Population growth rate in Mozambique
Mozambique: Population growth rate was 2.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
2.9%
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
16th
of 236 countries
All-time high
8.8%
in 1994
All-time low
-0.8%
in 1987
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Population growth rate in Mozambique, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, population growth rate in Mozambique stood at 2.9%.
The figure is down 0.9% on the previous year and up 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth rate in Mozambique peaked at 8.8% in 1994 and was at its lowest, -0.8%, in 1987.
That places Mozambique 16th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Population growth rate in Mozambique, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1.1% | — |
| 1951 | 1.2% | +12.4% |
| 1952 | 1.2% | -0.3% |
| 1953 | 1.2% | -2.7% |
| 1954 | 1.2% | +4.4% |
| 1955 | 1.3% | +2.9% |
| 1956 | 1.3% | +2.5% |
| 1957 | 1.3% | +1.3% |
| 1958 | 1.3% | -3.3% |
| 1959 | 1.4% | +13.8% |
| 1960 | 1.7% | +15.3% |
| 1961 | 1.9% | +15.5% |
| 1962 | 2.0% | +3.1% |
| 1963 | 2.0% | +1.8% |
| 1964 | 2.0% | +0.9% |
| 1965 | 2.1% | +3.3% |
| 1966 | 2.1% | -0.6% |
| 1967 | 2.1% | +2.6% |
| 1968 | 2.2% | +1.1% |
| 1969 | 2.2% | +1.9% |
| 1970 | 2.3% | +3.9% |
| 1971 | 2.6% | +14.7% |
| 1972 | 2.9% | +9.7% |
| 1973 | 3.0% | +5.2% |
| 1974 | 3.2% | +4.1% |
| 1975 | 3.3% | +5.3% |
| 1976 | 3.4% | +2.1% |
| 1977 | 3.7% | +9.5% |
| 1978 | 3.8% | +2.8% |
| 1979 | 3.8% | -1.7% |
| 1980 | 1.8% | -53.1% |
| 1981 | 2.3% | +29.3% |
| 1982 | 2.1% | -7.8% |
| 1983 | 2.1% | -1.4% |
| 1984 | 1.9% | -8.3% |
| 1985 | 1.8% | -2.7% |
| 1986 | 1.7% | -10.5% |
| 1987 | -0.8% | -150.6% |
| 1988 | 0.5% | -159.0% |
| 1989 | 1.2% | +134.2% |
| 1990 | 1.7% | +49.2% |
| 1991 | 2.2% | +25.4% |
| 1992 | 1.7% | -20.8% |
| 1993 | 4.6% | +166.6% |
| 1994 | 8.8% | +92.6% |
| 1995 | 3.3% | -62.3% |
| 1996 | 3.2% | -2.6% |
| 1997 | 2.3% | -30.4% |
| 1998 | 2.3% | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 2.2% | -4.9% |
| 2000 | 2.2% | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 2.2% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 2.3% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 2.3% | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 2.3% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 2.3% | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 2.4% | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 2.4% | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 2.5% | +5.6% |
| 2009 | 2.6% | +4.6% |
| 2010 | 2.7% | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 2.9% | +6.0% |
| 2012 | 2.9% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 2.9% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 2.9% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 2.9% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 3.0% | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 3.0% | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 2.9% | -2.8% |
| 2019 | 2.9% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 3.0% | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 2.9% | -2.1% |
| 2022 | 3.0% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 2.9% | -0.9% |
Mozambique compared with similar countries
- Mozambique's 2.9% is above the median for low income countries, which is 2.7%, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Mozambique's 2.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.3%, 1.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Population growth rate in Mozambique 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +166.6% | 1.7% | 4.6% |
| 1988 | +159.0% | -0.8% | 0.5% |
| 1987 | -150.6% | 1.7% | -0.8% |
| 1989 | +134.2% | 0.5% | 1.2% |
| 1994 | +92.6% | 4.6% | 8.8% |
| 1995 | -62.3% | 8.8% | 3.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.0% | 1.7% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.2% | 2.3% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.4% | -0.8% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.2% | 1.7% | 8.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.4% | 2.2% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.9% | 2.7% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.0% | 2.9% | 3.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Mozambique
- 13 Yemen 3.0% compare
- 14 Mali 3.0% compare
- 15 Mauritania 3.0% compare
- 17 Tanzania 2.9% compare
- 18 Afghanistan 2.8% compare
- 18 Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba 2.8% compare
More population data for Mozambique
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.3732 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 1.08 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.3732 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.4521 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 63,044 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 2.61 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.401 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.4% (2100)
- Population density 132.69 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 7.33 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth rate in Mozambique?
- Population growth rate in Mozambique was 2.9% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population growth rate recorded in Mozambique?
- The highest recorded value was 8.8% in 1994.
- What is the lowest population growth rate recorded in Mozambique?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.8% in 1987.
- How does Mozambique rank for population growth rate?
- Mozambique ranks 16th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population growth rate rising or falling in Mozambique?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mozambique data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of 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
Annual rate at which the population is growing, expressed as a percentage.