China vs Nigeria: Population growth

Population growth in 2023: -0.24% a year in China and 2.1% a year in Nigeria, by UN estimates. In 2023 the value was higher in Nigeria, by 2.33 percentage points.

Watch it change on the map

% a year · UN

ChinaNigeriaUN projection (medium variant)95% prediction intervalWorld

What the numbers say

Nigeria has been higher since 1972, when it overtook China.
In 2023, China ranked 189 and Nigeria ranked 46 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (medium variant) puts China at -1.68% a year and Nigeria at 0.02% a year in 2100.
The world as a whole: 0.87% a year in 2023.

Every year

% a year · UN

Year	China	Nigeria	World
2023	-0.24	2.1	0.87
2022	-0.13	2.1	0.88
2021	-0.05	2.09	0.8
2020	0.09	2.11	0.9
2019	0.27	2.15	1.03
2018	0.37	2.24	1.07
2017	0.58	2.39	1.13
2016	0.61	2.48	1.17
2015	0.53	2.47	1.18
2014	0.65	2.61	1.22
2013	0.64	2.68	1.23
2012	0.74	2.75	1.27
2011	0.62	2.8	1.26
2010	0.66	2.81	1.27
2009	0.68	2.78	1.28
2008	0.62	2.79	1.28
2007	0.59	2.78	1.28
2006	0.59	2.77	1.28
2005	0.63	2.76	1.27
2004	0.58	2.78	1.28
2003	0.59	2.76	1.29
2002	0.6	2.76	1.3
2001	0.67	2.73	1.33
2000	0.77	2.7	1.35
1999	0.72	2.64	1.35
1998	0.76	2.63	1.37
1997	0.79	2.6	1.39
1996	0.86	2.61	1.42
1995	0.91	2.62	1.45
1994	0.92	2.65	1.47
1993	1.02	2.63	1.52
1992	1.12	2.67	1.57
1991	1.22	2.58	1.63
1990	1.74	2.71	1.76
1989	1.68	2.7	1.78
1988	1.65	2.68	1.79
1987	1.79	2.66	1.84
1986	1.7	2.67	1.83
1985	1.56	2.77	1.8
1984	1.47	2.9	1.8
1983	1.38	2.22	1.78
1982	1.65	2.98	1.86
1981	1.5	3.01	1.82
1980	1.44	3.15	1.8
1979	1.4	3.1	1.79
1978	1.32	3.07	1.74
1977	1.33	3.05	1.75
1976	1.48	2.91	1.78
1975	1.61	2.83	1.8
1974	1.87	2.71	1.88
1973	2.11	2.54	1.94
1972	2.23	2.45	1.97
1971	2.37	2.34	1.97
1970	2.61	2.33	2.06
1969	2.6	2.23	2.06
1968	2.75	2.21	2.09
1967	2.44	2.11	2
1966	2.52	2.17	2.04
1965	2.66	2.19	2.09
1964	2.55	2.15	2.16
1963	3.29	2.13	2.28
1962	2.47	2.12	2.11
1961	0.33	2.08	1.67
1960	-0.03	2.03	1.58
1959	0.67	1.97	1.73
1958	1.95	1.85	2
1957	2.4	1.91	2.07
1956	2.02	1.9	1.98
1955	2.25	1.88	2.01
1954	2.25	1.87	1.99
1953	2.05	1.83	1.9
1952	2.31	1.87	1.94
1951	1.76	1.9	1.75
1950	1.79	1.88	1.74

UN projection (medium variant) · 2024–2100

Year	China	Nigeria	World
2024	-0.22-0.42–-0.02	2.071.49–2.63	0.86
2025	-0.23-0.46–-0.02	2.061.38–2.67	0.84
2026	-0.22-0.45–0.01	2.031.31–2.68	0.83
2027	-0.24-0.5–-0.01	21.22–2.7	0.81
2028	-0.26-0.54–-0.01	1.981.14–2.71	0.8
2029	-0.29-0.58–-0.03	1.951.06–2.75	0.78
2030	-0.3-0.6–-0.04	1.921–2.78	0.76
2031	-0.33-0.64–-0.04	1.890.97–2.76	0.75
2032	-0.35-0.68–-0.03	1.860.89–2.79	0.73
2033	-0.37-0.71–-0.05	1.830.83–2.78	0.72
2034	-0.39-0.74–-0.06	1.790.8–2.79	0.7
2035	-0.41-0.78–-0.07	1.760.76–2.82	0.69
2036	-0.42-0.81–-0.08	1.720.72–2.81	0.67
2037	-0.44-0.84–-0.08	1.690.67–2.77	0.65
2038	-0.46-0.88–-0.09	1.650.63–2.72	0.64
2039	-0.48-0.9–-0.12	1.610.63–2.72	0.62
2040	-0.5-0.95–-0.12	1.580.63–2.68	0.61
2041	-0.52-0.98–-0.12	1.530.55–2.62	0.59
2042	-0.54-1–-0.14	1.490.55–2.64	0.57
2043	-0.56-1.04–-0.17	1.460.51–2.62	0.56
2044	-0.59-1.08–-0.18	1.420.46–2.58	0.54
2045	-0.62-1.14–-0.21	1.380.4–2.52	0.52
2046	-0.66-1.15–-0.25	1.350.38–2.47	0.5
2047	-0.69-1.2–-0.29	1.310.35–2.47	0.48
2048	-0.73-1.24–-0.32	1.280.31–2.41	0.46
2049	-0.78-1.29–-0.35	1.250.3–2.41	0.44
2050	-0.82-1.36–-0.4	1.220.24–2.4	0.42
2051	-0.87-1.4–-0.46	1.190.18–2.39	0.4
2052	-0.92-1.45–-0.48	1.160.18–2.43	0.38
2053	-0.97-1.5–-0.52	1.130.17–2.44	0.36
2054	-1.01-1.56–-0.57	1.10.11–2.44	0.34
2055	-1.06-1.59–-0.6	1.070.09–2.41	0.33
2056	-1.1-1.65–-0.63	1.040.02–2.39	0.31
2057	-1.14-1.69–-0.67	1.01-0.02–2.4	0.3
2058	-1.17-1.71–-0.68	0.99-0.03–2.39	0.28
2059	-1.2-1.75–-0.72	0.96-0.06–2.41	0.27
2060	-1.23-1.8–-0.71	0.94-0.07–2.39	0.25
2061	-1.25-1.81–-0.74	0.91-0.07–2.37	0.24
2062	-1.26-1.83–-0.73	0.89-0.12–2.37	0.23
2063	-1.27-1.87–-0.73	0.86-0.16–2.35	0.22
2064	-1.28-1.9–-0.75	0.84-0.2–2.35	0.21
2065	-1.29-1.91–-0.75	0.81-0.23–2.28	0.2
2066	-1.29-1.92–-0.71	0.78-0.27–2.29	0.19
2067	-1.3-1.96–-0.73	0.76-0.3–2.28	0.18
2068	-1.3-1.97–-0.71	0.73-0.31–2.26	0.17
2069	-1.3-1.98–-0.7	0.71-0.35–2.25	0.16
2070	-1.3-2.02–-0.69	0.68-0.39–2.21	0.15
2071	-1.31-2.05–-0.67	0.65-0.4–2.19	0.14
2072	-1.32-2.09–-0.68	0.63-0.45–2.14	0.13
2073	-1.34-2.09–-0.65	0.6-0.44–2.08	0.12
2074	-1.35-2.15–-0.64	0.57-0.48–2.11	0.1
2075	-1.37-2.19–-0.67	0.55-0.56–2.08	0.09
2076	-1.39-2.25–-0.68	0.52-0.65–2.02	0.08
2077	-1.41-2.29–-0.7	0.5-0.65–2.02	0.07
2078	-1.43-2.36–-0.69	0.47-0.68–1.94	0.06
2079	-1.46-2.4–-0.73	0.45-0.71–1.93	0.05
2080	-1.49-2.44–-0.75	0.42-0.74–1.92	0.04
2081	-1.51-2.44–-0.76	0.39-0.8–1.88	0.03
2082	-1.52-2.49–-0.76	0.37-0.84–1.92	0.02
2083	-1.54-2.56–-0.77	0.35-0.85–1.94	0.01
2084	-1.56-2.6–-0.78	0.32-0.89–1.92	-0
2085	-1.57-2.64–-0.78	0.3-0.93–1.93	-0.01
2086	-1.57-2.64–-0.8	0.28-0.94–1.9	-0.02
2087	-1.58-2.66–-0.81	0.25-1–1.88	-0.03
2088	-1.58-2.64–-0.8	0.23-1.06–1.85	-0.04
2089	-1.59-2.68–-0.77	0.21-1.12–1.84	-0.05
2090	-1.59-2.71–-0.77	0.19-1.12–1.86	-0.05
2091	-1.59-2.77–-0.77	0.17-1.16–1.88	-0.06
2092	-1.59-2.79–-0.76	0.15-1.19–1.82	-0.07
2093	-1.6-2.78–-0.73	0.13-1.24–1.86	-0.07
2094	-1.61-2.85–-0.75	0.11-1.29–1.79	-0.08
2095	-1.62-2.9–-0.74	0.1-1.32–1.82	-0.09
2096	-1.63-2.99–-0.76	0.09-1.35–1.79	-0.1
2097	-1.64-3.07–-0.73	0.07-1.35–1.8	-0.11
2098	-1.65-3.12–-0.69	0.06-1.35–1.8	-0.11
2099	-1.67-3.22–-0.69	0.04-1.35–1.79	-0.12
2100	-1.68-3.24–-0.67	0.02-1.36–1.8	-0.13

Each country on its own

Good to know

How fast the population grew or shrank in a year: births minus deaths, plus people moving in minus people moving out.
Source: UN DESA, World Population Prospects 2024.
The dashed line is the UN projection (medium variant), a scenario rather than a forecast; the band is its 95% prediction interval.
Ranks count the 229 countries with a value in 2023, highest first.
The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

China vs Nigeria: Population growth

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

Good to know

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