Skip to content
Insights Centre
Indicators · People and labour

Population growth

Yearly change in the total population.

Why it matters

Sets the pace at which demand for food, housing, schooling, power and jobs rises. Economic growth below this rate means falling income per person.

Read with care

Projection-based between censuses.

Source

World Bank

% a year. 54 African countries, 1990 to 2025.

Pop. growth: highest in DRC, lowest in Mauritius

Population growth, % a year. Latest year available, 2025. 16 of 16 countries have data.

0%
1%
2%
3%
No data
Loading map…
Source: World Bank· Get the data (Professional)·dotzedw Insights Centre

Ranked: pop. growthiWhy it mattersSets the pace at which demand for food, housing, schooling, power and jobs rises. Economic growth below this rate means falling income per person.

Click a country to highlight it.

0%1%2%3%DRC3.2%Angola3.0%Tanzania2.9%Mozambique2.8%Zambia2.8%Malawi2.6%Madagascar2.4%Namibia2.0%Zimbabwe1.9%Comoros1.9%Botswana1.6%South Africa1.1%Seychelles1.1%Lesotho1.1%Eswatini1.1%Mauritius-0.2%median 2.0%
dotzedw Insights Centre
How spread out SADC is
Median 2.0%Lowest: Mauritius -0.2%Highest: DRC 3.2%

Over time

Ten years of history for every indicator is free with a Reader account

Sign up with your email address on dotzedw.com and you come straight back to this page. Your free account also brings the weekly SADC Deals Brief and five full deal records a month. Already have an account? Sign in.

Population growth against income per person

Each bubble is a SADC country, sized by population. Dashed lines mark the SADC medians. Countries far from the pattern are worth a closer look.

0.0%1.0%2.0%3.0%$1,000$3,000$10kGDP per person, US$ (log scale)Pop. growthDRCTanzaniaSouth AfricaAngolaMozambiqueMadagascarZambiaZimbabwe
Source: World Bank, World Bank·dotzedw Insights Centre

Table

The same figures as the map, for screen readers and copying.
RankCountryValueYearFive-year changeGradeDetails
1DRC3.2%2025little changed since 2020A
2Angola3.0%2025down 0.3 points since 2020A
3Tanzania2.9%2025little changed since 2020A
4Mozambique2.8%2025little changed since 2020A
5Zambia2.8%2025little changed since 2020A
6Malawi2.6%2025little changed since 2020A
7Madagascar2.4%2025little changed since 2020A
8Namibia2.0%2025down 0.9 points since 2020A
9Zimbabwe1.9%2025up 0.2 points since 2020A
10Comoros1.9%2025little changed since 2020A
11Botswana1.6%2025little changed since 2020A
12South Africa1.1%2025down 0.5 points since 2020A
13Seychelles1.1%2025up 0.3 points since 2020A
14Lesotho1.1%2025little changed since 2020A
15Eswatini1.1%2025little changed since 2020A
16Mauritius-0.2%2025little changed since 2020A