Countries in South America by population growth
How much the population grew or shrank over the year, in per cent: births minus deaths, plus people arriving minus people leaving. 12 countries in South America, highest first. World Bank, 2025
Median country
+0.72
half above, half below| # | Country | % a year | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bolivia | +1.35 | South America |
| 2 |  Paraguay | +1.20 | South America |
| 3 |  Peru | +1.04 | South America |
| 4 |  Colombia | +1.01 | South America |
| =5 |  Ecuador | +0.85 | South America |
| =5 |  Suriname | +0.85 | South America |
| 7 |  Guyana | +0.59 | South America |
| 8 |  Chile | +0.48 | South America |
| 9 |  Venezuela | +0.39 | South America |
| 10 |  Brazil | +0.38 | South America |
| 11 |  Argentina | +0.34 | South America |
| 12 |  Uruguay | −0.06 | South America |
Questions
- Which country in South America has the highest population growth?
- Bolivia has the highest population growth in South America: +1.35% a year (2025). Next come Paraguay (+1.20% a year) and Peru (+1.04% a year).
- Which country in South America has the lowest population growth?
- Uruguay, with −0.06% a year (2025).
- What is the typical population growth of a country in South America?
- The median of the 12 countries in South America is +0.72% a year: half are above it, half below. The median, not the average, because a few countries at the top would drag an average far above almost everyone.
- Where do the figures come from?
- How much the population grew or shrank over the year, in per cent: births minus deaths, plus people arriving minus people leaving. Source: World Bank, 2025. Only independent states are ranked; territories are listed separately. A country’s continent follows Natural Earth; the handful of island states it files under the open ocean are placed by their UN subregion.
Source: World Bank (CC BY 4.0). Figures more than 5 years older than the newest are left out rather than shown beside current ones. Countries sharing a value share a rank. All sources.