Population states
Every country or area has one current population state. Fertility, working-age population, natural change, and migration are tracked separately as milestones, so they can coexist without implying one universal sequence.
Growing
Annual population change is above the 0.05% near-stationary threshold. Examples: Afghanistan · Algeria · Andorra.
Near stationary
Annual change is within 0.05% of population, with a half-person source-precision floor. Examples: Curaçao · Falkland Islands (Malvinas) · Georgia.
Declining
Annual population change is below the threshold for fewer than five consecutive years. Examples: Armenia · Austria · Bermuda.
Sustained decline
Annual population change has remained below the threshold for at least five consecutive years. Examples: Albania · American Samoa · Belarus.
These 2024 states are projections because the WPP release marks 2023 as the last observed year. “Sustained” means at least 5 consecutive source years.
Milestones
Below replacement reference
Total fertility rate is below the approximate 2.1 low-mortality reference; actual replacement fertility varies.
Working-age peak passed
The highest 15–64 population in the source series occurs before the display year.
Natural decrease
Deaths exceed births in the display-year series.
Migration offset
Natural change is negative while total population change remains non-negative.
Migration-led decline
Natural change is non-negative while total population change is negative.
Total population peak passed
The highest total population in the source series occurs before the display year.
Milestone cohorts overlap, so their country counts and population shares cannot be added together. “Countdown” is not a Register category, and 2.1 is shown only as an approximate reference.
Age crossover
65+ outnumber under-18s
People aged 65 and older are greater in number than people aged 0 through 17. This comparison is independent of population direction, fertility, and migration.
Open the 2023 observed cohort →The canonical age series contains three anchors only. It supports an observed 2023 cohort and projected 2050 and 2100 context, not an annual first-crossover year or a 2024 status.