Population estimates of the new edition of 2021 available for the country, the states and Puerto Rico

Estimates show the slowest population growth in the country on record

DECEMBER 21, 2021 – According to population estimates and components of change from the 2021 edition of the U.S. Census Bureau released today, last year the population of the United States grew by 392,665, or 0.1%, the lowest rate since the country’s founding. This slow growth rate can be attributed to declining net international migration, declining fertility, and increasing mortality, due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Population growth has been slowing for years due to lower birth rates and declining net international migration, while death rates are increasing due to the aging of the country’s population,” said Kristie Wilder, demographer of the Population Division of the Census Bureau. “Now, with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, this combination resulted in a historically slow rate of growth.”