Ten largest percentage increases, 2000–2024
Every row requires both World Bank observations. Percentage change is calculated from the fixed 2000 and 2024 values.
- #1
Qatar+343.1%645K → 2.9M - #2
United Arab Emirates+214.5%3.5M → 11M - #3
Equatorial Guinea+169.1%703.3K → 1.9M - #4
Kuwait+150.5%2M → 4.9M - #5
Bahrain+149.2%637.6K → 1.6M - #6
Turks and Caicos Islands+148.5%18.7K → 46.5K - #7
Chad+138.5%8.5M → 20.3M - #8
Niger+134.9%11.5M → 27M - #9
Angola+133.9%16.2M → 37.9M - #10
Oman+131.4%2.3M → 5.3M
The atlas directory includes ISO-coded territories as well as sovereign states. Rapid percentage change can reflect migration, demographic change, estimate revisions or a small starting population; it is not a performance ranking.
Ten largest percentage declines, 2000–2024
The same formula and fixed years are used for negative changes.
| Country or territory | Population 2000 | Population 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Mariana Islands | 68,356 | 44,278 | -35.2% |
| Marshall Islands | 50,706 | 37,548 | -25.9% |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 4,159,771 | 3,164,253 | -23.9% |
| Ukraine | 49,556,660 | 37,860,221 | -23.6% |
| Albania | 3,089,027 | 2,377,128 | -23% |
| Latvia | 2,367,550 | 1,866,124 | -21.2% |
| Bulgaria | 8,170,172 | 6,441,421 | -21.2% |
| Moldova | 2,924,668 | 2,402,306 | -17.9% |
| American Samoa | 56,855 | 46,765 | -17.7% |
| Lithuania | 3,499,536 | 2,888,278 | -17.5% |
World Bank values may include modeled estimates and can be revised. Ukraine's series, for example, must be read with the source's coverage and conflict-period methodology rather than as a simple count of one cause.
The short answer
Across the 215 EqualAtlas profiles with both fixed-year observations, the largest percentage increases begin with Qatar (+343.1%), United Arab Emirates (+214.5%), Equatorial Guinea (+169.1%). The steepest declines in the complete country-and-territory collection begin with Northern Mariana Islands (-35.2%), Marshall Islands (-25.9%), Bosnia and Herzegovina (-23.9%).
These results describe net population change over 24 years. They do not, by themselves, separate births, deaths, immigration, emigration, boundary changes or statistical revisions.
Why EqualAtlas uses two fixed years
A latest-available table can combine different reference years. That is useful for current profiles but unsuitable for a growth calculation because countries would receive unequal time intervals.
The change layer therefore requires a 2000 observation and a 2024 observation from the same World Bank indicator. Profiles missing either endpoint are labelled as no data rather than estimated by EqualAtlas.
Percentage and absolute change answer different questions
Percentage change shows how large the shift was relative to the starting population. A small population can produce a very high percentage from an increase that would be modest beside a large country's absolute change.
Absolute change highlights the number of additional or fewer people. Neither is universally better; the denominator and research question should determine which measure is used.
Why migration can dominate some profiles
Working-age migration can transform the population of a small, fast-growing economy or territory over a short period. Elsewhere, sustained emigration can combine with low fertility and population ageing.
The total-population series records the resulting stock, not a causal decomposition. Migration, fertility and mortality indicators are needed before explaining the pattern.
How to read conflict-affected estimates
War, displacement and disrupted statistical systems make current population estimation especially difficult. International series may revise earlier and recent values as new census, registration, survey or model evidence becomes available.
Use the map to identify a question, then consult the country metadata and specialist demographic sources before attributing a change to one event.
What the map layer adds
The diverging colour layer separates decline from growth on the default equal-area projection. Equal Earth prevents high-latitude geography from occupying extra visual area before the demographic signal is applied.
Explore the evidence
Sources and further reading
Continue with the Equal Earth projection guide, try the interactive map, or review our methodology.