2022 World Population by Country
The current US Census Bureau world population estimate in June 2019 shows that the current global population is 7,577,130,400 people on earth, which far exceeds the world population of 7.2 billion from 2015. Our own estimate based on UN data shows the world's population surpassing 7.7 billion.
China is the most populous country in the world with a population exceeding 1.4 billion. It is one of just two countries with a population of more than 1 billion, with India being the second. As of 2018, India has a population of over 1.355 billion people, and its population growth is expected to continue through at least 2050. By the year 2030, the country of India is expected to become the most populous country in the world. This is because India’s population will grow, while China is projected to see a loss in population.
The next 11 countries that are the most populous in the world each have populations exceeding 100 million. These include the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Russia, Mexico, Japan, Ethiopia, and the Philippines. Of these nations, all are expected to continue to grow except Russia and Japan, which will see their populations drop by 2030 before falling again significantly by 2050.
Many other nations have populations of at least one million, while there are also countries that have just thousands. The smallest population in the world can be found in Vatican City, where only 801 people reside.
In 2018, the world’s population growth rate was 1.12%. Every five years since the 1970s, the population growth rate has continued to fall. The world’s population is expected to continue to grow larger but at a much slower pace. By 2030, the population will exceed 8 billion. In 2040, this number will grow to more than 9 billion. In 2055, the number will rise to over 10 billion, and another billion people won’t be added until near the end of the century. The current annual population growth estimates from the United Nations are in the millions - estimating that over 80 million new lives are added each year.
This population growth will be significantly impacted by nine specific countries which are situated to contribute to the population growth more quickly than other nations. These nations include the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, and the United States of America. Particularly of interest, India is on track to overtake China's position as the most populous country by the year 2030. Additionally, multiple nations within Africa are expected to double their populations before fertility rates begin to slow entirely.
Global life expectancy has also improved in recent years, increasing the overall population life expectancy at birth to just over 70 years of age. The projected global life expectancy is only expected to continue to improve - reaching nearly 77 years of age by the year 2050. Significant factors impacting the data on life expectancy include the projections of the ability to reduce AIDS/HIV impact, as well as reducing the rates of infectious and non-communicable diseases.
Population aging has a massive impact on the ability of the population to maintain what is called a support ratio. One key finding from 2017 is that the majority of the world is going to face considerable growth in the 60 plus age bracket. This will put enormous strain on the younger age groups as the elderly population is becoming so vast without the number of births to maintain a healthy support ratio.
Although the number given above seems very precise, it is important to remember that it is just an estimate. It simply isn't possible to be sure exactly how many people there are on the earth at any one time, and there are conflicting estimates of the global population in 2016.
Some, including the UN, believe that a population of 7 billion was reached in October 2011. Others, including the US Census Bureau and World Bank, believe that the total population of the world reached 7 billion in 2012, around March or April.
World Population Clock
| World Population (as of 9/27/2022) | 7,991,340,315 |
| Last UN Estimate (July 1, 2022) | 7,975,105,156 |
| Births per Day | 366,846 |
| Deaths per Day | 183,700 |
| Net Change per Day | 183,146 |
| Population Change Since Jan. 1 | 49,449,420 |
Net increase of 1 person every 0.47 seconds
Population estimates based on interpolation of data from World Population Prospects
China1,425,868,8101,424,929,7819,706,961 km²147/km²-0.00%17.88%1
India1,419,529,0391,396,387,1273,287,590 km²431/km²0.68%17.77%2
United States338,673,518335,942,0039,372,610 km²36/km²0.38%4.24%3
Indonesia275,930,919271,857,9701,904,569 km²145/km²0.64%3.45%4
Pakistan236,941,984227,196,741881,912 km²267/km²1.91%2.96%5
Nigeria219,809,476208,327,405923,768 km²237/km²2.41%2.74%6
Brazil215,550,804213,196,3048,515,767 km²25/km²0.46%2.70%7
Bangladesh171,617,814167,420,951147,570 km²1,160/km²1.08%2.15%8
Russia144,704,006145,617,32917,098,242 km²8/km²-0.27%1.81%9
Mexico127,737,088125,998,3021,964,375 km²65/km²0.63%1.60%10
Japan123,793,192125,244,761377,930 km²328/km²-0.53%1.55%11
Ethiopia124,135,812117,190,9111,104,300 km²112/km²2.57%1.55%12
Philippines115,992,312112,190,977342,353 km²338/km²1.47%1.45%13
Egypt111,406,298107,465,1341,002,450 km²111/km²1.58%1.39%14
DR Congo99,785,07092,853,1642,344,858 km²42/km²3.25%1.24%15
Vietnam98,354,13296,648,685331,212 km²296/km²0.74%1.23%16
Iran88,693,20287,290,1931,648,195 km²54/km²0.71%1.11%17
Turkey85,462,33284,135,428783,562 km²109/km²0.67%1.07%18
Germany83,342,18583,328,988357,114 km²233/km²-0.05%1.05%19
Thailand71,724,59971,475,664513,120 km²140/km²0.13%0.90%20
United Kingdom67,564,60667,059,474242,900 km²278/km²0.34%0.85%21
Tanzania65,962,78761,704,518945,087 km²69/km²3.00%0.82%22
France64,658,62964,480,053551,695 km²117/km²0.15%0.81%23
South Africa60,013,82458,801,9271,221,037 km²49/km²0.84%0.75%24
Italy58,997,67259,500,579301,336 km²196/km²-0.34%0.74%25
Myanmar54,277,17253,423,198676,578 km²80/km²0.71%0.68%26
Kenya54,283,58651,985,780580,367 km²93/km²1.93%0.68%27
Colombia51,915,33350,930,6621,141,748 km²45/km²0.69%0.65%28
South Korea51,809,33951,844,690100,210 km²517/km²-0.03%0.65%29
Spain47,550,20947,363,807505,992 km²94/km²0.15%0.60%30
Uganda47,572,61244,404,611241,550 km²196/km²3.04%0.59%31
Sudan47,171,61344,440,4861,886,068 km²25/km²2.67%0.59%32
Argentina45,568,82545,036,0322,780,400 km²16/km²0.52%0.57%33
Algeria45,077,85843,451,6662,381,741 km²19/km²1.64%0.56%34
Iraq44,738,83642,556,984438,317 km²102/km²2.21%0.56%35
Afghanistan41,394,97638,972,230652,230 km²63/km²2.57%0.52%36
Poland40,643,79338,428,366312,679 km²127/km²4.04%0.50%37
Ukraine37,938,56343,909,666603,500 km²66/km²-8.80%0.50%38
Canada38,533,75437,888,7059,984,670 km²4/km²0.78%0.48%39
Morocco37,551,84836,688,772446,550 km²84/km²1.03%0.47%40
Saudi Arabia36,540,99235,997,1072,149,690 km²17/km²1.28%0.46%41
Angola35,850,84833,428,4861,246,700 km²29/km²3.15%0.45%42
Uzbekistan34,760,97633,526,656447,400 km²77/km²1.60%0.43%43
Peru34,116,51633,304,7561,285,216 km²26/km²0.99%0.43%44
Malaysia34,028,90633,199,993330,803 km²103/km²1.09%0.43%45
Yemen33,878,33932,284,046527,968 km²64/km²2.17%0.42%46
Ghana33,631,88832,180,401238,533 km²140/km²1.96%0.42%47
Mozambique33,188,47531,178,239801,590 km²41/km²2.78%0.41%48
Nepal30,632,76929,348,627147,181 km²208/km²1.71%0.38%49
Madagascar29,782,44728,225,177587,041 km²50/km²2.41%0.37%50
Venezuela28,425,00328,490,453916,445 km²31/km²0.36%0.35%51
Ivory Coast28,330,38826,811,790322,463 km²87/km²2.48%0.35%52
Cameroon28,090,41026,491,087475,442 km²59/km²2.63%0.35%53
Niger26,444,92924,333,6391,267,000 km²21/km²3.78%0.33%54
Australia26,241,06125,670,0517,692,024 km²3/km²0.99%0.33%55
North Korea26,092,37525,867,467120,538 km²216/km²0.38%0.33%56
Taiwan23,901,01823,821,46436,193 km²660/km²0.14%0.30%57
Burkina Faso22,812,49421,522,626272,967 km²83/km²2.59%0.28%58
Mali22,761,04321,224,0401,240,192 km²18/km²3.14%0.28%59
Syria22,385,16020,772,595185,180 km²119/km²3.76%0.28%60
Sri Lanka21,847,83321,715,07965,610 km²333/km²0.27%0.27%61
Malawi20,531,19519,377,061118,484 km²172/km²2.59%0.26%62
Zambia20,149,66918,927,715752,612 km²27/km²2.80%0.25%63
Romania19,851,71819,442,038238,391 km²82/km²1.71%0.25%64
Chile19,609,22919,300,315756,102 km²26/km²0.57%0.25%65
Kazakhstan19,447,72918,979,2432,724,900 km²7/km²1.05%0.24%66
Ecuador18,047,45117,588,595276,841 km²65/km²1.14%0.23%67
Guatemala17,902,68117,362,718108,889 km²164/km²1.34%0.22%68
Chad17,856,37316,644,7011,284,000 km²14/km²3.16%0.22%69
Somalia17,727,37816,537,016637,657 km²28/km²3.12%0.22%70
Netherlands17,577,40017,434,55741,850 km²420/km²0.36%0.22%71
Senegal17,423,09116,436,120196,722 km²88/km²2.61%0.22%72
Cambodia16,810,21516,396,860181,035 km²93/km²1.08%0.21%73
Zimbabwe16,401,91415,669,666390,757 km²42/km²2.04%0.20%74
Guinea13,939,03413,205,153245,857 km²56/km²2.42%0.17%75
Rwanda13,853,46613,146,36226,338 km²523/km²2.34%0.17%76
Benin13,439,47112,643,123112,622 km²119/km²2.74%0.17%77
Burundi12,973,87912,220,22727,834 km²463/km²2.70%0.16%78
Tunisia12,379,16512,161,723163,610 km²76/km²0.76%0.15%79
Bolivia12,260,63211,936,1621,098,581 km²11/km²1.20%0.15%80
Belgium11,663,28811,561,71730,528 km²382/km²0.38%0.15%81
Haiti11,618,50411,306,80127,750 km²417/km²1.20%0.15%82
Jordan11,300,23010,928,72189,342 km²126/km²1.23%0.14%83
Dominican Republic11,254,52810,999,66448,671 km²231/km²1.00%0.14%84
Cuba11,208,20211,300,698109,884 km²102/km²-0.39%0.14%85
South Sudan10,953,67510,606,227619,745 km²18/km²1.53%0.14%86
Sweden10,564,77110,368,969450,295 km²23/km²0.79%0.13%87
Czech Republic10,492,21310,530,95378,865 km²133/km²-0.16%0.13%88
Honduras10,470,71210,121,763112,492 km²93/km²1.50%0.13%89
Greece10,373,00410,512,232131,990 km²79/km²-0.58%0.13%90
Azerbaijan10,371,90310,284,95186,600 km²120/km²0.44%0.13%91
Portugal10,265,28010,298,19292,090 km²112/km²-0.19%0.13%92
Papua New Guinea10,188,3619,749,640462,840 km²22/km²1.94%0.13%93
Hungary10,102,6719,750,57393,028 km²107/km²2.65%0.12%94
Tajikistan9,999,5049,543,207143,100 km²70/km²2.08%0.12%95
Belarus9,527,6859,633,740207,600 km²46/km²-0.45%0.12%96
United Arab Emirates9,459,5679,287,28983,600 km²113/km²0.81%0.12%97
Israel9,071,0208,757,48920,770 km²435/km²1.55%0.11%98
Austria8,944,4048,907,77783,871 km²107/km²0.20%0.11%99
Togo8,898,2528,442,58056,785 km²156/km²2.36%0.11%100
Switzerland8,754,3898,638,61341,284 km²212/km²0.56%0.11%101
Sierra Leone8,650,4848,233,97071,740 km²120/km²2.20%0.11%102
Laos7,555,0057,319,399236,800 km²32/km²1.41%0.09%103
Hong Kong7,488,7767,500,9581,104 km²6,783/km²-0.08%0.09%104
Serbia7,201,8637,358,00588,361 km²82/km²-1.03%0.09%105
Nicaragua6,972,3276,755,895130,373 km²53/km²1.43%0.09%106
Libya6,830,6916,653,9421,759,540 km²4/km²1.14%0.09%107
Bulgaria6,756,8666,979,175110,879 km²61/km²-1.51%0.09%108
Paraguay6,799,0056,618,695406,752 km²17/km²1.15%0.09%109
Kyrgyzstan6,656,1536,424,874199,951 km²33/km²1.58%0.08%110
Turkmenistan6,451,8686,250,438488,100 km²13/km²1.40%0.08%111
El Salvador6,342,5096,292,73121,041 km²301/km²0.35%0.08%112
Singapore5,985,3515,909,869710 km²8,416/km²0.58%0.07%113
Republic of the Congo6,003,3125,702,174342,000 km²17/km²2.31%0.07%114
Denmark5,889,2645,825,64143,094 km²136/km²0.48%0.07%115
Slovakia5,742,4715,456,68149,037 km²115/km²3.59%0.07%116
Central African Republic5,617,4395,343,020622,984 km²9/km²2.24%0.07%117
Finland5,541,8975,529,468338,424 km²16/km²0.09%0.07%118
Lebanon5,458,5355,662,92310,452 km²525/km²-1.84%0.07%119
Norway5,444,0705,379,839323,802 km²17/km²0.58%0.07%120
Liberia5,330,2505,087,584111,369 km²48/km²2.10%0.07%121
Palestine5,279,2375,019,4016,220 km²844/km²2.27%0.07%122
New Zealand5,195,8375,061,133270,467 km²19/km²1.08%0.07%123
Costa Rica5,187,5665,123,10551,100 km²101/km²0.52%0.06%124
Ireland5,031,4424,946,11970,273 km²71/km²0.73%0.06%125
Mauritania4,766,4564,498,6041,030,700 km²5/km²2.63%0.06%126
Oman4,592,3434,543,399309,500 km²15/km²1.23%0.06%127
Panama4,422,8534,294,39675,417 km²58/km²1.32%0.06%128
Kuwait4,279,2454,360,44417,818 km²240/km²0.44%0.05%129
Croatia4,025,1284,096,86956,594 km²71/km²-0.73%0.05%130
Georgia3,740,0413,765,91269,700 km²54/km²-0.36%0.05%131
Eritrea3,699,2793,555,868117,600 km²31/km²1.76%0.05%132
Uruguay3,422,8833,429,086181,034 km²19/km²-0.10%0.04%133
Mongolia3,410,5113,294,3351,564,110 km²2/km²1.51%0.04%134
Moldova3,382,0313,084,84733,846 km²97/km²6.91%0.04%135
Puerto Rico3,254,0033,271,5648,870 km²367/km²-0.11%0.04%136
Bosnia and Herzegovina3,227,4983,318,40751,209 km²63/km²-1.14%0.04%137
Albania2,839,6622,866,84928,748 km²99/km²-0.43%0.04%138
Jamaica2,826,5792,820,43610,991 km²257/km²-0.01%0.04%139
Armenia2,779,0512,805,60829,743 km²93/km²-0.38%0.03%140
Lithuania2,741,0132,820,26765,300 km²42/km²-1.31%0.03%141
Gambia2,722,0372,573,99510,689 km²253/km²2.50%0.03%142
Qatar2,700,3522,760,38511,586 km²233/km²0.26%0.03%143
Botswana2,641,2882,546,402582,000 km²5/km²1.62%0.03%144
Namibia2,575,6112,489,098825,615 km²3/km²1.46%0.03%145
Gabon2,400,5162,292,573267,668 km²9/km²2.04%0.03%146
Lesotho2,311,4102,254,10030,355 km²76/km²1.07%0.03%147
Slovenia2,119,8442,117,64120,273 km²105/km²0.02%0.03%148
Guinea Bissau2,116,4702,015,82836,125 km²58/km²2.18%0.03%149
North Macedonia2,091,2062,111,07225,713 km²81/km²-0.46%0.03%150
Latvia1,845,5981,897,05264,559 km²29/km²-1.24%0.02%151
Equatorial Guinea1,684,4821,596,04928,051 km²60/km²2.47%0.02%152
Trinidad and Tobago1,532,1081,518,1475,130 km²298/km²0.35%0.02%153
Bahrain1,475,4241,477,469765 km²1,924/km²0.61%0.02%154
Timor Leste1,345,9941,299,99514,874 km²90/km²1.54%0.02%155
Estonia1,325,3531,329,44445,227 km²29/km²-0.20%0.02%156
Mauritius1,299,6461,297,8282,040 km²637/km²0.04%0.02%157
Cyprus1,253,6161,237,5379,251 km²135/km²0.59%0.02%158
Eswatini1,203,7091,180,65517,364 km²69/km²0.79%0.02%159
Djibouti1,124,5721,090,15623,200 km²48/km²1.38%0.01%160
Reunion975,914957,8222,511 km²388/km²0.82%0.01%161
Fiji931,362920,42218,272 km²51/km²0.56%0.01%162
Comoros840,409806,1661,862 km²449/km²1.84%0.01%163
Guyana809,701797,202214,969 km²4/km²0.52%0.01%164
Bhutan783,607772,50638,394 km²20/km²0.64%0.01%165
Solomon Islands728,173691,19128,896 km²25/km²2.32%0.01%166
Macau697,384676,28330 km²23,172/km²1.25%0.01%167
Luxembourg649,372630,3992,586 km²250/km²1.29%0.01%168
Montenegro626,905629,04813,812 km²45/km²-0.12%0.01%169
Suriname619,104607,065163,820 km²4/km²0.82%0.01%170
Cape Verde594,479582,6404,033 km²147/km²0.89%0.01%171
Western Sahara578,734556,048266,000 km²2/km²1.84%0.01%172
Malta533,641515,358316 km²1,688/km²1.24%0.01%173
Maldives523,255514,438300 km²1,746/km²0.45%0.01%174
Brunei449,888441,7255,765 km²78/km²0.81%0.01%175
Bahamas410,693406,47113,943 km²29/km²0.51%0.01%176
Belize406,602394,92122,966 km²18/km²1.31%0.01%177
Guadeloupe395,663395,6421,628 km²243/km²-0.08%0.00%178
Iceland373,520366,669103,000 km²4/km²0.69%0.00%179
Martinique367,418370,3911,128 km²326/km²-0.35%0.00%180
Vanuatu328,602311,68512,189 km²27/km²2.38%0.00%181
Mayotte328,406305,587374 km²872/km²3.19%0.00%182
French Polynesia306,988301,9204,167 km²74/km²0.74%0.00%183
French Guiana306,419290,96983,534 km²4/km²2.39%0.00%184
New Caledonia290,659286,40318,575 km²16/km²0.75%0.00%185
Barbados281,724280,693430 km²655/km²0.15%0.00%186
Sao Tome and Principe228,355218,641964 km²236/km²1.92%0.00%187
Samoa223,180214,9292,842 km²78/km²1.65%0.00%188
Curacao191,340189,288444 km²431/km²0.43%0.00%189
Saint Lucia179,946179,237616 km²292/km²0.11%0.00%190
Guam172,129169,231549 km²313/km²0.73%0.00%191
Kiribati131,853126,463811 km²162/km²1.83%0.00%192
Grenada125,527123,663344 km²365/km²0.66%0.00%193
Micronesia114,341112,106702 km²163/km²0.91%0.00%194
Jersey110,955108,319116 km²955/km²1.06%0.00%195
Seychelles107,118105,530452 km²237/km²0.61%0.00%196
Tonga107,124105,254747 km²143/km²0.79%0.00%197
Aruba106,356106,585180 km²591/km²-0.09%0.00%198
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines103,859104,632389 km²267/km²-0.37%0.00%199
United States Virgin Islands99,288100,442347 km²287/km²-0.63%0.00%200
Antigua and Barbuda93,85292,664442 km²212/km²0.58%0.00%201
Isle of Man84,60884,046572 km²148/km²0.30%0.00%202
Andorra80,00177,700468 km²171/km²1.00%0.00%203
Dominica72,82671,995751 km²97/km²0.45%0.00%204
Cayman Islands68,88367,311264 km²260/km²0.84%0.00%205
Bermuda64,09564,03154 km²1,189/km²-0.00%0.00%206
Guernsey63,39062,79478 km²812/km²0.37%0.00%207
Greenland56,55556,0262,166,086 km²0/km²0.40%0.00%208
Faroe Islands53,09052,4151,393 km²38/km²0.38%0.00%209
Northern Mariana Islands49,64049,587464 km²107/km²0.14%0.00%210
Saint Kitts and Nevis47,74647,642261 km²183/km²0.11%0.00%211
Turks and Caicos Islands45,88044,276948 km²48/km²1.31%0.00%212
American Samoa44,18446,189199 km²222/km²-1.69%0.00%213
Sint Maarten44,17543,62134 km²1,299/km²0.30%0.00%214
Marshall Islands41,65843,413181 km²230/km²-1.14%0.00%215
Liechtenstein39,32738,756160 km²246/km²0.74%0.00%216
Monaco36,46936,9222 km²18,235/km²-0.59%0.00%217
San Marino33,66034,00761 km²552/km²-0.25%0.00%218
Gibraltar32,64932,7096 km²5,442/km²-0.06%0.00%219
Saint Martin31,88032,55353 km²600/km²-0.49%0.00%220
British Virgin Islands31,39430,910151 km²207/km²0.59%0.00%221
Palau18,05517,972459 km²39/km²0.17%0.00%222
Cook Islands17,10017,029236 km²72/km²0.05%0.00%223
Anguilla15,85715,58591 km²174/km²0.66%0.00%224
Nauru12,75712,31521 km²603/km²1.25%0.00%225
Wallis and Futuna11,57211,655142 km²81/km²-0.47%0.00%226
Tuvalu11,40111,06926 km²435/km²0.96%0.00%227
Saint Barthelemy10,96710,68121 km²522/km²0.98%0.00%228
Saint Pierre and Miquelon5,8625,906242 km²24/km²-0.36%0.00%229
Montserrat4,3904,500102 km²43/km²-0.61%0.00%230
Falkland Islands3,7803,74712,173 km²0/km²0.43%0.00%231
Niue1,9341,942260 km²7/km²-0.15%0.00%232
Tokelau1,8711,82712 km²156/km²1.19%0.00%233
Vatican City5105201 km²510/km²-0.20%0.00%234World Population in 2050
What will the world look like in 2050? The world’s population 30 years from now may look more different than we expect. According to World Population Prospects, the global population in 2050 will be around 9.77 billion people, which is 2 billion more than what the current population is today.
In terms of each country’s population growth, we can expect India to surpass China as the most populated country in the world by 2050. Today, India’s growth rate is 1.08% while China, the most populated country in the world at the moment, has a growth rate of only 0.35%. By 2050, India’s population will hit 1.66 billion people, and China will come in second place with a population of 1.36 billion.
The United States currently is the third most populated country in the world, but is expected to drop to fourth most populated by 2050. Instead, fast-growing Nigeria will become the third most populated country by 2050 with its current growth rate of 2.6%. Nigeria’s population will be around 410 million by 2050 while the US in 2050 will have about 390 million people.
Vatican City is predicted to continue being the least populated country in the world in 2050. It currently has a negative growth rate and is predicted to have 800 people by 2050.
Trends are pointing towards the most populated countries reaching their capacities and slowing down their population growths. Meanwhile, less populated countries with developing industries and technologies will see a boom in population growth, which are similar factors that allowed the recent growth of India and China in the last century.
The diffusion of health developments and technology will increase the global population overall. We predict the world to be around 30% more populated by 2050 because of better healthcare allowing longer life expectancy and lower infant mortality rates. The population will be aging because of a declining fertility rate as well, for individuals have more access to birth control and family planning.
Many predictions for the year 2050 are still unknown as we still wait to see the impact of computers, artificial intelligence, and environmental changes. If the global population is growing overall, we will face more constrained resources until technology can overcome any production shortages or environmental damage.
World Population By Race
As of the beginning of 2019, the world population is approximately 7.7 billion people. Many researchers have tried breaking this population down into different racial groups, but each nation measures different ethnic and racial components in different ways. Therefore, specific statistics and racial demographics of the world population as a whole are difficult to find as countries have not found a way to consolidate their findings or compromised in measuring the same single indicator of race.
Breaking down the global population by race is difficult primarily because of the meaning of the word “race.” Race is considered as a construct defined by society based on certain biological features that society has deemed to be significant. For example, some racial groupings are determined by physical differences like skin tone, hair color, and other facial features. However, there are so many different variations and exceptions to the evolving term “race” that many sociologists insist that no clear-cut races exist and that race is just genetic variations that shouldn’t carry weight on society.
Race is to not be confused with ethnicity, which is shared cultural heritage. The main difference between race and ethnicity is that race is inherited genetic traits while ethnicity is a set of customs, language, and practices that are learned and passed down from generation to generation.
Many countries measure their diversity through data on race, ethnicity, or a combination or variation of both. For instance, the United States includes race as self-identified data that reflects a social definition rather than a biological or anthropological one. Citizens report themselves as White, Black or African American, American Indian, Asian, or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. Meanwhile, other countries may use different measures of ethnic groups, such as English, German, East Indian, etc.
World Population History (5000 B.C. - 2020 A.D.)
value: 22.5M
World Population History (5000 B.C. - 2020 A.D.)
Throughout most of history, the world's population has been much smaller than it is now. Before the invention of agriculture, for example, the human population was estimated to be around 15 million people at most.
Here's an interesting perspective on today's world population in 2016: today's world population (~7 billion) is approximately 6% of the estimated 110 billion who have ever lived.
The introduction of agriculture and the gradual movement of humanity into settled communities saw the global population increase gradually to around 300 million by AD 0. To give you an idea of scale, the Roman Empire, which many regard as one of the strongest empires the world has ever seen, probably contained only around 50 million people at its height; that's less than the number of people in England today.
It wasn't until the early 19th century that the world population reached its first big milestone: 1 billion people. Then, as the industrial revolution took hold and living standards improved, the rate of population growth increased considerably. Over the next hundred years, the population of the world doubled, reaching 2 billion in the late 1920s.
The 20th century, however, is where population growth really took off, and over the past 100 years, the planet's population has more than tripled in size. This massive increase in human population is largely due to improvements in diet, sanitation and medicine, especially compulsory vaccination against many diseases.
Here's a timeline of the world population growth milestones:
- Year 1: 200 million
- Year 1000: 275 million
- Year 1500: 450 million
- Year 1650: 500 million
- Year 1750: 700 million
- Year 1804: 1 billion
- Year 1850: 1.2 billion
- Year 1900: 1.6 billion
- Year 1927: 2 billion
- Year 1950: 2.55 billion
- Year 1955: 2.8 billion
- Year 1960: 3 billion
- Year 1970: 3.7 billion
- Year 1985: 4.85 billion
- Year 1999: 6 billion
- Year 2011: 7 billion
- Year 2025: 8 billion
What happens next isn't quite so clear.
Most people agree that population increases will continue, but there are arguments about the rate of increase, and even a few people who believe population decreases are likely. You can see some example trends in this graph.
The United Nations has gradually been revising its predictions downwards, and now believes that the world population in 2050 will be around 9 billion. It believes that, as the world grows steadily richer and the average family size decreases, growth will steadily slow and eventually stop.
However, others believe that poverty, inequality and continued urbanization will encourage steadily increasing growth, particularly in countries in Africa and parts of Asia, where growth is already much higher than the global average.
A few scientists even believe that populations will decrease. Some believe that gradual increases in living standards will result in similar patterns to those in Western Europe, where birth rates are declining rapidly. Others believe that the current world population is unsustainable, and predict that humanity will simply not be able to produce enough food and oil to feed itself and sustain our industrial economy.
Although the population of the world increases daily, population growth rate has been declining over the last century. The rate of population growth was highest in 1970, around 2% growth per year, before declining in 1980. The 80’s brought a slight stagnant rise in the population growth rate, but in the 1990’s, the rate of population growth dropped down to less than 1.5% and has been declining throughout the 2000’s. The annual growth rate of the world population in 2019 is around 1.1% and is predicted to decrease even more in the next few decades, continuing the trend of slower population growth.
- World Population Prospects (2019 Revision) - United Nations population estimates and projections.
- Historical Estimates of World Population
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