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Visualizing Population Decline by Country
Since the mid-1900s, the global population has followed a steep upwards trajectory.
While much of this growth has been concentrated in China and India, researchers expect the next wave of growth to occur in Africa. As of 2019, for example, the average woman in Niger is having over six children in her lifetime.
At the opposite end of this spectrum are a number of countries that appear to be shrinking from a population perspective. To shed some light on this somewhat surprising trend, we’ve visualized the top 20 countries by population decline.
The Top 20
The following table ranks countries by their rate of population decline, based on projected rate of change between 2020 and 2050 and using data from the United Nations.
| Rank | Country | Decline 2020-2050 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bulgaria | 22.5% |
| 2 |  Lithuania | 22.1% |
| 3 |  Latvia | 21.6% |
| 4 |  Ukraine | 19.5% |
| 5 |  Serbia | 18.9% |
| 6 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 18.2% |
| 7 |  Croatia | 18.0% |
| 8 |  Moldova | 16.7% |
| 9 |  Japan | 16.3% |
| 10 |  Albania | 15.8% |
| 11 |  Romania | 15.5% |
| 12 |  Greece | 13.4% |
| 13 |  Estonia | 12.7% |
| 14 |  Hungary | (Read more...) |