The United Nations decided in 1987 to introduce World Population Day after the global population shot up to 5 Billion. This day is now marked on July 11 and it’s designed to highlight some of the major milestones in global population. Between 1987 and now, growth in global population has been rapid. As of 2019, the world had added another 2.7 billion people to hit 7.7 billion. Much of this growth has also happened in developing countries.
In this post, we look at countries that have recorded the highest population growth since 1950 and those that have reported the lowest growth during the same period.
The United Nations decided in 1987 to introduce World Population Day after the global population shot up to 5 Billion. This day is now marked on July 11 and it’s designed to highlight some of the major milestones in global population. Between 1987 and now, growth in global population has been rapid. As of 2019, the world had added another 2.7 billion people to hit 7.7 billion. Much of this growth has also happened in developing countries.
In this post, we look at countries that have recorded the highest population growth since 1950 and those that have reported the lowest growth during the same period.
Countries That Recorded the Highest Population Growth
- United Arab Emirates - Since 1950, the United Arab Emirates has reported a population increase of 7.08%. The massive oil reserves in the country have provided the needed resources to push growth. The nation also has a friendly immigration policy. Expatriates who have lived there for 20 years are eligible for citizenship as long as they have not committed a crime.
- Qatar - Another gulf nation with enormous oil wealth comes in second. Qatar has seen a population growth of 6.78% since 1950. A lot of growth has also been spurred by a bust of migrants who moved into the country to build the infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup.
- Western Sahara - Western Sahara has reported an average growth rate of 5.39% since 1950. The country which is still disputed has seen a large influx of refugees in recent years. Morocco, which controls three-quarters of Western Sahara, has also been offering its citizens money and other incentives to move there.
- Sint Maarten - Average population growth in Sint Maarten has managed to hit 4.79% since 1950. The island is quite popular with tourists. In fact, it gets a total of 1.7 million cruise visitors each year. This robust tourism industry has done very well to spur population growth.
- Kuwait – Kuwait, on the other hand, has seen a burst of population growth of 4.76%. Just like the other Gulf states, the growth has been pushed by rich oil resources as well as an influx of migrants coming into the country.
Countries with the Lowest Population Growth
While some countries have seen a jump in numbers, others have not been so lucky. In fact, there are countries that have recorded a negative growth since the 1950.
Here are some of them:
- Nuie - This small island in Oceania has seen a drop in population of about 1.5%. Although there wasn’t a large population here to begin with, it is reported that from the 1960s the population dropped from 5,000 people to just 1,600.
- Montserrat - This is yet another small island that has seen a drop of 1.42% in its population since the 1950s. Volcanic eruptions have been largely blamed for this decline.
- Tokelau – Tokelau, on the other hand, has seen a decline of 0.21%. The reason for this decline is actually simple. Locals have moved to New Zealand and Samoa in search of a better life.
Other places with a decline in population include Vatican City, Bulgaria, and Latvia.
