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Population · World Bank income group

Population in low-income countries: how the countries rank

How many people live where, how fast populations grow and how old they are. 12 indicators for the 25 economies in the low income group, ranked within the group; the group figure is the World Bank aggregate.

Population767mlow-income countries, 2025 · world 8.2bnPopulation growth2.69%low-income countries, 2025 · world 0.91%Urban share35.2%low-income countries, 2025 · world 57.8%Density49.5low-income countries, 2023 · world 62.1Fertility4.46low-income countries, 2024 · world 2.19Birth rate34.0low-income countries, 2024 · world 16.3Death rate7.0low-income countries, 2024 · world 7.6Aged 0–1440.9%low-income countries, 2025 · world 24.4%
Population
low-income countriesWorldlower-middle-income countriesupper-middle-income countrieshigh-income countries
02.5bn5.0bn7.5bn10.0bn1995200020052010201520202025low-income countries767mWorldlower-middle-income countriesupper-middle-income countrieshigh-income countries
Population growth
low-income countriesWorldlower-middle-income countriesupper-middle-income countrieshigh-income countries
-1.0%0%1.0%2.0%3.0%1995200020052010201520202025low-income countries2.69%Worldlower-middle-income countriesupper-middle-income countrieshigh-income countries
countries

All 25 economies, population

Latest value and rank within the group (small figure). Click a column to sort; the country name opens its population profile.

25 shown
CountryPopulationPopulation growthUrban shareDensityFertilityBirth rateDeath rateAged 0–14
Ethiopia135m#1 · 20252.55%#13 · 202524.1%#22 · 2025117.7#9 · 20243.91#15 · 202431.5#14 · 20245.9#20 · 202438.8%#18 · 2025
Democratic Republic of the Congo113m#2 · 20253.20%#6 · 202545.1%#8 · 202548.2#16 · 20245.98#3 · 202440.9#5 · 20248.4#8 · 202445.9%#5 · 2025
Sudan51.7m#3 · 20252.38%#16 · 202534.9%#12 · 202527.0#20 · 20244.26#11 · 202433.0#12 · 20246.3#16 · 202440.2%#13 · 2025
Uganda51.4m#4 · 20252.70%#11 · 202531.9%#16 · 2025249.4#4 · 20244.17#12 · 202434.4#9 · 20244.8#24 · 202443.1%#9 · 2025
Afghanistan43.8m#5 · 20252.77%#10 · 202525.9%#20 · 202565.4#13 · 20244.76#8 · 202435.0#8 · 20245.7#21 · 202442.6%#10 · 2025
Yemen41.8m#6 · 20252.89%#8 · 202537.0%#11 · 202576.9#12 · 20244.50#10 · 202434.4#10 · 20244.7#25 · 202441.0%#12 · 2025
Mozambique35.6m#7 · 20252.85%#9 · 202537.2%#10 · 202544.0#17 · 20244.69#9 · 202437.0#7 · 20246.9#14 · 202444.2%#7 · 2025
Madagascar32.7m#8 · 20252.40%#15 · 202532.9%#14 · 202554.9#15 · 20243.91#14 · 202431.7#13 · 20247.5#12 · 202438.9%#17 · 2025
Niger27.9m#9 · 20253.22%#5 · 202518.4%#24 · 202521.3#21 · 20245.93#5 · 202441.4#4 · 20248.7#6 · 202446.2%#3 · 2025
North Korea26.6m#10 · 20250.27%#25 · 202564.2%#3 · 2025220.1#6 · 20241.78#25 · 202412.9#25 · 20249.9#2 · 202418.9%#25 · 2025
Syria25.6m#11 · 20253.77%#1 · 202572.1%#1 · 2025134.4#7 · 20242.70#24 · 202423.2#24 · 20244.9#23 · 202428.4%#24 · 2025
Mali25.2m#12 · 20252.90%#7 · 202532.2%#15 · 202520.1#22 · 20245.51#6 · 202439.5#6 · 20248.5#7 · 202445.8%#6 · 2025
Burkina Faso24.1m#13 · 20252.21%#18 · 202528.9%#18 · 202586.1#10 · 20244.11#13 · 202431.3#15 · 20247.9#11 · 202441.2%#11 · 2025
Malawi22.2m#14 · 20252.56%#12 · 202517.6%#25 · 2025229.7#5 · 20243.59#23 · 202431.1#16 · 20245.3#22 · 202440.1%#14 · 2025
Chad21.0m#15 · 20253.41%#2 · 202527.6%#19 · 202516.1#24 · 20246.03#1 · 202443.3#2 · 202411.1#1 · 202446.0%#4 · 2025
Somalia19.7m#16 · 20253.34%#4 · 202555.1%#5 · 202530.3#18 · 20246.01#2 · 202442.3#3 · 20249.7#4 · 202446.6%#2 · 2025
Rwanda14.6m#17 · 20252.17%#19 · 202530.9%#17 · 2025599.9#1 · 20243.65#22 · 202428.1#23 · 20245.9#19 · 202437.0%#23 · 2025
Burundi14.4m#18 · 20252.41%#14 · 202525.7%#21 · 2025547.0#2 · 20244.79#7 · 202433.2#11 · 20246.7#15 · 202444.0%#8 · 2025
South Sudan12.2m#19 · 20252.03%#23 · 202521.7%#23 · 202518.9#23 · 20243.79#18 · 202429.2#21 · 20249.8#3 · 202438.0%#20 · 2025
Sierra Leone8.8m#20 · 20252.04%#22 · 202545.9%#7 · 2025119.7#8 · 20243.70#20 · 202430.1#18 · 20248.2#9 · 202437.7%#21 · 2025
Liberia5.7m#21 · 20252.09%#21 · 202556.1%#4 · 202558.3#14 · 20243.86#17 · 202430.6#17 · 20248.0#10 · 202439.1%#16 · 2025
Central African Republic5.5m#22 · 20253.37%#3 · 202544.6%#9 · 20258.6#25 · 20245.95#4 · 202446.2#1 · 20249.4#5 · 202448.7%#1 · 2025
Eritrea3.6m#23 · 20252.00%#24 · 202534.5%#13 · 202529.3#19 · 20243.68#21 · 202428.7#22 · 20246.0#18 · 202437.6%#22 · 2025
The Gambia2.8m#24 · 20252.23%#17 · 202565.0%#2 · 2025272.7#3 · 20243.91#16 · 202429.9#19 · 20246.2#17 · 202439.7%#15 · 2025
Guinea-Bissau2.2m#25 · 20252.16%#20 · 202546.7%#6 · 202578.3#11 · 20243.76#19 · 202429.6#20 · 20247.0#13 · 202438.3%#19 · 2025
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)Ranks count group members with a value in the recent window.
within the group

Highest and lowest, indicator by indicator

Population25 countries
  1. 1Ethiopia135m2025
  2. 2Democratic Republic of the Congo113m2025
  3. 3Sudan51.7m2025
Lowest
  1. 25Guinea-Bissau2.2m2025
  2. 24The Gambia2.8m2025
  3. 23Eritrea3.6m2025
Median country 24.1m · group 767m
Population growth25 countries
  1. 1Syria3.77%2025
  2. 2Chad3.41%2025
  3. 3Central African Republic3.37%2025
Lowest
  1. 25North Korea0.27%2025
  2. 24Eritrea2.00%2025
  3. 23South Sudan2.03%2025
Median country 2.55% · group 2.69%
Urban share25 countries
  1. 1Syria72.1%2025
  2. 2The Gambia65.0%2025
  3. 3North Korea64.2%2025
Lowest
  1. 25Malawi17.6%2025
  2. 24Niger18.4%2025
  3. 23South Sudan21.7%2025
Median country 34.5% · group 35.2%
Density25 countries
  1. 1Rwanda599.92024
  2. 2Burundi547.02024
  3. 3The Gambia272.72024
Lowest
  1. 25Central African Republic8.62024
  2. 24Chad16.12024
  3. 23South Sudan18.92024
Median country 65.4 · group 49.5
Fertility25 countries
  1. 1Chad6.032024
  2. 2Somalia6.012024
  3. 3Democratic Republic of the Congo5.982024
Lowest
  1. 25North Korea1.782024
  2. 24Syria2.702024
  3. 23Malawi3.592024
Median country 4.11 · group 4.46
Birth rate25 countries
  1. 1Central African Republic46.22024
  2. 2Chad43.32024
  3. 3Somalia42.32024
Lowest
  1. 25North Korea12.92024
  2. 24Syria23.22024
  3. 23Rwanda28.12024
Median country 31.7 · group 34.0
Death rate25 countries
  1. 1Chad11.12024
  2. 2North Korea9.92024
  3. 3South Sudan9.82024
Lowest
  1. 25Yemen4.72024
  2. 24Uganda4.82024
  3. 23Syria4.92024
Median country 7.0 · group 7.0
Aged 0–1425 countries
  1. 1Central African Republic48.7%2025
  2. 2Somalia46.6%2025
  3. 3Niger46.2%2025
Lowest
  1. 25North Korea18.9%2025
  2. 24Syria28.4%2025
  3. 23Rwanda37.0%2025
Median country 40.2% · group 40.9%
Aged 65+25 countries
  1. 1North Korea12.7%2025
  2. 2Syria4.8%2025
  3. 3Eritrea4.3%2025
Lowest
  1. 25Chad2.1%2025
  2. 24Central African Republic2.2%2025
  3. 23Uganda2.2%2025
Median country 3.1% · group 3.3%
Dependency ratio25 countries
  1. 1Central African Republic103.6%2025
  2. 2Somalia96.7%2025
  3. 3Democratic Republic of the Congo96.2%2025
Lowest
  1. 25North Korea46.3%2025
  2. 24Syria49.9%2025
  3. 23Sierra Leone69.3%2025
Median country 77.2% · group 80.2%
Net migration25 countries
  1. 1Syria421,6932025
  2. 2Sudan291,4692025
  3. 3Ethiopia24,0542025
Lowest
  1. 25Chad-123,1042025
  2. 24Uganda-119,0592025
  3. 23Afghanistan-74,4042025
Median country -7,704 · group 160,831
Adolescent births25 countries
  1. 1Central African Republic161.32024
  2. 2Mozambique151.92024
  3. 3Niger141.62024
Lowest
  1. 25North Korea0.52024
  2. 24Rwanda30.62024
  3. 23Syria38.62024
Median country 91.2 · group 90.7
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Other topics in low-income countries

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