Natural population growth rate in Vatican
Vatican: Natural population growth rate was -2.1% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Natural population growth rate in Vatican, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Vatican recorded -2.1% for natural population growth rate in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.3% on the previous year and down 63.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, natural population growth rate in Vatican peaked at 0.4% in 1966 and was at its lowest, -2.1%, in 2023.
That places Vatican 236th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Natural population growth rate in Vatican, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 0.2% | — |
| 1951 | 0.2% | -8.0% |
| 1952 | 0.2% | +6.2% |
| 1953 | 0.2% | +6.8% |
| 1954 | 0.3% | +14.1% |
| 1955 | 0.3% | +2.5% |
| 1956 | 0.3% | -7.3% |
| 1957 | 0.3% | +1.1% |
| 1958 | 0.3% | +12.3% |
| 1959 | 0.3% | +4.0% |
| 1960 | 0.3% | -1.2% |
| 1961 | 0.3% | +7.0% |
| 1962 | 0.3% | -5.5% |
| 1963 | 0.3% | +1.8% |
| 1964 | 0.4% | +11.0% |
| 1965 | 0.3% | -2.0% |
| 1966 | 0.4% | +2.5% |
| 1967 | 0.3% | -12.6% |
| 1968 | 0.2% | -19.0% |
| 1969 | 0.2% | -19.7% |
| 1970 | 0.2% | -1.0% |
| 1971 | 0.2% | -10.3% |
| 1972 | 0.2% | -10.4% |
| 1973 | 0.1% | -19.7% |
| 1974 | 0.1% | +3.2% |
| 1975 | 0.1% | -30.3% |
| 1976 | 0.1% | -25.6% |
| 1977 | 0.0% | -33.2% |
| 1978 | 0.0% | -43.6% |
| 1979 | -0.0% | -129.2% |
| 1980 | -0.0% | +502.7% |
| 1981 | -0.1% | +76.8% |
| 1982 | -0.1% | +18.8% |
| 1983 | -0.1% | +57.4% |
| 1984 | -0.2% | +13.4% |
| 1985 | -0.2% | +14.7% |
| 1986 | -0.2% | +15.8% |
| 1987 | -0.2% | +9.1% |
| 1988 | -0.3% | +18.1% |
| 1989 | -0.3% | +8.3% |
| 1990 | -0.4% | +15.3% |
| 1991 | -0.4% | +15.6% |
| 1992 | -0.4% | +5.9% |
| 1993 | -0.5% | +20.3% |
| 1994 | -0.5% | +3.0% |
| 1995 | -0.6% | +11.3% |
| 1996 | -0.6% | +1.7% |
| 1997 | -0.7% | +17.3% |
| 1998 | -0.8% | +6.9% |
| 1999 | -0.8% | +2.9% |
| 2000 | -0.8% | -1.7% |
| 2001 | -0.8% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | -0.8% | +6.5% |
| 2003 | -0.9% | +9.0% |
| 2004 | -0.9% | +1.8% |
| 2005 | -0.9% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | -0.9% | -1.1% |
| 2007 | -1.0% | +6.8% |
| 2008 | -1.1% | +6.8% |
| 2009 | -1.1% | +8.6% |
| 2010 | -1.2% | +3.8% |
| 2011 | -1.2% | +4.5% |
| 2012 | -1.3% | +4.1% |
| 2013 | -1.3% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | -1.4% | +4.9% |
| 2015 | -1.5% | +9.1% |
| 2016 | -1.5% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | -1.6% | +7.8% |
| 2018 | -1.6% | -1.0% |
| 2019 | -1.7% | +2.1% |
| 2020 | -1.9% | +12.8% |
| 2021 | -2.0% | +5.2% |
| 2022 | -2.0% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | -2.1% | +8.3% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Natural population growth rate in Vatican changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | -502.7% | -0.0% | -0.0% |
| 1979 | -129.2% | 0.0% | -0.0% |
| 1981 | -76.8% | -0.0% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.1% | -0.0% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | -0.2% | -0.3% | -0.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | -0.6% | -0.8% | -0.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | -0.9% | -1.1% | -0.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | -1.4% | -1.7% | -1.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | -2.0% | -2.1% | -1.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Vatican
- 233 Saint Pierre and Miquelon -0.9% compare
- 234 Saint Helena -0.9% compare
- 235 Monaco -1.2% compare
More population data for Vatican
- World population growth 0.3% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.3% (2100)
- Population density 3,098 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 40 people (2100)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.2943 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.2943 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (1999)
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas, annual growth rate 1.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- Natural population growth, annual growth rate -8.33 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is natural population growth rate in Vatican?
- Natural population growth rate in Vatican was -2.1% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest natural population growth rate recorded in Vatican?
- The highest recorded value was 0.4% in 1966.
- What is the lowest natural population growth rate recorded in Vatican?
- The lowest recorded value was -2.1% in 2023.
- How does Vatican rank for natural population growth rate?
- Vatican ranks 236th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is natural population growth rate rising or falling in Vatican?
- Over the last ten years it is down 63.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Vatican data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Natural population growth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Births minus deaths, as a share of the population. This is the part of population change that comes only from births and deaths, ignoring migration.