This is a list of continental landmasses, continents, and continental subregions by population. For statistical convenience, the population of continental landmasses also include the population of their associated islands.
World population by continent, 2021
| Continental landmass | Population (2021) [1] [2] [3] | % (world) | ±% p.a. (2010–2013) | Sovereign states (2024) | De facto states (2024) | Non-self-governing territory(ies) (2024) | Other area(s) (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World | 7,909,295,151 | 100% | 1.17% | 197 | 8 | 17 | 34 |
| Africa-Eurasia | 6,833,426,385 | 86.4% | 86.4% | 146 | 8 | 3 | 12 |
| America | 1,030,037,584 | 13% | 0.96% | 35 | 0 | 8 | 14 |
| Oceania [a] | 44,491,724 | 0.6% | 1.47% | 16 | 0 | 6 | 7 |
| Antarctica | 0 | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Continent | Population (2021) [1] [2] [4] | % (world) | ±% p.a. (2010–2013) | Sovereign states (2024) | De facto states (2024) | Non-self-governing territory(ies) (2024) | Other area(s) (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World | 7,909,295,151 | 100% | 1.17% | 197 | 8 | 17 | 34 |
| Asia | 4,694,576,167 | 59.4% | 1.04% | 48 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| Africa | 1,393,676,444 | 17.6% | 2.57% | 54 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Europe | 745,173,774 | 9.4% | 0.08% | 44 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| North America | 595,783,465 | 7.5% | 0.96% | 23 | 0 | 7 | 11 |
| South America | 434,254,119 | 5.5% | 1.06% | 12 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Oceania [b] | 44,491,724 | 0.6% | 1.47% | 16 | 0 | 6 | 7 |
| Antarctica | 0 | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Continental subregion | Population (2021) [1] [2] | % (world) | ±% p.a. (2010–2013) | Sovereign states (2024) | De facto state(s) (2024) | Non-self-governing territory(ies) (2024) | Other area(s) (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World | 7,909,295,151 | 100% | 1.17% | 197 | 8 | 17 | 34 |
| Southern Asia [c] | 1,989,452,478 | 25.2% | 1.32% | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eastern Asia | 1,663,696,923 | 21.0% | 0.57% | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa [d] | 1,137,938,708 | 14.4% | N/A | 48 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| South-eastern Asia | 675,796,065 | 8.5% | 1.20% | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Latin America and the Caribbean [e] | 656,098,097 | 8.30% | N/A | 33 | 0 | 7 | 12 |
| Eastern Africa [f] | 461,141,845 | 5.8% | 2.89% | 18 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| South America [g] | 434,254,119 | 5.5% | 1.06% | 12 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Western Africa [h] | 418,544,337 | 5.3% | 2.78% | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Northern America | 375,278,947 | 4.7% | 0.85% | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Eastern Europe [i] | 291,464,162 | 3.7% | 0.23% | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Western Asia [j] | 289,733,123 | 3.7% | 1.98% | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Northern Africa [k] | 255,737,736 | 3.2% | 1.70% | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Western Europe [l] | 195,381,649 | 2.5% | 0.25% | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Middle Africa [m] | 190,267,973 | 2.4% | 2.79% | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Central America [n] | 177,661,929 | 2.2% | 1.40% | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Southern Europe | 152,130,606 | 1.9% | 0.24% | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Northern Europe [o] | 106,197,357 | 1.3% | 0.54% | 10 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Central Asia | 75,897,577 | 1.0% | 1.43% | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Southern Africa | 67,984,554 | 0.9% | 0.91% | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Caribbean | 44,182,048 | 0.6% | 0.71% | 13 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
| Australia and New Zealand [p] | 31,050,816 | 0.4% | N/A | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Melanesia [q] | 12,188,834 | 0.2% | N/A | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Polynesia | 717,467 | 0.009% | N/A | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Micronesia [r] | 534,606 | 0.007% | N/A | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Antarctica | 0 | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 66,923,000 | — |
| 1960 | 84,305,000 | +2.34% |
| 1970 | 110,428,000 | +2.74% |
| 1980 | 147,512,000 | +2.94% |
| 1990 | 198,232,000 | +3.00% |
| 2000 | 259,373,000 | +2.72% |
| 2010 | 342,743,000 | +2.83% |
| 2021 | 461,141,845 | +2.73% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 26,401,000 | — |
| 1960 | 32,216,000 | +2.01% |
| 1970 | 40,846,000 | +2.40% |
| 1980 | 53,135,000 | +2.67% |
| 1990 | 70,886,000 | +2.92% |
| 2000 | 96,113,000 | +3.09% |
| 2010 | 130,598,000 | +3.11% |
| 2021 | 190,267,973 | +3.48% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 49,222,000 | — |
| 1960 | 63,697,000 | +2.61% |
| 1970 | 82,883,000 | +2.67% |
| 1980 | 106,908,000 | +2.58% |
| 1990 | 140,117,000 | +2.74% |
| 2000 | 171,891,000 | +2.06% |
| 2010 | 203,717,000 | +1.71% |
| 2021 | 255,737,736 | +2.09% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 15,588,000 | — |
| 1960 | 19,724,000 | +2.38% |
| 1970 | 25,454,000 | +2.58% |
| 1980 | 32,997,000 | +2.63% |
| 1990 | 42,049,000 | +2.45% |
| 2000 | 51,451,000 | +2.04% |
| 2010 | 59,067,000 | +1.39% |
| 2021 | 67,984,554 | +1.29% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 70,769,000 | — |
| 1960 | 84,946,000 | +1.84% |
| 1970 | 106,015,000 | +2.24% |
| 1980 | 137,414,000 | +2.63% |
| 1990 | 180,331,000 | +2.76% |
| 2000 | 235,235,000 | +2.69% |
| 2010 | 307,982,000 | +2.73% |
| 2021 | 418,544,337 | +2.83% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 228,902,000 | — |
| 1960 | 284,887,000 | +2.21% |
| 1970 | 365,626,000 | +2.53% |
| 1980 | 477,965,000 | +2.72% |
| 1990 | 631,614,000 | +2.83% |
| 2000 | 814,063,000 | +2.57% |
| 2010 | 1,044,107,000 | +2.52% |
| 2021 | 1,393,676,444 | +2.66% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 340,459,000 | — |
| 1960 | 425,357,000 | +2.25% |
| 1970 | 519,522,000 | +2.02% |
| 1980 | 619,252,000 | +1.77% |
| 1990 | 727,522,000 | +1.62% |
| 2000 | 840,614,000 | +1.46% |
| 2010 | 943,952,000 | +1.17% |
| 2021 | 1,031,377,044 | +0.81% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 17,076,000 | — |
| 1960 | 20,724,000 | +1.96% |
| 1970 | 25,306,000 | +2.02% |
| 1980 | 29,748,000 | +1.63% |
| 1990 | 34,198,000 | +1.40% |
| 2000 | 38,314,000 | +1.14% |
| 2010 | 41,621,000 | +0.83% |
| 2021 | 44,182,048 | +0.54% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 38,029,000 | — |
| 1960 | 51,400,000 | +3.06% |
| 1970 | 69,702,000 | +3.09% |
| 1980 | 92,425,000 | +2.86% |
| 1990 | 114,823,000 | +2.19% |
| 2000 | 138,780,000 | +1.91% |
| 2010 | 161,117,000 | +1.50% |
| 2021 | 177,661,929 | +0.89% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 171,615,000 | — |
| 1960 | 204,167,000 | +1.75% |
| 1970 | 231,029,000 | +1.24% |
| 1980 | 254,217,000 | +0.96% |
| 1990 | 280,633,000 | +0.99% |
| 2000 | 313,724,000 | +1.12% |
| 2010 | 344,129,000 | +0.93% |
| 2021 | 375,278,947 | +0.79% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 226,719,000 | — |
| 1960 | 276,291,000 | +2.00% |
| 1970 | 326,036,000 | +1.67% |
| 1980 | 376,390,000 | +1.45% |
| 1990 | 429,653,000 | +1.33% |
| 2000 | 490,818,000 | +1.34% |
| 2010 | 546,867,000 | +1.09% |
| 2021 | 597,122,924 | +0.80% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 113,739,000 | — |
| 1960 | 149,066,000 | +2.74% |
| 1970 | 193,486,000 | +2.64% |
| 1980 | 242,862,000 | +2.30% |
| 1990 | 297,869,000 | +2.06% |
| 2000 | 349,796,000 | +1.62% |
| 2010 | 397,085,000 | +1.28% |
| 2021 | 434,254,119 | +0.82% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 18,131,000 | — |
| 1960 | 24,616,000 | +3.10% |
| 1970 | 33,156,000 | +3.02% |
| 1980 | 41,277,000 | +2.21% |
| 1990 | 50,407,929 | +2.02% |
| 2000 | 55,117,000 | +0.90% |
| 2010 | 62,139,000 | +1.21% |
| 2021 | 75,897,577 | +1.83% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 666,586,000 | — |
| 1960 | 788,145,000 | +1.69% |
| 1970 | 978,113,000 | +2.18% |
| 1980 | 1,173,372,000 | +1.84% |
| 1990 | 1,368,592,000 | +1.55% |
| 2000 | 1,496,284,000 | +0.90% |
| 2010 | 1,575,320,000 | +0.52% |
| 2021 | 1,663,696,923 | +0.50% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 164,900,000 | — |
| 1960 | 213,838,000 | +2.63% |
| 1970 | 281,521,000 | +2.79% |
| 1980 | 358,106,000 | +2.44% |
| 1990 | 445,665,000 | +2.21% |
| 2000 | 526,179,000 | +1.67% |
| 2010 | 596,708,000 | +1.27% |
| 2021 | 675,796,065 | +1.14% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 493,443,000 | — |
| 1960 | 593,943,000 | +1.87% |
| 1970 | 741,603,000 | +2.25% |
| 1980 | 939,043,000 | +2.39% |
| 1990 | 1,189,261,000 | +2.39% |
| 2000 | 1,451,933,000 | +2.02% |
| 2010 | 1,702,969,000 | +1.61% |
| 2021 | 1,989,452,478 | +1.42% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 50,957,000 | — |
| 1960 | 66,156,000 | +2.64% |
| 1970 | 86,037,000 | +2.66% |
| 1980 | 113,786,000 | +2.83% |
| 1990 | 148,552,000 | +2.70% |
| 2000 | 184,957,000 | +2.22% |
| 2010 | 232,703,000 | +2.32% |
| 2021 | 289,733,123 | +2.01% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1,394,018,000 | — |
| 1960 | 1,686,698,000 | +1.92% |
| 1970 | 2,120,430,000 | +2.31% |
| 1980 | 2,625,584,000 | +2.16% |
| 1990 | 3,202,475,000 | +2.01% |
| 2000 | 3,714,470,000 | +1.49% |
| 2010 | 4,169,850,000 | +1.16% |
| 2021 | 4,694,576,167 | +1.08% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 220,171,000 | — |
| 1960 | 253,630,000 | +1.42% |
| 1970 | 276,396,000 | +0.86% |
| 1980 | 295,042,000 | +0.65% |
| 1990 | 310,027,000 | +0.50% |
| 2000 | 303,789,000 | −0.20% |
| 2010 | 294,591,000 | −0.31% |
| 2021 | 291,464,162 | −0.10% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 78,030,000 | — |
| 1960 | 81,790,000 | +0.47% |
| 1970 | 87,305,000 | +0.65% |
| 1980 | 89,833,000 | +0.29% |
| 1990 | 92,040,000 | +0.24% |
| 2000 | 94,397,000 | +0.25% |
| 2010 | 99,682,000 | +0.55% |
| 2021 | 106,197,357 | +0.58% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 108,633,000 | — |
| 1960 | 117,879,000 | +0.82% |
| 1970 | 127,617,000 | +0.80% |
| 1980 | 138,495,000 | +0.82% |
| 1990 | 143,404,000 | +0.35% |
| 2000 | 145,058,000 | +0.11% |
| 2010 | 153,360,000 | +0.56% |
| 2021 | 152,130,606 | −0.07% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 142,256,000 | — |
| 1960 | 152,320,000 | +0.69% |
| 1970 | 165,903,000 | +0.86% |
| 1980 | 170,489,000 | +0.27% |
| 1990 | 175,615,000 | +0.30% |
| 2000 | 183,163,000 | +0.42% |
| 2010 | 187,762,000 | +0.25% |
| 2021 | 195,381,649 | +0.36% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 549,089,000 | — |
| 1960 | 605,619,000 | +0.98% |
| 1970 | 657,221,000 | +0.82% |
| 1980 | 693,859,000 | +0.54% |
| 1990 | 721,086,000 | +0.39% |
| 2000 | 726,407,000 | +0.07% |
| 2010 | 735,395,000 | +0.12% |
| 2021 | 745,173,774 | +0.12% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 12,682,000 | — |
| 1960 | 15,784,000 | +2.21% |
| 1970 | 19,688,000 | +2.23% |
| 1980 | 22,972,000 | +1.55% |
| 1990 | 26,971,000 | +1.62% |
| 2000 | 31,068,000 | +1.42% |
| 2010 | 36,411,000 | +1.60% |
| 2016 | 39,901,000 | +1.54% |
| 2021 | 44,491,724 | +2.20% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2,525,149,000 | — |
| 1960 | 3,018,344,000 | +1.80% |
| 1970 | 3,682,488,000 | +2.01% |
| 1980 | 4,439,632,000 | +1.89% |
| 1990 | 5,309,668,000 | +1.81% |
| 2000 | 6,126,622,000 | +1.44% |
| 2010 | 6,929,725,000 | +1.24% |
| 2021 | 7,909,295,151 | +1.21% |
Oceania is a geographical region including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while Mainland Australia is regarded as its continental landmass. Spanning the Eastern and Western hemispheres, at the centre of the water hemisphere, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of about 9,000,000 square kilometres (3,500,000 sq mi) and a population of around 44.4 million as of 2022. Oceania is the smallest continent in land area and the second-least populated after Antarctica.
Southern Europe is the southern region of Europe. It is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of southern Europe include some or all of these countries and regions: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Greece, Italy, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, southern France, Spain, Turkey, and Vatican City.
A landmass, or land mass, is a large region or area of land that is in one piece and not noticeably broken up by oceans. The term is often used to refer to lands surrounded by an ocean or sea, such as a continent or a large island. In the field of geology, a landmass is a defined section of continental crust extending above sea level.
A subregion is a part of a larger geographical region or continent. Cardinal directions are commonly used to define subregions. There are many criteria for creating systems of subregions; this article is focusing on the United Nations geoscheme, which is a changing, constantly updated, UN tool based on specific political geography and demography considerations relevant in UN statistics.
Geography of Asia reviews geographical concepts of classifying Asia, comprising 58 countries and territories.
The United Nations geoscheme is a system which divides 248 countries and territories in the world into six continental regions, 22 geographical subregions, and two intermediary regions. It was devised by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) based on the M49 coding classification. The creators note that "the assignment of countries or areas to specific groupings is for statistical convenience and does not imply any assumption regarding political or other affiliation of countries or territories".
The following is an alphabetical list of subregions in the United Nations geoscheme for Africa, used by the United Nations and maintained by the UNSD department for statistical purposes.
The United Nations geoscheme for the Americas is an internal tool created and used by the UN's Statistics Division (UNSD) for the specific purpose of UN statistics.
The following is an alphabetical list of subregions in the United Nations geoscheme for Europe, created by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD). The scheme subdivides the continent into Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, and Western Europe. The UNSD notes that "the assignment of countries or areas to specific groupings is for statistical convenience and does not imply any assumption regarding political or other affiliation of countries or territories".
The United Nations geoscheme for Oceania is an internal tool created and used by the UN's Statistics Division (UNSD) for the specific purpose of UN statistics.
Determining the boundaries between the continents is generally a matter of geographical convention. Several slightly different conventions are in use. The number of continents is most commonly considered seven but may range as low as four when Afro-Eurasia and the Americas are both considered as single continents. An island can be considered to be associated with a given continent by either lying on the continent's adjacent continental shelf or being a part of a microcontinent on the same principal tectonic plate. An island can also be entirely oceanic while still being associated with a continent by geology or by common geopolitical convention. Another example is the grouping into Oceania of the Pacific Islands with Australia and Zealandia.
The United Nations geoscheme for Asia is an internal tool created and used by the United Nations, maintained by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) for the specific purpose of UN statistics. The scheme's subregions are presented here in alphabetical order. Its subregions may not coincide with other geographic categorization schemes.
A continent is any of several large geographical regions. Continents are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria. A continent could be a single landmass or a part of a very large landmass, as in the case of Asia or Europe. Due to this, the number of continents varies; up to seven or as few as four geographical regions are commonly regarded as continents. Most English-speaking countries recognize seven regions as continents. In order from largest to smallest in area, these seven regions are Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia. Different variations with fewer continents merge some of these regions; examples of this are merging North America and South America into America, Asia and Europe into Eurasia, and Africa, Asia, and Europe into Afro-Eurasia.
The continent of Australia, sometimes known in technical contexts by the names Sahul, Australia-New Guinea, Australinea, or Meganesia to distinguish it from the country of Australia, is located within the Southern and Eastern hemispheres. The continent includes mainland Australia, Tasmania, the island of New Guinea, the Aru Islands, the Ashmore and Cartier Islands, most of the Coral Sea Islands, and some other nearby islands. Situated in the geographical region of Oceania, Australia is the smallest of the seven traditional continents.
Australasia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand, and sometimes including New Guinea and surrounding islands. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologically, where the term covers several slightly different but related regions.
