% 52,761,470 86,718,842
8 Mayotte +35.8% AFRICA +3.1% 347,536 659,491
9 Mali +35.1% AFRICA +2.9% 25,932,275 47,029,244
10 Tanzania +34.8% AFRICA +2.9% 72,563,781 132,280,447
11 Mozambique +34.0% AFRICA +2.8% 36,639,851 64,647,085
12 Yemen +33.8% ASIA +2.8% 42,961,653 72,147,203
13 Mauritania +33.6% AFRICA +2.8% 5,461,319 9,592,001
14 Zambia +33.2% AFRICA +2.8% 22,521,916 38,728,892
15 Equatorial Guinea +31.6% AFRICA +2.4% 1,984,468 3,190,137
16 Burundi +31.0% AFRICA +2.4% 14,729,157 24,498,523
17 Cameroon +30.6% AFRICA +2.5% 30,640,817 51,989,016
18 Ethiopia +30.2% AFRICA +2.5% 138,902,185 228,687,201
19 Malawi +29.8% AFRICA +2.6% 22,785,535 37,964,325
20 Afghanistan +29.8% ASIA +2.7% 45,047,069 78,155,052
21 Benin +29.7% AFRICA +2.4% 15,170,420 24,827,845
22 Solomon Islands +29.6% OCEANIA +2.3% 858,288 1,325,604
23 Namibia +29.3% AFRICA +2.0% 3,153,246 4,564,906
24 Oman +29.2% ASIA +3.2% 5,671,459 7,920,185
25 Sudan +29.1% AFRICA +3.1% 53,282,719 86,579,067
26 Côte d'Ivoire +28.9% AFRICA +2.4% 33,494,346 56,759,561
27 Senegal +28.8% AFRICA +2.3% 19,366,548 30,817,068
28 Madagascar +28.4% AFRICA +2.4% 33,522,052 54,016,765
29 United Arab Emirates +28.2% ASIA +2.0% 11,574,682 15,543,672
30 Guinea +27.9% AFRICA +2.3% 15,441,993 23,715,929
31 Kuwait +27.4% ASIA +1.5% 5,102,773 6,421,240
32 Burkina Faso +27.2% AFRICA +2.2% 24,601,700 37,777,225
33 Congo +27.1% AFRICA +2.4% 6,637,786 11,200,449
34 Togo +26.4% AFRICA +2.2% 9,930,919 15,831,367
35 Gambia +26.3% AFRICA +2.2% 2,884,080 4,355,372
36 Gabon +26.0% AFRICA +2.1% 2,647,400 4,147,627
37 Vanuatu +25.9% OCEANIA +2.2% 342,564 542,587
38 Guinea-Bissau +25.4% AFRICA +2.1% 2,297,808 3,483,364
39 Rwanda +24.9% AFRICA +2.2% 14,889,693 23,007,765
40 Sierra Leone +24.9% AFRICA +2.0% 8,996,745 13,093,463
41 Iraq +24.8% ASIA +2.1% 48,007,437 72,837,415
42 Nigeria +24.0% AFRICA +2.1% 242,431,832 363,523,611
43 Tajikistan +23.8% ASIA +1.8% 10,978,599 15,737,680
44 Liberia +23.1% AFRICA +2.1% 5,853,949 9,020,146
45 State of Palestine +22.9% ASIA +1.8% 5,692,790 8,559,238
46 Seychelles +22.9% AFRICA +1.6% 134,959 141,518
47 Western Sahara +22.2% AFRICA +1.6% 610,813 781,596
48 Papua New Guinea +22.2% OCEANIA +1.7% 10,947,848 15,046,436
49 Qatar +22.1% ASIA +1.9% 3,173,560 4,212,656
50 Kenya +21.8% AFRICA +1.9% 58,636,412 84,451,673
51 Turkmenistan +21.6% ASIA +1.5% 7,736,632 9,694,833
52 Ghana +21.6% AFRICA +1.8% 35,697,557 51,112,490
53 Comoros +21.2% AFRICA +1.8% 899,010 1,324,686
54 Kyrgyzstan +21.2% ASIA +1.4% 7,400,465 9,722,163
55 Central African Republic +20.9% AFRICA +3.4% 5,698,984 10,834,361
56 Malta +20.6% EUROPE +0.7% 549,011 533,639
57 Uzbekistan +20.6% ASIA +1.8% 37,724,223 52,819,885
58 Sao Tome and Principe +20.3% AFRICA +2.0% 244,994 369,876
59 Iceland +19.9% EUROPE +1.0% 402,329 432,981
60 Maldives +19.9% ASIA +0.3% 531,517 591,628
61 Honduras +18.8% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN +1.6% 11,184,760 14,968,239
62 Zimbabwe +18.3% AFRICA +1.9% 17,273,580 26,217,392
63 Egypt +18.2% AFRICA +1.5% 120,101,176 163,063,539
64 Eritrea +17.9% AFRICA +2.1% 3,682,669 5,775,739
65 Luxembourg +17.8% EUROPE +1.0% 687,449 793,283
66 Pakistan +17.8% ASIA +1.6% 259,299,792 376,335,025
67 Algeria +17.6% AFRICA +1.3% 48,028,334 59,975,606
68 Belize +17.5% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN +1.4% 428,645 518,386
69 Israel +17.5% ASIA +1.4% 9,647,689 13,244,416
70 French Guiana +17.5% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN +1.7% 318,872 478,449
71 Bahrain +17.2% ASIA +2.0% 1,675,572 2,157,875
72 Timor-Leste +17.0% ASIA +1.3% 1,436,923 1,902,810
73 Mongolia +17.0% ASIA +1.1% 3,556,798 4,535,765
74 Kiribati +16.9% OCEANIA +1.4% 138,445 184,260
75 Guatemala +16.6% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN +1.5% 18,967,978 24,845,333
76 Botswana +16.5% AFRICA +1.6% 2,603,388 3,465,409
77 Jordan +15.8% ASIA +0.6% 11,589,533 16,525,168
78 Djibouti +15.6% AFRICA +1.3% 1,199,460 1,540,678
79 Laos +15.4% ASIA +1.3% 7,974,018 9,802,787
80 South Sudan +14.8% AFRICA +2.0% 12,436,037 18,542,997
81 Kazakhstan +14.8% ASIA +1.2% 21,083,627 26,757,521
82 Panama +14.8% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN +1.2% 4,625,718 5,658,479
83 Saudi Arabia +14.5% ASIA +1.7% 35,165,787 48,198,043
84 Malaysia +14.5% ASIA +1.1% 36,385,115 44,502,613
85 South Africa +14.3% AFRICA +1.1% 65,453,085 79,652,213
86 China, Macao SAR +14.0% ASIA +0.2% 723,189 664,201
87 Bolivia +14.0% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN +1.3% 12,749,291 16,214,293
88 Cambodia +13.9% ASIA +1.1% 18,051,220 22,045,831
89 Nicaragua +13.9% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN +1.3% 7,097,329 8,801,963
90 Colombia +13.7% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN +1.0% 53,936,226 59,382,960
91 Libya +13.7% AFRICA +1.1% 7,539,852 9,310,579
92 Paraguay +13.5% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN +1.2% 7,095,280 8,687,837
93 Peru +13.1% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN +1.0% 34,922,148 40,716,361
94 Haiti +12.8% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN +1.1% 12,037,506 14,794,290
95 Ireland +12.7% EUROPE +0.9% 5,356,950 5,973,838
96 Lesotho +12.2% AFRICA +1.1% 2,389,336 3,013,558
97 New Zealand +12.1% OCEANIA +0.7% 5,287,479 5,766,716
98 Australia +11.9% OCEANIA +0.9% 27,227,096 32,716,087
99 Ecuador +11.8% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN +0.8% 18,444,507 21,398,377
100 Cyprus +11.7% ASIA +0.8% 1,382,335 1,509,486
101 Canada +11.3% NORTHERN AMERICA +0.8% 40,467,728 45,771,463
102 Iran +11.2% ASIA +0.8% 93,168,498 101,942,323
103 Morocco +10.7% AFRICA +0.9% 38,762,441 43,517,149
104 Bangladesh +10.6% ASIA +1.2% 177,818,045 215,750,556
105 Swaziland +10.5% AFRICA +1.1% 1,269,859 1,510,782
106 Curaçao +10.5% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN -0.0% 185,441 172,687
107 Philippines +10.3% ASIA +0.8% 117,724,472 134,612,611
108 Guyana +10.1% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN +0.6% 840,890 942,745
109 Dominican Republic +10.0% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN +0.8% 11,609,500 13,025,141
110 India +9.9% ASIA +0.9% 1,476,625,577 1,683,220,886
111 Brunei Darussalam +9.9% ASIA +0.7% 469,775 520,267
112 Suriname +9.8% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN +0.8% 645,257 735,702
113 Chile +9.2% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN +0.4% 19,945,850 20,269,203
114 Indonesia +8.8% ASIA +0.8% 287,886,783 321,175,112
115 Mexico +8.8% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN +0.8% 132,997,658 149,181,847
116 Viet Nam +8.7% ASIA +0.6% 102,177,431 109,963,189
117 Samoa +8.4% OCEANIA +0.6% 220,528 275,124
118 Norway +8.0% EUROPE +0.5% 5,652,989 5,899,792
119 Sweden +7.8% EUROPE +0.4% 10,701,047 11,327,101
120 Tunisia +7.7% AFRICA +0.5% 12,415,139 13,148,162
121 Turkey +7.7% ASIA +0.3% 87,926,082 91,140,413
122 Switzerland +7.6% EUROPE +0.5% 9,007,798 9,343,512
123 Bhutan +7.3% ASIA +0.7% 802,214 883,389
124 Myanmar +7.2% ASIA +0.6% 55,184,819 58,602,739
125 Netherlands +7.2% EUROPE +0.6% 18,448,776 18,934,377
126 Sri Lanka +6.6% ASIA +0.5% 23,348,315 24,814,758
127 Costa Rica +6.3% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN +0.4% 5,174,789 5,344,062
128 United Kingdom +6.1% EUROPE +0.5% 69,931,528 75,616,457
129 United States of America +6.0% NORTHERN AMERICA +0.5% 349,035,494 381,708,397
130 Nepal +6.0% ASIA 0.0% 29,629,410 34,777,003
131 Singapore +5.9% ASIA +0.6% 5,905,748 6,064,528
132 Azerbaijan +5.9% ASIA +0.5% 10,454,855 11,224,460
133 Trinidad and Tobago +5.3% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN +0.1% 1,513,268 1,391,195
134 Denmark +5.2% EUROPE +0.4% 6,023,521 6,121,371
135 Antigua and Barbuda +5.2% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN +0.4% 94,626 94,710
136 Brazil +5.1% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN +0.4% 213,562,667 217,040,325
137 New Caledonia +5.1% OCEANIA +0.9% 297,893 341,402
138 Argentina +4.8% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN +0.3% 46,003,734 48,297,098
139 Micronesia (Fed. States of) +4.7% OCEANIA +0.4% 114,183 126,854
140 Bahamas +4.3% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN +0.4% 404,629 424,211
141 Austria +4.2% EUROPE -0.1% 9,107,266 8,696,686
142 Belgium +3.9% EUROPE +0.1% 11,774,643 11,859,003
143 Dem. People's Republic of Korea +3.6% ASIA +0.2% 26,633,691 25,691,412
144 Guam +3.6% OCEANIA +0.7% 170,185 192,170
145 Cabo Verde +3.3% AFRICA +0.4% 529,630 566,201
146 El Salvador +3.1% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN +0.4% 6,391,254 6,658,585
147 Aruba +3.0% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN 0.0% 108,164 99,414
148 Saint Lucia +2.8% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN +0.2% 180,488 171,147
149 Réunion +2.7% AFRICA +0.4% 886,298 940,884
150 Slovenia +2.6% EUROPE -0.1% 2,114,574 1,973,640
151 France +2.5% EUROPE +0.1% 66,746,401 68,200,255
152 Spain +2.4% EUROPE -0.1% 47,850,793 44,712,280
153 Finland +2.3% EUROPE -0.0% 5,621,739 5,337,090
154 Monaco +2.2% EUROPE -0.7% 38,087 36,840
155 Fiji +2.0% OCEANIA +0.4% 937,282 1,000,845
156 Grenada +1.9% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN 0.0% 117,362 112,801
157 French Polynesia +1.4% OCEANIA +0.2% 283,076 283,748
158 Estonia +1.2% EUROPE -1.0% 1,331,062 1,167,469
159 Barbados +1.1% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN 0.0% 282,725 262,867
160 Germany +1.1% EUROPE -0.5% 83,644,258 78,048,438
161 Thailand +1.0% ASIA -0.1% 71,559,615 65,985,159
162 Jamaica +0.8% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN -0.1% 2,833,404 2,429,919
163 Republic of Korea +0.6% ASIA -0.1% 51,600,388 44,671,150
164 China +0.6% ASIA -0.2% 1,412,914,089 1,249,692,538
165 Portugal +0.5% EUROPE -0.2% 10,395,363 9,734,815
166 Armenia +0.4% ASIA -0.7% 2,930,915 2,478,353
167 Slovakia +0.4% EUROPE -0.4% 5,451,342 4,909,329
168 Montenegro +0.3% EUROPE -1.0% 626,233 529,032
169 Georgia +0.3% ASIA -0.1% 3,804,642 3,654,921
170 Uruguay +0.1% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN -0.1% 3,382,537 3,242,784
171 Czech Republic -0.0% EUROPE -0.8% 10,527,781 9,795,302
172 China, Hong Kong SAR -0.4% ASIA -0.2% 7,378,602 6,005,233
173 Poland -1.1% EUROPE -0.8% 37,843,189 32,561,485
174 Russian Federation -1.6% EUROPE -0.4% 143,394,458 135,876,189
175 Tonga -2.1% OCEANIA -0.4% 103,291 105,416
176 Mauritius -2.1% AFRICA -0.3% 1,265,059 1,097,239
177 Hungary -2.3% EUROPE -0.5% 9,585,818 8,693,973
178 Taiwan -2.4% ASIA -0.4% 23,011,293 19,232,504
179 Lithuania -2.5% EUROPE -1.2% 2,797,338 2,235,291
180 Italy -2.6% EUROPE -0.4% 58,926,167 51,499,509
181 Cuba -3.3% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN -0.4% 10,892,659 9,298,547
182 Japan -3.7% ASIA -0.5% 122,427,731 104,452,459
183 Romania -4.9% EUROPE -0.6% 18,800,605 15,907,818
184 Albania -5.1% EUROPE -0.7% 2,751,025 2,218,012
185 Belarus -5.9% EUROPE -0.7% 8,937,018 7,388,576
186 Latvia -6.3% EUROPE -1.0% 1,835,935 1,501,015
187 Bulgaria -6.5% EUROPE -0.7% 6,667,660 5,354,139
188 Lebanon -6.7% ASIA +0.8% 5,897,467 7,025,484
189 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines -6.7% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN -0.7% 99,245 88,495
190 Serbia -6.8% EUROPE -0.7% 6,641,964 5,489,990
191 Venezuela -6.9% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN +0.4% 28,633,711 31,122,397
192 Puerto Rico -7.3% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN -0.4% 3,222,688 2,467,481
193 Croatia -7.6% EUROPE -0.7% 3,822,345 3,208,229
194 TFYR Macedonia -8.0% EUROPE -0.5% 1,804,063 1,499,303
195 Guadeloupe -8.0% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN -0.4% 372,453 323,770
196 Greece -8.2% EUROPE -0.4% 9,897,116 8,758,041
197 Republic of Moldova -8.5% EUROPE -1.2% 2,961,254 2,331,186
198 Bosnia and Herzegovina -10.3% EUROPE -0.8% 3,114,242 2,426,283
199 Martinique -10.9% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN -0.8% 337,711 279,388
200 Ukraine -13.3% EUROPE +1.4% 39,535,849 31,637,038
201 United States Virgin Islands -14.7% LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN -0.9% 83,401 70,853

Central Africa is growing fastest, by a wide margin

Chad leads this ranking with population growth of 42.6% over the past ten years, followed by Somalia (41.5%), Niger (39.3%), D.R. Congo (38.7%) and Syria (37.9%). Four of the top five are in Central or East Africa, and the pattern extends well beyond the top five: this ranking and our youngest median age ranking are nearly the same list in a different order, because a young population is, almost by definition, a fast-growing one — most of today's population wasn't yet born ten years ago, and a large cohort now entering childbearing age keeps growth high even before considering any further fertility change.

Syria is the exception worth explaining

Syria's presence in the top five isn't a fertility story like its neighbours — it reflects the post-2011 civil war and the return of refugees and displaced people to a population base that had been sharply depleted, an example of how this ranking's ten-year window can pick up recovery from a shock as easily as organic growth. It's a useful caveat for the whole table: a high growth rate can mean a young, expanding population, or it can mean a population recovering toward where it previously was.

The other end of the table

The slowest-growing (in practice, shrinking) countries in this ranking are led by Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Martinique, Ukraine and the US Virgin Islands, each down more than 8% over ten years — see our shrinking populations ranking for the full picture of decline measured from each country's peak rather than a fixed ten-year window. Both rankings point to the same underlying fact: population growth today is overwhelmingly a story about Sub-Saharan Africa, while population decline is overwhelmingly a story about Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.

Frequently asked questions

How many countries does this ranking cover?

This table covers 201 countries and territories, ranked using United Nations World Population Prospects data.

Which country is growing fastest?

Chad's population grew 42.6% over the last ten years, the fastest of any country.

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