Côte d’Ivoire’s population growth fell to 2.4% y/y in 2025.

Neither way is good in itself. Faster growth brings more workers and more demand, and it also stretches schools, housing and health services. Slower growth gives those services time to catch up and also means fewer new entrants to the labour force. For that reason the direction carries no verdict. The latest figure, for January 2025, is 2.4% y/y, the same as a year earlier, with a change of 0.03 percentage points. It is the lowest reading since 2016, when growth was at its highest in the period at 2.9% y/y.

Why it matters. At 2.4% y/y, Côte d'Ivoire adds people quickly each year. Households feel this in crowded classrooms, rising demand for housing and competition for jobs. The state has to expand schools, clinics, water and transport every year just to keep services at current levels, while firms gain a growing pool of customers and workers.