Demographics of the world

Last updated

Demographics of Earth
World population pyramid 2022.svg
Population pyramid of the world in 2022 by the UN
PopulationOver 8,000,000,000 (estimated)
Fertility rate2.32 (2021)

Earth has a human population of over 8 billion as of 2024, with an overall population density of 50 people per km2 (130 per sq. mile). Nearly 60% of the world's population lives in Asia, with almost 2.8 billion in the countries of China and India combined. The percentage shares of China, India and rest of South Asia of the world population have remained at similar levels for the last few thousand years of recorded history. [1] [2] The world's literacy rate has increased dramatically in the last 40 years, from 66.7% in 1979 to 86.3% today. [3] Lower literacy levels are mostly attributable to poverty.[ citation needed ] Lower literacy rates are found mostly in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. [4]

Contents

The world's population is predominantly urban and suburban, [5] and there has been significant migration toward cities and urban centres. The urban population jumped from 29% in 1950 to 55.3% in 2018. [6] [7] Interpolating from the United Nations prediction that the world will be 51.3 percent urban by 2010, Ron Wimberley, Libby Morris and Gregory Fulkerson estimated 23 May 2007 would have been the first time the urban population was more populous than the rural population in history. [8] India and China are the most populous countries, [9] as the birth rate has consistently dropped in wealthy countries and until recently remained high in poorer countries. Tokyo is the largest urban agglomeration in the world. [7]

As of 2021, the total fertility rate of the world is estimated at 2.32 [10] children per woman, which is slightly below the global average for the replacement fertility rate of approximately 2.33 (as of 2003), [11] which would mean the world's population is declining. However, world population growth is unevenly distributed, with the total fertility rate ranging from one of the world's lowest 0.83 in Singapore, to the highest, 6.49 in Niger. [12] The United Nations estimated an annual population increase of 1.14% for the year of 2000. [13] The current world population growth is approximately 1.09%. [7] People under 15 years of age made up over a quarter of the world population (25.18%), and people age 65 and over made up nearly ten percent (9.69%) in 2021. [7]

The world population more than tripled during the 20th century from about 1.65 billion in 1900 to 5.97 billion in 1999. [14] [15] [16] It reached the 2 billion mark in 1927, the 3 billion mark in 1960, 4 billion in 1974, and 5 billion in 1987. [17] The overall population of the world is approximately 8 billion as of November 2022. Currently, population growth is fastest among low wealth, least developed countries. [18] The UN projects a world population of 9.15 billion in 2050, a 32.7% increase from 6.89 billion in 2010. [14]

History

Comparison of humans living today with all previous generations Illustration of contemporary and past human populations Our World in Data.png
Comparison of humans living today with all previous generations

Historical migration of human populations begins with the movement of Homo erectus out of Africa across Eurasia about a million years ago. Homo sapiens appear to have occupied all of Africa about 300,000 years ago, moved out of Africa 50,000 – 60,000 years ago, and had spread across Australia, Asia and Europe by 30,000 years BC. Migration to the Americas took place 20,000 to 15,000 years ago, and by 2,000 years ago, most of the Pacific Islands were colonized.

Until c. 10,000 years ago, humans lived as hunter-gatherers. They generally lived in small nomadic groups known as band societies. The advent of agriculture prompted the Neolithic Revolution, when access to food surplus led to the formation of permanent human settlements. About 6,000 years ago, the first proto-states developed in Mesopotamia, Egypt's Nile Valley and the Indus Valley. Early human settlements were dependent on proximity to water and, depending on the lifestyle, other natural resources used for subsistence. But humans have a great capacity for altering their habitats by means of technology.

Since 1800, the human population has increased from one billion [19] to over eight billion. [20] In 2004, some 2.5 billion out of 6.3 billion people (39.7%) lived in urban areas. In February 2008, the U.N. estimated that half the world's population would live in urban areas by the end of the year. [21] Problems for humans living in cities include various forms of pollution and crime, [22] especially in inner city and suburban slums. Both overall population numbers and the proportion residing in cities are expected to increase significantly in the coming decades. [23]

World Population, AD 1–1998 (in thousands)

Source: Maddison and others. (University of Groningen). [24]

Year11000150016001700182018701913195019731998
Western Europe24 70025 41357 26873 77881 460132 888187 532261 007305 060358 390388 399
Eastern Europe
(excluding USSR countries)
4 7506 50013 50016 95018 80036 41552 18279 60487 289110 490121 006
Former USSR3 9007 10016 95020 70026 55054 76588 765156 192180 050249 748290 866
Total Europe
(including USSR countries)
33 35039 01387 718111 428126 810224 068328 386496 803572 399718 628800 271
United States [25] 6801 3002 0001 5001 0009 98140 24197 606152 271212 909279 040
Other Western Offshoots4906608008007501 2495 89213 79523 82339 03652 859
Total Western Offshoots1 1701 9602 8002 3001 75011 23046 133111 401176 094250 945323 420
Mexico2 2004 5007 5002 5004 5006 5879 21914 97028 48557 64398 553
Other Latin America3 4006 90010 0006 1007 55014 63330 75465 545137 352250 807409 070
Total Latin America5 60011 40017 5008 60012 05021 22039 97380 515165 837308 450507 623
Japan3 0007 50015 40018 50027 00031 00034 43751 67283 563108 660126 469
China59 60059 000103 000160 000138 000381 000358 000437 140546 815881 9401 242 700
India75 00077 000113 000145 000201 000209 000239 000319 000362 000549 0001 029 000
Other Asia36 60041 40055 40065 00071 80089 366119 619185 092392 481677 2141 172 243
Total Asia (excluding Japan)171 200175 400268 400360 000374 800679 366730 619925 9321 298 2962 139 1543 389 943
Africa16 50033 00046 00055 00061 00074 20890 466124 697228 342387 645759 954
World (thousands)230,820268,273437,818555,828603,4101,041,0921,270,0141,791,0202,524,5313,913,4825,907,680

Shares of world population, AD 1–1998 (% of world total)

Source: Maddison and others. (University of Groningen). [24]

Year11000150016001700182018701913195019731998
Western Europe10.79.513.113.313.512.814.814.612.19.26.6
Eastern Europe
(excluding USSR countries)
2.12.43.13.03.13.54.14.43.52.82.0
Former USSR1.72.63.93.74.45.37.08.77.16.44.9
Total Europe
(including USSR countries)
14.514.520.120.021.021.625.927.722.718.413.5
United States0.30.50.50.30.21.03.25.46.05.44.6
Other Western Offshoots0.20.20.20.10.10.10.50.80.91.00.9
Total Western Offshoots 0.5 0.7 0.6 0.4 0.31.1 3.6 6.2 7.0 6.4 5.5
Mexico1.01.71.70.40.70.60.70.81.11.51.7
Other Latin America1.52.62.31.11.31.42.43.75.46.46.9
Total Latin America2.4 4.2 4.0 1.5 2.0 2.0 3.1 4.5 6.6 7.98.6
Japan 1.3 2.8 3.5 3.3 4.5 3.0 2.7 2.9 3.3 2.8 2.1
China25.822.023.528.822.936.628.224.421.722.521.0
India32.528.025.124.327.320.119.917.014.214.816.5
Other Asia15.915.412.711.711.98.69.410.315.517.319.8
Total Asia (excluding Japan) 74.2 65.461.3 64.8 62.1 65.3 57.5 51.7 51.4 54.7 57.4
Africa 7.1 12.3 10.5 9.9 10.1 7.1 7.1 7.0 9.0 9.912.9
World 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0100.0 100.0100.0 100.0

Historical vital statistics

The following estimates of global trends in various demographic indicators from 1950 to 2021 are from UN DESA's World Population Prospects 2022. In July 2022, UN DESA published its 2022 World Population Prospects, a biennially-updated database where key demographic indicators are estimated and projected worldwide and on the country and regional level. [26]

YearWorld population
(in thousands)
Population density per km2Live births
(in thousands)
Deaths
(in thousands)
Growth
(in thousands)
Population growth (in %)Crude birth rate (per 1000)Crude death rate (per 1000) Total fertility rate (TFR) Infant mortality (per 1000 births) Life expectancy (in years)
19502 499 32219.292 08348 78943 2941.7336.819.54.86143.446.5
19512 543 13019.5  92 837  48 51544 3221.7436.519.14.83141.347.1
19522 590 27119.9  97 607  47 64749 9601.9337.718.45.01137.348.2
19532 640 27920.2  97 556  47 49950 0571.9036.918.04.94134.548.8
19542 691 97920.6  100 348  47 00353 3451.9837.317.55.01131.749.6
19552 746 07221.1  101 807  46 96654 8412.0037.117.15.01128.850.1
19562 801 00321.5  101 827  46 80755 0201.9636.416.74.94125.850.6
19572 857 86721.9  105 978  47 26958 7092.0537.116.55.08123.750.9
19582 916 10822.4  104 557  46 78357 7741.9835.916.04.94121.151.5
19592 970 29222.8  101 922  51 32750 5951.7034.317.34.74129.649.3
19603 019 23323.2  102 262  54 97447 2881.5733.918.24.70135.147.7
19613 068 37123.5  100 990  50 00350 9871.6632.916.34.57124.250.4
19623 126 68724.0  112 05346 40665 6472.1035.814.85.03112.953.1
19633 195 77924.5  119 819  47 28072 5392.2737.514.85.32110.153.6
19643 267 21225.1  117 393  47 06570 3282.1535.914.45.13108.254.2
19653 337 11225.6  117 932  48 46069 4722.0835.314.55.08108.453.9
19663 406 41726.1  117 182  48 04469 1382.0334.414.14.96106.854.5
19673 475 44826.7  116 840  47 91568 9251.9833.613.84.86105.054.9
19683 546 81127.2  121 750  47 94873 8022.0834.313.54.96101.955.5
19693 620 65527.8  122 123  48 23573 8882.0433.713.34.87100.255.8
19703 695 39028.3  124 117  48 53475 5832.0533.613.14.8398.556.1
19713 770 16328.9  123 647  49 68473 9631.9632.813.24.6897.755.9
19723 844 80129.5  123 275  47 96275 3131.9632.112.54.5595.057.1
19733 920 25230.1  123 269  47 68075 5891.9331.412.24.4293.457.6
19743 995 51730.6  122 437  47 49474 9431.8830.611.94.2792.058.0
19754 069 43731.2  120 491  47 59372 8981.7929.611.74.0890.758.3
19764 142 50631.8  120 648  47 40873 2401.7729.111.43.9888.758.7
19774 215 77232.3  120 040  46 74673 2941.7428.511.13.8586.959.4
19784 289 65832.9  121 337  46 86074 4771.7428.310.93.7984.959.7
19794 365 58333.5  124 288  46 91477 2941.7728.510.73.7882.660.2
19804 444 00834.1  126 793  47 31779 4761.7928.510.63.7580.460.6
19814 524 62834.7  129 153  47 38881 7651.8128.510.53.7278.361.0
19824 607 98535.3  132 513  47 56284 9511.8428.810.33.7176.161.4
19834 691 88436.0  130 983  48 13482 8491.7727.910.33.5875.761.6
19844 775 83636.6  133 397  48 34185 0561.7827.910.13.5574.161.9
19854 861 73137.3  135 420  48 68586 7351.7827.910.03.5272.462.2
19864 950 06338.0  138 420  48 48789 9331.8228.09.83.5170.462.8
19875 040 98438.7  140 545  48 63491 9111.8227.99.63.4868.363.2
19885 132 29439.4  139 993  49 28490 7091.7727.39.63.3967.863.3
19895 223 70440.1  141 177  49 06492 1131.7627.09.43.3565.963.8
19905 316 17640.8  142 451  49 62092 8311.7526.89.33.3164.664.0
19915 406 24641.5  137 392  50 08287 3101.6225.49.33.1364.664.1
19925 492 68642.1  135 754  50 18285 5721.5624.79.13.0463.864.3
19935 577 43442.8  134 693  50 76983 9241.5124.29.12.9862.664.4
19945 660 72843.4  134 185  51 51982 6661.4623.79.12.9361.664.5
19955 743 21944.0  133 673  51 35582 3181.4323.38.92.8860.664.9
19965 825 14544.7  133 053  51 51981 5341.4022.88.82.8359.465.1
19975 906 48145.3  132 598  51 45981 1391.3722.58.72.7958.165.5
19985 987 31245.9  132 287  51 76280 5251.3522.18.62.7657.065.7
19996 067 75846.5  132 364  51 99780 3671.3321.88.62.7355.166.1
20006 148 89947.2  134 014  52 10081 9141.3321.88.52.7353.366.5
20016 230 74747.8  133 878  52 09581 7831.3121.58.42.7051.866.8
20026 312 40748.4  134 020  52 48181 5391.2921.28.32.6750.167.1
20036 393 89849.0  134 302  52 85881 4441.2721.08.32.6548.367.5
20046 475 75149.7  135 228  52 96582 2631.2720.98.22.6446.667.8
20056 558 17650.3  135 800  53 21382 5871.2620.78.12.6244.968.2
20066 641 41650.9  136 910  53 01683 8941.2620.68.02.6143.168.7
20076 725 94951.6  138 563  53 39285 1711.2720.67.92.6141.469.1
20086 811 59752.2  140 164  54 03886 1261.2620.67.92.6139.969.3
20096 898 30652.9  141 201  53 91087 2911.2720.57.82.6138.469.8
20106 985 60353.6  141 633  54 32987 3041.2520.37.82.5937.170.1
20117 073 12554.2  142 135  54 39487 7411.2420.17.72.5735.870.5
20127 161 69854.9144 194  54 79089 4041.2520.17.72.5934.470.9
20137 250 59355.6  143 422  55 03488 3881.2219.87.62.5633.571.2
20147 339 01356.3  143 671  55 21888 4531.2119.67.52.5532.371.6
20157 426 59857.0  142 608  55 89386 7151.1719.27.52.5231.571.8
20167 513 47457.6  143 239  56 20187 0381.1619.17.52.5330.572.1
20177 599 82258.3  142 624  56 96685 6581.1318.87.52.5029.672.3
20187 683 79058.9  139 629  57 35282 2771.0718.27.52.4429.272.6
20197 764 95159.5  137 984  57 93980 0451.0317.87.52.4128.772.8
20207 840 95360.1  135 133  63 17471 9590.9217.28.12.3528.372.0
20217 909 29560.7  133 975  69 24864 7270.8216.98.82.3227.971.0

Notable events in World demography:

Current world population and latest projection

Population pyramid of the world in continental groupings in 2023 Population pyramid of the world in continental groupings 2023.svg
Population pyramid of the world in continental groupings in 2023
Current world population and latest projection according the UN. Population in (millions) and percent of the global population in that year. [27]
Region2022 (percent)2030 (percent)2050 (percent)
Sub-Saharan Africa 1,152 (14.51%)1,401 (16.46%)2,094 (21.62%)
Northern Africa and Western Asia 549 (6.91%)617 (7.25%)771 (7.96%)
Southern and Central Asia 2,065 (26.13%)2,248 (26.41%)2,575 (26.58%)
Eastern Asia [28] 1,642 (20.71%)1,647 (19.32%)1,522 (15.71%)
Southeastern Asia [28] 675 (8.49%)721 (8.47%)771 (7.95%)
Europe and North America 1120 (14.10%)1129 (13.26%)1125 (11.61%)
Latin America and the Caribbean 658 (8.29%)695 (8.17%)749 (7.73%)
Australia/New Zealand 31 (0.39%)34 (0.40%)38 (0.39%)
Other Oceania14 (0.18%)15 (0.18%)20 (0.21%)
World7,9428,5129,687

2019 population distribution

Region (2019)NumberPercentage [29]
Asia
4,607,523,595
59.8%
Africa
1,313,074,183
16.7%
Europe
747,253,261
9.8%
North America
565,620,340
7.2%
South America
427,751,538
5.5%
Oceania
42,213,121
0.5%
Antarctica
0 (1,106 estimated non-permanent research personnel)
0.0%
Total
7,792,204,108
100.0%

Major cities

The world has hundreds of major cities, mostly in coastal regions.

As of 2022, the world had 159 metropolitan areas with a population of over 3,000,000 people each. [30]

As of 2010, about 3 billion people live in or around urban areas. [7]

The following table shows the populations of the top thirteen conglomerations.

RankCityPopulationCountryStatistical concept [31] Area (km2) [lower-alpha 1] Density (p/km2)
1 Tokyo 37,500,000Flag of Japan.svg  Japan Metropolitan area [lower-alpha 2] 13,5002,777.78
2 Shanghai 24,180,000Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China Urban agglomeration [lower-alpha 3] 3,9206,168
3 New York City 23,600,000 [32] Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Urban agglomeration21,483 [33] 1,098
4 Mexico City 22,460,000Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico Metropolitan area (zona metropolitana)7,8152,490
5 Delhi 22,157,000Flag of India.svg  India Urban agglomeration [lower-alpha 4] 33,578659
6 São Paulo 22,048,504 [34] Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil Metropolitan Area7,946.962,714.45
7 Moscow 21,534,777Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Metropolitan area26,000770
8 Lagos 21,000,000Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria Metropolitan area1,17117,933
9 Cairo 20,901,000Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt Metropolitan area1,709 [35] 10,400
10 Karachi 20,382,881 [36] Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan Metropolitan area (megacity)3,5304,224
11 Mumbai 20,041,000Flag of India.svg  India Urban agglomeration1,097 [lower-alpha 5] 18,268
12 Kolkata 15,552,000Flag of India.svg  India Urban agglomeration1,026 [37] 15,158
13 Dhaka 14,648,000Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh Metropolitan area (megacity)1,6009,155

Population density

Population density (people per km ) by country Population density map of the world.svg
Population density (people per km ) by country

The world's population is over 8 billion [38] and Earth's total surface area (including land and water) is 510 million square kilometres (197 million square miles). [39] Therefore, the worldwide human population density is 8 billion ÷ 510 million km2 (197 million sq mi) = 15.7 people/km2 (41 people/sq mi). If only the Earth's land area of 150 million km2 (58 million sq mi) is taken into account, then human population density increases to 53.3 people/km2 (138 people/sq mi). [40] [41]

Several of the most densely populated territories in the world are city-states, microstates or dependencies. [42] [43] These territories share a relatively small area and a high urbanization level, with an economically specialized city population drawing also on rural resources outside the area, illustrating the difference between high population density and overpopulation.

Religion

Major denominations and religions of the world Prevailing world religions map.png
Major denominations and religions of the world

The table below lists religions classified by philosophy; however, religious philosophy is not always the determining factor in local practice. Please note that this table includes heterodox movements as adherents to their larger philosophical category, although this may be disputed by others within that category. For example, Cao Đài is listed because it claims to be a separate category from Buddhism, while Hòa Hảo is not, even though they are similar new religious movements.

The population numbers below are computed by a combination of census reports, random surveys (in countries where religion data is not collected in census, for example United States or France), and self-reported attendance numbers, but results can vary widely depending on the way questions are phrased, the definitions of religion used and the bias of the agencies or organizations conducting the survey. Informal or unorganized religions are especially difficult to count. Some organizations may wildly inflate their numbers.

Global religious affiliation
Religious categoryNumber of followers
(in millions)
Cultural traditionMain regions covered
Christianity 2,300–2,400 [44] Abrahamic religions Predominant in the Western world (Western Europe, the Americas, Oceania), Eastern Europe, Russia, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Philippines, and East Timor in Southeast Asia. Minorities worldwide, see Christianity by country. [45]
Islam 1,600–1,800 [46] [47] [48] Abrahamic religions West Asia, Northern Africa, Central Asia, Indian Subcontinent, Western Africa, Maritime Southeast Asia with large population centers existing in Eastern Africa, Balkan Peninsula, Russia and China. [49]
Hinduism 1,110-1,200 [50] Indian religions Indian Subcontinent, Bali, Mauritius, Fiji, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, and among the overseas Indian communities.
No religion 1,100 [51] Secularism, half of those are theistic (but do not fit in with the major religions) Predominant in the Western world, East Asia. Minorities worldwide, see list of countries by irreligion.
Buddhism 400–600 [52] [53] [54] Indian religions Indian Subcontinent, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and some regions of Russia.
Folk religions 600–3,000 [lower-alpha 6] Folk religions Africa, Asia, Americas
Chinese folk religions
(including Taoism and Confucianism)
400–1,000 [55] [lower-alpha 6] Chinese Religions East Asia, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia.
Shinto 27–65 [56] Japanese Religions Japan
Sikhism 24–30 [57] [52] Indian religionsIndian Subcontinent, Australasia, Northern America, Southeast Asia, the United Kingdom and Western Europe.
Judaism 14–18 [52] Abrahamic religions Israel and the worldwide Jewish diaspora (mostly North America, South America, Europe, Ethiopia, and Asia).
Jainism 8–12 [lower-alpha 7] Indian religionsIndia, and East Africa.
Baháʼí Faith 7.3–7.9 [58] Abrahamic religions [lower-alpha 8] Noted for being dispersed worldwide [59] [60] but the top ten populations (amounting to about 65% of the world's Baháʼí Faith adherents) are (in order of size of community) India, United States, Kenya, Vietnam, DR of the Congo, Philippines, Iran, Zambia, South Africa, Bolivia [61]
Cao Đài 1–3 [62] Vietnamese Religions Vietnam.
Cheondoism 3 [63] Korean religions North Korea and South Korea
Tenrikyo 2 [64] Japanese religions Japan, Brazil.
Wicca 1 [65] New religious movements United States, Australia, Europe, Canada.
Church of World Messianity 1 [66] Japanese Religions Japan, Brazil
Seicho-no-Ie 0.8 [64] Japanese religions Japan, Brazil.
Rastafari movement 0.7 [67] New religious movements, Abrahamic religions Jamaica, Caribbean, Africa.
Unitarian Universalism 0.63 [68] New religious movements United States, Canada, Europe.

Since the late 19th century, the demographics of religion have changed a great deal. Some countries with a historically large Christian population have experienced a significant decline in the numbers of professed active Christians: see demographics of atheism. Symptoms of the decline in active participation in Christian religious life include declining recruitment for the priesthood and monastic life, as well as diminishing attendance at church. On the other hand, since the 19th century, large areas of sub-Saharan Africa have been converted to Christianity, and this area of the world has the highest population growth rate. In the realm of Western civilization, there has been an increase in the number of people who identify themselves as secular humanists. Despite the decline, Christianity remains the dominant religion in the Western world, where 70% of the population is Christian. [69] In many countries, such as the People's Republic of China, communist governments have discouraged religion, making it difficult to count the actual number of believers. However, after the collapse of communism in numerous countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, religious life has been experiencing resurgence there, in the form of traditional Eastern Christianity. [70] While, Islam however has gained considerably in the Soviet Unions former republics in Central Asia.

Following is some available data based on the work of the World Christian Encyclopedia : [71]

Trends in annual growth of adherence
1970–1985 [72] 1990–2000 [73] [74] 2000–2005 [75]
2.74%: Islam2.13%: Islam1.84%: Islam
3.65%: Baháʼí Faith2.28%: Baháʼí Faith1.70%: Baháʼí Faith
2.34%: Hinduism1.69%: Hinduism1.57%: Hinduism
1.64%: Christianity1.36%: Christianity1.32%: Christianity
1.09%: Judaism1.87%: Judaism1.62%: Judaism
1.67%: Buddhism1.09%: Buddhism
2.65%: Zoroastrianism
The annual growth in the world
population over the same period
is 1.41%.

Studies conducted by the Pew Research Center have found that, generally, poorer nations had a larger proportion of citizens who found religion to be very important than richer nations, with the exceptions of the United States [76] and Kuwait. [77]

Marriage

The average age of marriage varies greatly from country to country and has varied through time. Women tend to marry earlier than men and currently varies from 17.6 for women in Niger, to 32.4 for women in Denmark while men range from 22.6 in Mozambique to 35.1 in Sweden. [78]

In 2021, 13.3 million babies, or about 10 per cent of the total worldwide, were born to mothers under 20 years old. [27]

Age structure

Population pyramid of the World from 1950 to 2100 by the UN World pop pyramid from 1950 to 2100.gif
Population pyramid of the World from 1950 to 2100 by the UN

According to the 2021 CIA World Factbook, around 25% of the world's population is below 15 years of age. [79]

According to a report by the Global Social Change Research Project, worldwide, the percent of the population age 0–14 declined from 34% in 1950 to 27% in 2010. The elderly population (60+) increased during the same period from 8% to 11%. [80]

Median age by continent, 2018 [81]
RegionMedian age
Asia31 yo
Africa18 yo
Europe42 yo
North America35 yo
South America31 yo
Oceania33 yo
Select age groups by continent, 2018 [81]
RegionUnder 15 years
(proportion of population)
Over 65 years
(proportion of population)
Asia24%8%
Africa41%3%
Europe16%18%
Latin America-Caribbean26%8%
North America19%15%
Oceania23%12%
World26%9%
Median age by country as of 2017. A youth bulge is evident for Africa, and to a lesser extent for West Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and parts of the Americas. 2017 world map, median age by country.svg
Median age by country as of 2017. A youth bulge is evident for Africa, and to a lesser extent for West Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and parts of the Americas.

Population growth rate

Growth rate of world population (1950-2010)
The sharp decline in world population growth in the early 1960s caused primarily by the Great Chinese Famine World population growth rate 1950-2050.svg
Growth rate of world population (1950–2010)
The sharp decline in world population growth in the early 1960s caused primarily by the Great Chinese Famine

Globally, the growth rate of the human population has been declining since peaking in 1962 and 1963 at 2.20% per annum. In 2009, the estimated annual growth rate was 1.1%. [82] The CIA World Factbook gives the world annual birthrate, mortality rate, and growth rate as 1.915%, 0.812%, and 1.092% respectively [83] The last one hundred years have seen a rapid increase in population due to medical advances and massive increase in agricultural productivity [84] made possible by the Green Revolution. [85] [86] [87]

2010-2015 net population increase rate, per 1000 people 1 world map 2010-2015 population increase rate by country.svg
2010–2015 net population increase rate, per 1000 people

The actual annual growth in the number of humans fell from its peak of 88.0 million in 1989, to a low of 73.9 million in 2003, after which it rose again to 75.2 million in 2006. Since then, annual growth has declined. In 2009, the human population increased by 74.6 million, which is projected to fall steadily to about 41 million per annum in 2050, at which time the population will have increased to about 9.2 billion. [82] Each region of the globe has seen great reductions in growth rate in recent decades, though growth rates remain above 2% in some countries of the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa, and also in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. [88]

Some countries experienced negative population growth, especially in Eastern Europe mainly due to low fertility rates, high death rates and emigration. In Southern Africa, growth is slowing due to the high number of HIV-related deaths. Some Western Europe countries might also encounter negative population growth. [89] Japan's population began decreasing in 2005. [90]

Population in the world increased from 1990 to 2008 with 1,423 billion and 27% growth. Measured by persons, the increase was highest in India (290 million) and China (192 million). Population growth was highest in Qatar (174%) and United Arab Emirates (140%). [91]

In 2022 the world population reached the 8 billion. The latest projections by the United Nations suggest that the global population could grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050 and 10.4 billion in 2100. [27]

More than half of the projected increase in global population up to 2050 will be concentrated in just eight countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines and Tanzania. [27]

RankCountryPopulation (thousands)
1990
Population (thousands)
2010
Population (thousands)
2023 [28]
Growth (%)
1990–2010
  World5,306,4256,895,8898,035,11830.0%
1Flag of India.svg  India 873,7851,224,6141,428,62740.2%
2Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China 1,145,1951,341,3351,425,67117.1%
3Flag of the United States.svg  United States 253,339310,384331,00222.5%
4Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia 184,346239,871273,52330.1%
5Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan 111,845173,593220,89255.2%
6Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil 149,650194,946212,55930.3%
7Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria 97,552158,423206,13962.4%
8Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh 105,256148,692164,68941.3%
9Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 148,244142,958145,934−3.6%
10Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico 86,007114,092128,93232.7%

Births

In 2021, most births worldwide occurred in two regions: sub-Saharan Africa (29 per cent of global births), the region with the highest fertility level, Central and Southern Asia (28 per cent of global births) and Eastern and South-Eastern Asia (18 per cent). [92]

Birth count

The 10 countries with the highest estimated number of births in 2021 according to the World Population Prospects 2022 of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. [93]

RankCountryNumber of births (2021)
1Flag of India.svg  India 23,114,000
2Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China 10,881,567
3Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria 7,923,294
4Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan 6,374,741
5Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia 4,496,383
6Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  Democratic Republic of the Congo 4,034,953
7Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia 3,895,734
8Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States 3,722,822
9Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh 3,019,672
10Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil 2,760,958

Birth rate

Countries by birth rate Crude Birth Rate Map by Country.svg
Countries by birth rate

As of 2009, the average birth rate (unclear whether this is the weighted average rate per country [with each country getting a weight of 1], or the unweighted average of the entire world population) for the whole world is 19.95 per year per 1000 total population, a 0.48% decline from 2003's world birth rate of 20.43 per 1000 total population.

World historical and predicted crude birth rates (1950–2050)
UN, medium variant, 2008 rev. [94]
YearsCBRYearsCBR
1950–195537.22000–200521.2
1955–196035.32005–201020.3
1960–196534.92010–201519.4
1965–197033.42015–202018.2
1970–197530.82020–202516.9
1975–198028.42025–203015.8
1980–198527.92030–203515.0
1985–199027.32035–204014.5
1990–199524.72040–204514.0
1995–200022.52045–205013.4

According to the CIA – The World Factbook, the country with the highest birth rate currently is Niger at 51.26 births per 1000 people. The country with the lowest birth rate is Japan at 7.64 births per 1000 people. Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region of China, is at 7.42 births per 1000 people. As compared to the 1950s, birth rate was at 36 births per 1000 in the 1950s, [95] birth rate has declined by 16 births per 1000 people. In July 2011, the U.S. National Institutes of Health announced that the adolescent birth rate continues to decline. [96]

Birth rates vary even within the same geographic areas. In Europe, as of July 2011, Ireland's birth rate is 16.5 percent, which is 3.5 percent higher than the next-ranked country, the UK. France has a birth rate of 12.8 per cent while Sweden is at 12.3 percent. [97] In July 2011, the UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced a 2.4% increase in live births in the UK in 2010 alone. [98] This is the highest birth rate in the UK in 40 years. [98] By contrast, the birth rate in Germany is only 8.3 per 1,000, which is so low that both the UK and France, which have significantly smaller populations, produced more births in 2010. [99] Birth rates also vary within the same geographic area, based on different demographic groups. For example, in April 2011, the U.S. CDC announced that the birth rate for women over the age of 40 in the U.S. rose between 2007 and 2009, while it fell among every other age group during the same time span. [100] In August 2011, Taiwan's government announced that its birth rate declined in the previous year, despite the fact that it implemented a host of approaches to encourage its citizens to have babies. [101]

Birth rates ranging from 10 to 20 births per 1000 are considered low, while rates from 40 to 50 births per 1000 are considered high. There are problems associated with both an extremely high birth rate and an extremely low birth rate. High birth rates can cause stress on the government welfare and family programs to support a youthful population. Additional problems faced by a country with a high birth rate include educating a growing number of children, creating jobs for these children when they enter the workforce, and dealing with the environmental effects that a large population can produce. Low birth rates can put stress on the government to provide adequate senior welfare systems and also the stress on families to support the elders themselves. There will be less children or working age population to support the constantly growing aging population.

The ten countries with the highest and lowest crude birth rate, according to the 2018 and 2022 CIA World Factbook estimates, are: [102]

Death rate

The ten countries with the highest and lowest crude death rate, according to the 2018 and 2022 CIA World Factbook estimates, are: [103]

World historical and predicted crude death rates (1950–2050)
UN, medium variant, 2008 rev. [104]
YearsCDRYearsCDR
1950–195519.52000–20058.6
1955–196017.32005–20108.5
1960–196515.52010–20158.3
1965–197013.22015–20208.3
1970–197511.42020–20258.3
1975–198010.72025–20308.5
1980–198510.32030–20358.8
1985–19909.72035–20409.2
1990–19959.42040–20459.6
1995–20008.92045–205010

See list of countries by mortality rate for worldwide statistics.

According to the World Health Organization, the 10 leading causes of death in 2002 were:

  1. 12.6% Ischemic heart disease
  2. 9.7% Cerebrovascular disease
  3. 6.8% Lower respiratory infections
  4. 4.9% HIV/AIDS
  5. 4.8% Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
  6. 3.2% Diarrhoeal diseases
  7. 2.7% Tuberculosis
  8. 2.2% Trachea/bronchus/lung cancers
  9. 2.2% Malaria
  10. 2.1% Road traffic accidents

Causes of death vary greatly between first and third world countries.

According to Jean Ziegler (the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food for 2000 to March 2008), mortality due to malnutrition accounted for 58% of the total mortality in 2006: "In the world, approximately 62 millions people, all causes of death combined, die each year. In 2006, more than 36 millions died of hunger or diseases due to deficiencies in micronutrients". [105]

Of the roughly 150,000 people who died each day across the globe, about two-thirds—100,000 per day—died of age-related causes in 2001, according to an article which counts all deaths "due to causes that kill hardly anyone under the age of 40" as age-related. [106] [ better source needed ] In industrialized nations, the proportion was even higher according to that article, reaching 90%. [106]

Total fertility rate

The Total fertility rate is the average number of children born per mother. In 2021, fertility levels high were found in sub-Saharan Africa (4.6 births per woman), Oceania excluding Australia and New Zealand (3.1), Northern Africa and Western Asia (2.8), and Central and Southern Asia (2.3). [27]

There is an inverse correlation between income and fertility, wherein developed countries usually have a much lower fertility rate. Various fertility factors may be involved, such as education and urbanization. Mortality rates are low, birth control is understood and easily accessible, and costs are often deemed very high because of education, clothing, feeding, and social amenities. With wealth, contraception becomes affordable. However, in countries like Iran where contraception was made artificially affordable before the economy accelerated, birth rate also rapidly declined. Further, longer periods of time spent getting higher education often mean women have children later in life. [107] Female labor participation rate also has substantial negative impact on fertility. However, this effect is neutralized among Nordic or liberalist countries. [108] [ further explanation needed ]

In undeveloped countries on the other hand, families desire children for their labour and as caregivers for their parents in old age. Fertility rates are also higher due to the lack of access to contraceptives, generally lower levels of female education, patriarchal culture and lower rates of female employment in industry.

Total fertility rates by region, 2010–2015

Total fertility rate is the number of children born per woman.

RegionTotal fertility rate
(2010–2015) [109]
World2.5
Africa4.7
Sub-Saharan Africa5.1
Western Africa5.5
Middle Africa5.8
Eastern Africa4.9
Northern Africa3.3
Southern Africa2.5
Oceania2.4
Asia2.2
Europe1.6
Latin America-Caribbean2.2
North America1.9

Health

Life expectancy (as of 2016) varies greatly from country to country. It is lowest in certain countries in Africa and higher in Japan, Australia and Spain.
.mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{}
>80
77.5-80
75-77.5
72.5-75
70-72.5
67.5-70
65-67.5
60-65
55-60
50-55 Expectancy of life CIA2016.svg
Life expectancy (as of 2016) varies greatly from country to country. It is lowest in certain countries in Africa and higher in Japan, Australia and Spain.
  >80
  77.5–80
  75–77.5
  72.5–75
  70–72.5
  67.5–70
  65–67.5
  60–65
  55–60
  50–55

The average number of hospital beds per 1,000 population is 2.94. It is highest in Switzerland (18.3) and lowest in Mexico (1.1) [111]

96% of the urban population has access to improved drinking water, while only 78% of rural inhabitants have improved drinking water. A total average of 87% of urban and rural have access to improved drinking water.

4% of the urban population does not have access to improved drinking water, leaving 22% of rural people without improved drinking water with a total world population of 13% not having access to drinking water.

76% of the urban population has access to sanitation facilities, while only 45% of the rural population has access. A total world average of 39% do not have access to sanitation facilities.

As of 2009, there are an estimated 33.3 million people living with HIV/AIDS, which is approximately 0.8% of the world population, and there have been an estimated 1.8 million deaths attributed to HIV/AIDS.

As of 2010, 925 million people are undernourished. [112]

Life Expectancy at Birth:


World historical and predicted total life expectancy at birth (1950–2050)
UN, 2017 rev. [113]
YearsLEBYearsLEB
1950–195547.92000–200567.2
1955–196049.32005–201069.1
1960–196551.22010–201570.8
1965–197055.52015–202072.0
1970–197558.12020–202573.0
1975–198060.32025–203073.8
1980–198562.12030–203574.7
1985–199063.72035–204075.5
1990–199564.62040–204576.2
1995–200065.72045–205077.0

Sex ratio

Map indicating the human sex ratio by country.
Countries with more females than males.
Countries with similar number of males and females.
Countries with more males than females.
No data Sex ratio total population.PNG
Map indicating the human sex ratio by country.
  Countries with more females than males.
  Countries with similar number of males and females.
  Countries with more males than females.
  No data

The value for the entire world population is 1.02 males/female, [114] with 1.07 at birth, 1.06 for those under 15, 1.02 for those between 15 and 64, and 0.78 for those over 65.

The Northern Mariana Islands have the highest female ratio with 0.77 males per female. Qatar has the highest male ratio, with 2.87 males/female. For the group aged below 15, Sierra Leone has the highest female ratio with 0.96 males/female, and Georgia and China are tied for the highest male ratio with 1.13 males/female (according to the 2006 CIA World Factbook).

The "First World" G7 members all have a gender ratio in the range of 0.95–0.98 for the total population, of 1.05–1.07 at birth, of 1.05–1.06 for the group below 15, of 1.00–1.04 for the group aged 15–64, and of 0.70–0.75 for those over 65.

Countries on the Arabian Peninsula tend to have a "natural" ratio of about 1.05 at birth but a very high ratio of males for those over 65 (Saudi Arabia 1.13, United Arab Emirates 2.73, Qatar 2.84), indicating either an above-average mortality rate for females or a below-average mortality for males, or, more likely in this case, a large population of aging male guest workers. Conversely, countries of Eastern Europe (the Baltic states, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia) tend to have a "normal" ratio at birth but a very low ratio of males among those over 65 (Russia 0.46, Latvia 0.48, Ukraine 0.52); similarly, Armenia has a far above average male ratio at birth (1.17), and a below-average male ratio above 65 (0.67). This effect may be caused by emigration and higher male mortality as result of higher post-Soviet era deaths; it may also be related to the enormous (by western standards) rate of alcoholism in the former Soviet states. Another possible contributory factor is an aging population, with a higher than normal proportion of relatively elderly people: we recall that due to higher differential mortality rates the ratio of males to females reduces for each year of age.

Unemployment rate

8.7% (2010 est.) 8.2% (2009 est.) note: 30% combined unemployment and underemployment in many non-industrialized countries; developed countries typically 4%–12% unemployment (2007 est.)

Languages

Primary language families of the world (and in some cases geographic groups of families). For greater detail, see Distribution of languages in the world. Primary Human Languages Improved Version.png
Primary language families of the world (and in some cases geographic groups of families). For greater detail, see Distribution of languages in the world .

Worldwide, English is used widely as a lingua franca and can be seen to be the dominant language at this time. The world's largest language by native speakers is Mandarin Chinese which is a first language of around 960 million people, or 12.44% of the population, predominantly in Greater China. Spanish is spoken by around 330 to 400 million people, predominantly in the Americas and Spain. Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu) is spoken by about 370 to 420 million speakers, mostly in India and Pakistan.

Arabic is spoken by around 350 million people predomimantly in Arab world. Bengali is spoken by around 250 million people worldwide, predominantly in Bangladesh and India. Portuguese is spoken by about 230 million speakers in Portugal, Brazil, East Timor, and Southern Africa.

There are numerous other languages, grouped into nine major families:

  1. Indo-European languages 46% (Europe, Western Asia, South Asia, North Asia, North America, South America, and Oceania)
  2. Sino-Tibetan languages 21% (East Asia, Mainland Southeast Asia, and South Asia)
  3. Niger–Congo languages 6.4% (Sub-Saharan Africa)
  4. Afroasiatic languages 6.0% (North Africa to Horn of Africa, and Western Asia)
  5. Austronesian languages 5.9% (Oceania, Madagascar, and Maritime Southeast Asia)
  6. Dravidian languages 3.7% (South Asia)
  7. Altaic languages (controversial combination of Turkic, Mongolic, and Tungusic families) 2.3% (Central Asia, North Asia (Siberia), and Anatolia) [lower-alpha 12]
  8. Austroasiatic languages 1.7% (Mainland Southeast Asia)
  9. Kra–Dai languages 1.3% (Southeast Asia)

There are also hundreds of non-verbal sign languages.

Education

World map of countries shaded according to the literacy rate for all people aged 15 and over, as of 2015. World map of countries by literacy rate.svg
World map of countries shaded according to the literacy rate for all people aged 15 and over, as of 2015.

Total population: 83.7% over the age of 15 can read and write, 88.3% male and 79.2% female[ citation needed ] note: over two-thirds of the world's 793 million illiterate adults are found in only eight countries (Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Pakistan); of all the illiterate adults in the world, two-thirds are women; extremely low literacy rates are concentrated in three regions, the Arab states, South and West Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa, where around one-third of the men and half of all women are illiterate (2005–09 est.)[ citation needed ]

As of 2008, the school life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) for a man or woman is 11 years.[ citation needed ]

See also

Notes

  1. The area figures are taken from individual national censuses according to the criteria and statistical concepts noted in the World Urbanization Prospects.
  2. As defined by the Statistics Bureau of Japan; refers to Kanto major metropolitan area (M.M.A.)
  3. The population of the city is composed of population in all City Districts meeting the criteria such as "contiguous built-up area", being the location of the local government, being a Street or Having a Resident Committee.
  4. Based on a definition of urban agglomeration that is not restricted to state boundaries.
  5. The Greater Mumbai urban agglomeration is defined by the municipal corporations of Greater Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivali, Navi Mumbai, Thane and Ulhasnagar, plus the municipal councils of Ambarnath, Badlapur and Mira-Bhayandar. Not to be confused with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, which includes some additional urban and rural units.
  6. 1 2 The number of people who consider themselves party to a "folk tradition" is impossible to determine.
  7. Figures for the population of Jains differ from just over six million to twelve million due to difficulties of Jain identity, with Jains in some areas counted as a Hindu sect. Many Jains do not return Jainism as their religion on census forms for various reasons such as certain Jain castes considering themselves both Hindu and Jain. Following a major advertising campaign urging Jains to register as such, the 1981 Census of India returned 3.19 million Jains. This was estimated at the time to still be half the true number. The 2001 Census of India had 8.4 million Jains.
  8. Historically, the Baháʼí Faith arose in 19th century Persia, in the context of Shia Islam, and thus may be classed on this basis as a divergent strand of Islam, placing it in the Abrahamic tradition. However, the Baháʼí Faith considers itself an independent religious tradition, which draws from Islam but also other traditions. The Baháʼí Faith may also be classed as a new religious movement, due to its comparatively recent origin, or may be considered sufficiently old and established for such classification to not be applicable.
  9. This list includes only independent countries, not regions.
  10. This list includes only independent countries, not regions.
  11. This list includes only independent countries, not regions.
  12. Since the Mongolic and Tungusic language families have only a relatively small number of speakers, the majority of the Altaic percentage represents speakers of Turkic languages.

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