View source for Earth:Demographics of the world

{{Short description|Global human population statistics}}


[[Astronomy:Earth|Earth]] has a human population of over 8 billion as of 2024, with an overall [[Earth:Population density|population density]] of 50 people per km<sup>2</sup> (130 per sq. mile). Nearly 60% of the world's population lives in [[Earth:Asia|Asia]], with almost 2.8 billion in the countries of {{wipe|China}} and {{wipe|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.<ref>{{cite web |title=China's Population 1.4 billion 2020 |website=ABC News|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/china-population-now-14-billion-birthrate-falls-68348982}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=India Population 1.38 billion UN Data Estimate |url=https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/india-population/#:~:text=The%20current%20population%20of%20India,of%20the%20total%20world%20population.}}</ref> The world's [[Philosophy:Literacy|literacy]] rate has increased dramatically in the last 40 years, from 66.7% in 1979 to 86.3% today.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS?end=2018&start=2018&view=bar|title=Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) {{!}} Data|website=data.worldbank.org|access-date=26 December 2019}}</ref> Lower [[Philosophy:Literacy|literacy]] levels are mostly attributable to poverty.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}} Lower literacy rates are found mostly in [[Place:South Asia|South Asia]] and [[Place:Sub-Saharan Africa|Sub-Saharan Africa]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/262886/illiteracy-rates-by-world-regions/|title=Illiteracy rates by world region 2016|website=Statista|language=en|access-date=26 December 2019}}</ref> 

The world's population is predominantly urban and suburban,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ritchie |first1=Hannah |last2=Roser |first2=Max |date=2018-06-13 |title=Urbanization |url=https://ourworldindata.org/urbanization |journal=Our World in Data}}</ref> and there has been significant migration toward cities and urban centres. The urban population jumped from 29% in 1950 to 55.3% in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS?end=2018&start=2018&view=bar|title=Urban population (% of total population) {{!}} Data|website=data.worldbank.org|access-date=25 December 2019}}</ref><ref name="cia world">[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/world/ CIA.gov World Factbook – World Statistics]</ref> 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.<ref>[http://www.gizmag.com/go/7334/ World Population Becomes More Urban That Rural]</ref> {{wipe|India}} and {{wipe|China}} are the most populous countries,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2119rank.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613004507/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2119rank.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 June 2007 |title=Country Comparison :: Population |access-date=28 September 2011 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |year=2008 }}</ref> as the [[Birth rate|birth rate]] has consistently dropped in wealthy countries and until recently remained high in poorer countries. [[Place:Tokyo|Tokyo]] is the largest urban agglomeration in the world.<ref name="cia world"/>

As of 2021, the total fertility rate of the world is estimated at 2.32<ref>{{Cite web |title=World Population Prospects - Population Division - United Nations |url=https://population.un.org/wpp/ |access-date=2022-08-15 |website=population.un.org}}</ref> children per woman, which is slightly below the global average for the replacement fertility rate of approximately 2.33 (as of 2003),<ref name= variation>{{cite journal|title=The surprising global variation in replacement fertility|vauthors=Espenshade TJ, Guzman JC, Westoff CF |year=2003|journal=Population Research and Policy Review | volume=22 |page=575 |doi=10.1023/B:POPU.0000020882.29684.8e |issue=5/6|s2cid=10798893 }}, Introduction and Table 1, p. 580</ref> 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 [[Place:Singapore|Singapore]], to the highest, 6.49 in Niger.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2127rank.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613003803/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2127rank.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 June 2007|title=The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency|website=www.cia.gov|access-date=25 December 2019}}</ref> The {{wipe|United Nations}} estimated an annual population increase of 1.14% for the year of 2000.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/ipc/www/worldpop.html |title=Census.gov |publisher=Census.gov |date=7 January 2009 |access-date=1 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100823141629/http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/worldpop.html |archive-date=23 August 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
The current world population growth is approximately 1.09%.<ref name="cia world"/> 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.<ref name="cia world" />
<!---There are approximately 3.38 billion females in the World. The number of males is about 3.41 billion. --->

The world population more than tripled during the 20th century from about 1.65 billion in 1900 to 5.97 billion in 1999.<ref name="esa">[http://esa.un.org/unpp World Population Prospects]: The 2008 Revision Population Database {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060407112028/http://esa.un.org/unpp/ |date=7 April 2006 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/sixbillion/sixbillion.htm |title=The World at |publisher=Un.org |date=12 October 1999 |access-date=1 August 2010}}</ref><ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange2/current/lectures/human_pop/human_pop.html |title=Population Growth over Human History |publisher=Globalchange.umich.edu |access-date=1 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724101452/http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange2/current/lectures/human_pop/human_pop.html |archive-date=24 July 2011 }}</ref> It reached the 2 billion mark in 1927, the 3 billion mark in 1960, 4 billion in 1974, and 5 billion in 1987.<ref>[http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0883352.html World Population Milestones]</ref> The overall population of the world is approximately 8 billion as of November 2022. Currently, population growth is fastest among low wealth, [[Finance:Least developed countries|least developed countries]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/factsheets/pid/3856 |title=United Nations Population Fund |publisher=UNFPA |date=13 May 1968 |access-date=6 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100822015619/http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/factsheets/pid/3856 |archive-date=22 August 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The UN projects a world population of 9.15 billion in 2050, a 32.7% increase from 6.89 billion in 2010.<ref name="esa" />

== History ==
[[File:Illustration of contemporary and past human populations Our World in Data.png|thumb|Comparison of humans living today with all previous generations]]
Historical migration of human populations begins with the movement of ''[[Biology:Homo erectus|Homo erectus]]'' out of Africa across [[Earth:Eurasia|Eurasia]] about a million years ago. ''[[Biology:Human|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 [[History:Paleolithic Europe|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.&nbsp;10,000 years ago, humans lived as [[Biology:Hunter-gatherer|hunter-gatherer]]s. They generally lived in small nomadic groups known as band societies. The advent of agriculture prompted the [[History:Neolithic Revolution|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 [[Place:Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]], [[Place:Egypt|Egypt]]'s Nile Valley and the Indus Valley. Early human settlements were dependent on proximity to [[Earth:Water resources|water]] and, depending on the [[Social:Lifestyle (sociology)|lifestyle]], other natural resources used for [[Finance:Subsistence economy|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<ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/411162.stm | access-date = 5 February 2008 | work=BBC News | title=World's population reaches six billion | date=5 August 1999}}</ref> to over eight billion.<ref name=7billpop>{{cite web|title=UN population estimates.|url=http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/unpp/p2k0data.asp|work=Population Division, United Nations|access-date=4 July 2013}}</ref> In 2004, some 2.5 billion out of 6.3 billion people (39.7%) lived in [[Engineering:Urban area|urban area]]s. In February 2008, the U.N. estimated that half the world's population would live in [[Engineering:Urban area|urban area]]s by the end of the year.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4561183.stm | work=BBC News | first=David | last=Whitehouse | title=Half of humanity set to go urban | date=19 May 2005}}</ref> Problems for humans living in cities include various forms of pollution and [[Philosophy:Crime|crime]],<ref><!-- {{cite web|url=http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/usrv98.htm |title=Archived copy |access-date=20 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090825142912/http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/usrv98.htm |archive-date=25 August 2009 }} -->[https://web.archive.org/web/20130224090226/http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/usrv98.pdf] Urban, Suburban, and Rural Victimization, 1993–98] U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics,. Accessed 29 October 2006</ref> especially in inner city and suburban [[Engineering:Slum|slum]]s. Both overall population numbers and the proportion residing in cities are expected to increase significantly in the coming decades.<ref name=UN-pop-all>{{cite web|title=World Urbanization Prospects, the 2011 Revision|url=http://esa.un.org/unup/CD-ROM/Urban-Rural-Population.htm|work=Population Division, United Nations|access-date=4 July 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130709002731/http://esa.un.org/unup/CD-ROM/Urban-Rural-Population.htm|archive-date=9 July 2013}}</ref>

===World Population, AD 1–1998 (in thousands)===
Source: Maddison and others. (University of Groningen).<ref name="ggdc.net">{{cite web|url=http://www.ggdc.net/maddison/other_books/appendix_B.pdf|title=Growth of World Population, GDP and GDP Per Capita before 1820|author=Maddison|website=[[Organization:University of Groningen|University of Groningen]]|date=27 July 2016 }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable " style="text-align:right"
|-
! scope="col" |Year
! scope="col" |1
! scope="col" |1000
! scope="col" |1500
! scope="col" |1600
! scope="col" |1700
! scope="col" |1820
! scope="col" |1870
! scope="col" |1913
! scope="col" |1950
! scope="col" |1973
! scope="col" |1998
|-
|Western Europe
|24 700
|25 413
|57 268
|73 778
|81 460
|132 888
|187 532
|261 007
|305 060
|358 390
|388 399
|-
|Eastern Europe<br />(excluding USSR countries)
|4 750
|6 500
|13 500
|16 950
|18 800
|36 415
|52 182
|79 604
|87 289
|110 490
|121 006
|-
|Former USSR
|3 900
|7 100
|16 950
|20 700
|26 550
|54 765
|88 672
|156 192
|180 050
|249 748
|290 866
|-
|'''Total Europe<br />(including USSR countries)'''
|'''33 350'''
|'''39 013'''
|'''87 718'''
|'''111 428'''
|'''126 810'''
|'''224 068'''
|'''328 386'''
|'''496 803'''
|'''572 399'''
|'''718 628'''
|'''800 271'''
|-
|United States<ref>{{cite web |url=http://populstat.info/Americas/usac.htm |title=UNITED STATES OF AMERICA : Population growth of the whole country |website=populstat.info |access-date=11 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723080909/http://populstat.info/Americas/usac.htm |archive-date=23 July 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
|680
|1 300
|2 000
|1 500
|1 000
|9 981
|40 241
|97 606
|152 271
|212 909
|279 040
|-
|Other Western Offshoots
|490
|660
|800
|800
|750
|1 249
|5 892
|13 795
|23 823
|39 036
|52 859
|-
|'''Total Western Offshoots'''
|'''1 170'''
|'''1 960'''
|'''2 800'''
|'''2 300'''
|'''1 750'''
|'''11 230'''
|'''46 133'''
|'''111 401'''
|'''176 094'''
|'''250 945'''
|'''323 420'''
|-
|Mexico
|2 200
|4 500
|7 500
|2 500
|4 500
|6 587
|9 219
|14 970
|28 485
|57 643
|98 553
|-
|Other Latin America
|3 400
|6 900
|10 000
|6 100
|7 550
|14 633
|30 754
|65 545
|137 352
|250 807
|409 070
|-
|'''Total Latin America'''
|'''5 600'''
|'''11 400'''
|'''17 500'''
|'''8 600'''
|'''12 050'''
|'''21 220'''
|'''39 973'''
|'''80 515'''
|'''165 837'''
|'''308 450'''
|'''507 623'''
|-
|'''Japan'''
|'''3 000'''
|'''7 500'''
|'''15 400'''
|'''18 500'''
|'''27 000'''
|'''31 000'''
|'''34 437'''
|'''51 672'''
|'''83 563'''
|'''108 660'''
|'''126 469'''
|-
|China
|59 600
|59 000
|103 000
|160 000
|138 000
|381 000
|358 000
|437 140
|546 815
|881 940
|1 242 700
|-
|India
|75 000
|77 000
|113 000
|145 000
|201 000
|209 000
|239 000
|319 000
|362 000
|549 000
|1 029 000
|-
|Other Asia
|36 600
|41 400
|55 400
|65 000
|71 800
|89 366
|119 619
|185 092
|392 481
|677 214
|1 172 243
|-
|'''Total Asia (excluding Japan)'''
|'''171 200'''
|'''175 400'''
|'''268 400'''
|'''360 000'''
|'''374 800'''
|'''679 366'''
|'''730 619'''
|'''925 932'''
|'''1 298 296'''
|'''2 139 154'''
|'''3 389 943'''
|-
|'''Africa'''
|'''16 500'''
|'''33 000'''
|'''46 000'''
|'''55 000'''
|'''61 000'''
|'''74 208'''
|'''90 466'''
|'''124 697'''
|'''228 342'''
|'''387 645'''
|'''759 954'''
|-
|'''World (thousands)'''
|'''230,820'''
|'''268,273'''
|'''437,818'''
|'''555,828'''
|'''603,410'''
|'''1,041,092'''
|'''1,270,014'''
|'''1,791,020'''
|'''2,524,531'''
|'''3,913,482'''
|'''5,907,680'''
|}

=== Shares of world population, AD 1–1998 (% of world total)===
Source: Maddison and others. (University of Groningen).<ref name="ggdc.net"/>
{| class="wikitable " style="text-align:right"
|-
! scope="col" |Year
! scope="col" |1
! scope="col" |1000
! scope="col" |1500
! scope="col" |1600
! scope="col" |1700
! scope="col" |1820
! scope="col" |1870
! scope="col" |1913
! scope="col" |1950
! scope="col" |1973
! scope="col" |1998
|-
|Western Europe
|10.7
|9.5
|13.1
|13.3 
|13.5 
|12.8 
|14.8 
|14.6 
|12.1 
|9.2 
|6.6
|-
|Eastern Europe<br />(excluding USSR countries)
|2.1 
|2.4 
|3.1 
|3.0 
|3.1 
|3.5 
|4.1 
|4.4 
|3.5 
|2.8 
|2.0
|-
|Former USSR 
|1.7 
|2.6 
|3.9 
|3.7 
|4.4 
|5.3 
|7.0 
|8.7 
|7.1 
|6.4 
|4.9
|-
|'''Total Europe<br />(including USSR countries)'''
|'''14.5'''
|'''14.5'''
|'''20.1'''
|'''20.0'''
|'''21.0'''
|'''21.6'''
|'''25.9'''
|'''27.7'''
|'''22.7'''
|'''18.4'''
|'''13.5'''
|-
|United States 
|0.3 
|0.5 
|0.5 
|0.3 
|0.2 
|1.0 
|3.2 
|5.4 
|6.0 
|5.4 
|4.6
|-
|Other Western Offshoots 
|0.2 
|0.2 
|0.2 
|0.1 
|0.1 
|0.1 
|0.5 
|0.8 
|0.9 
|1.0 
|0.9
|-
|'''Total Western Offshoots '''
|'''0.5 '''
|'''0.7 '''
|'''0.6 '''
|'''0.4 '''
|'''0.3''' 
|'''1.1 '''
|'''3.6 '''
|'''6.2 '''
|'''7.0 '''
|'''6.4 '''
|'''5.5'''
|-
|Mexico 
|1.0 
|1.7 
|1.7 
|0.4 
|0.7 
|0.6 
|0.7 
|0.8 
|1.1 
|1.5 
|1.7
|-
|Other Latin America 
|1.5 
|2.6 
|2.3 
|1.1 
|1.3 
|1.4 
|2.4 
|3.7 
|5.4 
|6.4 
|6.9
|-
|'''Total Latin America''' 
|'''2.4 '''
|'''4.2 '''
|'''4.0 '''
|'''1.5 '''
|'''2.0 '''
|'''2.0 '''
|'''3.1 '''
|'''4.5 '''
|'''6.6'''
|''' 7.9''' 
|'''8.6'''
|-
|'''Japan '''
|'''1.3 '''
|'''2.8 '''
|'''3.5 '''
|'''3.3 '''
|'''4.5 '''
|'''3.0 '''
|'''2.7 '''
|'''2.9 '''
|'''3.3 '''
|'''2.8 '''
|'''2.1'''
|-
|China 
|25.8 
|22.0 
|23.5 
|28.8 
|22.9 
|36.6 
|28.2 
|24.4 
|21.7 
|22.5 
|21.0
|-
|India 
|32.5 
|28.0 
|25.1 
|24.3 
|27.3 
|20.1 
|19.9 
|17.0 
|14.2 
|14.8 
|16.5
|-
|Other Asia 
|15.9 
|15.4 
|12.7 
|11.7 
|11.9 
|8.6 
|9.4 
|10.3 
|15.5 
|17.3 
|19.8
|-
|'''Total Asia (excluding Japan) '''
|'''74.2'''
|''' 65.4'''
| '''61.3 '''
|'''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 '''
|'''9.9''' 
|'''12.9'''
|-
|'''World '''
|'''100.0 '''
|'''100.0 '''
|'''100.0 '''
|'''100.0 '''
|'''100.0 '''
|'''100.0 '''
|'''100.0''' 
|'''100.0 '''
|'''100.0''' 
|'''100.0 '''
|'''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.<ref>{{cite UN WPP|2022|rows=1:72|cols=M,X,AE,S,AH,S,AA,AV,AI}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right"
|- class="is-sticky"
! Year
! style="width:80pt;" |World population <br />(in thousands)
! style="width:80pt;" |Population density per km<sup>2</sup>
! style="width:80pt;" |Live births <br />(in thousands)
! style="width:80pt;" |Deaths <br />(in thousands)
! style="width:80pt;" |Growth <br />(in thousands)
! style="width:80pt;" |Population growth (in %)
! style="width:80pt;" |Crude birth rate (per 1000)
! style="width:80pt;" |Crude death rate (per 1000)
! style="width:80pt;" |Total fertility rate (TFR)
! style="width:80pt;" |Infant mortality (per 1000 births)
! style="width:80pt;" |[[Biology:Life expectancy|Life expectancy]] (in years)
|-
|'''1950'''
|2 499 322
|19.2
|92 083
|48 789
| style="color: red"| 43 294
|1.73
|36.8
|style="color: red"|19.5
|4.86
| style="color: red"| 143.4
| style="color: red"| 46.5
|-
|'''1951'''
|2 543 130
|19.5
|  92 837
|  48 515
| 44 322
|1.74
|36.5
|19.1
|4.83
|141.3
|47.1
|-
|'''1952'''
|2 590 271
|19.9
|  97 607
|  47 647
| 49 960
|1.93
| style="color: blue"| 37.7
|18.4
|5.01
|137.3
|48.2
|-
|'''1953'''
|2 640 279
|20.2
|  97 556
|  47 499
| 50 057
|1.90
|36.9
|18.0
|4.94
|134.5
|48.8
|-
|'''1954'''
|2 691 979
|20.6
|  100 348
|  47 003
| 53 345
|1.98
|37.3
|17.5
|5.01
|131.7
|49.6
|-
|'''1955'''
|2 746 072
|21.1
|  101 807
|  46 966
| 54 841
|2.00
|37.1
|17.1
|5.01
|128.8
|50.1
|-
|'''1956'''
|2 801 003
|21.5
|  101 827
|  46 807
| 55 020
|1.96
|36.4
|16.7
|4.94
|125.8
|50.6
|-
|'''1957'''
|2 857 867
|21.9
|  105 978
|  47 269
| 58 709
|2.05
|37.1
|16.5
|5.08
|123.7
|50.9
|-
|'''1958'''
|2 916 108
|22.4
|  104 557
|  46 783
| 57 774 
|1.98
|35.9
|16.0
|4.94
|121.1
|51.5
|-
|'''1959'''
|2 970 292
|22.8
|  101 922
|  51 327
| 50 595
|1.70
|34.3
|17.3
|4.74
|129.6
|49.3
|-
|'''1960'''
|3 019 233
|23.2
|  102 262
|  54 974
| 47 288
|1.57
|33.9
|18.2
|4.70
|135.1
|47.7
|-
|'''1961'''
|3 068 371
|23.5
|  100 990
|  50 003
| 50 987
|1.66
|32.9
|16.3
|4.57
|124.2
|50.4
|-
|'''1962'''
|3 126 687
|24.0
|  112 053
| style="color: blue"| 46 406
| 65 647
|2.10
|35.8
|14.8
|5.03
|112.9
|53.1
|-
|'''1963'''
|3 195 779
|24.5
|  119 819
|  47 280
| 72 539
| style="color: blue"|2.27
|37.5
|14.8
| style="color: blue"| 5.32
|110.1
|53.6
|-
|'''1964'''
|3 267 212
|25.1
|  117 393
|  47 065
| 70 328
|2.15
|35.9
|14.4
|5.13
|108.2
|54.2
|-
|'''1965'''
|3 337 112
|25.6
|  117 932
|  48 460
| 69 472
|2.08
|35.3
|14.5
|5.08
|108.4
|53.9
|-
|'''1966'''
|3 406 417
|26.1
|  117 182
|  48 044
| 69 138
|2.03
|34.4
|14.1
|4.96
|106.8
|54.5
|-
|'''1967'''
|3 475 448
|26.7
|  116 840
|  47 915
| 68 925
|1.98
|33.6
|13.8
|4.86
|105.0
|54.9
|-
|'''1968'''
|3 546 811
|27.2
|  121 750
|  47 948
| 73 802
|2.08
|34.3
|13.5
|4.96
|101.9
|55.5
|-
|'''1969'''
|3 620 655
|27.8
|  122 123
|  48 235
| 73 888
|2.04
|33.7
|13.3
|4.87
|100.2
|55.8
|-
|'''1970'''
|3 695 390
|28.3
|  124 117
|  48 534
| 75 583
|2.05
|33.6
|13.1
|4.83
|98.5
|56.1
|-
|'''1971'''
|3 770 163
|28.9
|  123 647
|  49 684
| 73 963
|1.96
|32.8
|13.2
|4.68
|97.7
|55.9
|-
|'''1972'''
|3 844 801
|29.5
|  123 275
|  47 962
| 75 313
|1.96
|32.1
|12.5
|4.55
|95.0
|57.1
|-
|'''1973'''
|3 920 252
|30.1
|  123 269
|  47 680
| 75 589
|1.93
|31.4
|12.2
|4.42
|93.4
|57.6
|-
|'''1974'''
|3 995 517
|30.6
|  122 437
|  47 494
| 74 943
|1.88
|30.6
|11.9
|4.27
|92.0
|58.0
|-
|'''1975'''
|4 069 437
|31.2
|  120 491
|  47 593
| 72 898
|1.79
|29.6
|11.7
|4.08
|90.7
|58.3
|-
|'''1976'''
|4 142 506
|31.8
|  120 648
|  47 408
| 73 240
|1.77
|29.1
|11.4
|3.98
|88.7
|58.7
|-
|'''1977'''
|4 215 772
|32.3
|  120 040
|  46 746
| 73 294
|1.74
|28.5
|11.1
|3.85
|86.9
|59.4
|-
|'''1978'''
|4 289 658
|32.9
|  121 337
|  46 860
| 74 477
|1.74
|28.3
|10.9
|3.79
|84.9
|59.7
|-
|'''1979'''
|4 365 583
|33.5
|  124 288
|  46 914
| 77 294
|1.77
|28.5
|10.7
|3.78
|82.6
|60.2
|-
|'''1980'''
|4 444 008
|34.1
|  126 793
|  47 317
| 79 476
|1.79
|28.5
|10.6
|3.75
|80.4
|60.6
|-
|'''1981'''
|4 524 628
|34.7
|  129 153
|  47 388
| 81 765
|1.81
|28.5
|10.5
|3.72
|78.3
|61.0
|-
|'''1982'''
|4 607 985
|35.3
|  132 513
|  47 562
| 84 951
|1.84
|28.8
|10.3
|3.71
|76.1
|61.4
|-
|'''1983'''
|4 691 884
|36.0
|  130 983
|  48 134
| 82 849
|1.77
|27.9
|10.3
|3.58
|75.7
|61.6
|-
|'''1984'''
|4 775 836
|36.6
|  133 397
|  48 341
| 85 056
|1.78
|27.9
|10.1
|3.55
|74.1
|61.9
|-
|'''1985'''
|4 861 731
|37.3
|  135 420
|  48 685
| 86 735
|1.78
|27.9
|10.0
|3.52
|72.4
|62.2
|-
|'''1986'''
|4 950 063
|38.0
|  138 420
|  48 487
| 89 933
|1.82
|28.0
|9.8
|3.51
|70.4
|62.8
|-
|'''1987'''
|5 040 984
|38.7
|  140 545
|  48 634
| 91 911
|1.82
|27.9
|9.6
|3.48
|68.3
|63.2
|-
|'''1988'''
|5 132 294
|39.4
|  139 993
|  49 284
| 90 709
|1.77
|27.3
|9.6
|3.39
|67.8
|63.3
|-
|'''1989'''
|5 223 704
|40.1
|  141 177
|  49 064
| 92 113
|1.76
|27.0
|9.4
|3.35
|65.9
|63.8
|-
|'''1990'''
|5 316 176
|40.8
|  142 451
|  49 620
| style="color: blue"| 92 831
|1.75
|26.8
|9.3
|3.31
|64.6
|64.0
|-
|'''1991'''
|5 406 246
|41.5
|  137 392
|  50 082
| 87 310
|1.62
|25.4
|9.3
|3.13
|64.6
|64.1
|-
|'''1992'''
|5 492 686
|42.1
|  135 754
|  50 182
| 85 572
|1.56
|24.7
|9.1
|3.04
|63.8
|64.3
|-
|'''1993'''
|5 577 434
|42.8
|  134 693
|  50 769
| 83 924
|1.51
|24.2
|9.1
|2.98
|62.6
|64.4
|-
|'''1994'''
|5 660 728
|43.4
|  134 185
|  51 519
| 82 666
|1.46
|23.7
|9.1
|2.93
|61.6
|64.5
|-
|'''1995'''
|5 743 219
|44.0
|  133 673
|  51 355
| 82 318
|1.43
|23.3
|8.9
|2.88
|60.6
|64.9
|-
|'''1996'''
|5 825 145
|44.7
|  133 053
|  51 519
| 81 534
|1.40
|22.8
|8.8
|2.83
|59.4
|65.1
|-
|'''1997'''
|5 906 481
|45.3
|  132 598
|  51 459
| 81 139
|1.37
|22.5
|8.7
|2.79
|58.1
|65.5
|-
|'''1998'''
|5 987 312
|45.9
|  132 287
|  51 762
| 80 525
|1.35
|22.1
|8.6
|2.76
|57.0
|65.7
|-
|'''1999'''
|6 067 758
|46.5
|  132 364
|  51 997
| 80 367
|1.33
|21.8
|8.6
|2.73
|55.1
|66.1
|-
|'''2000'''
|6 148 899
|47.2
|  134 014
|  52 100
| 81 914
|1.33
|21.8
|8.5
|2.73
|53.3
|66.5
|-
|'''2001'''
|6 230 747
|47.8
|  133 878
|  52 095
| 81 783
|1.31
|21.5
|8.4
|2.70
|51.8
|66.8
|-
|'''2002'''
|6 312 407
|48.4
|  134 020
|  52 481
| 81 539
|1.29
|21.2
|8.3
|2.67
|50.1
|67.1
|-
|'''2003'''
|6 393 898
|49.0
|  134 302
|  52 858
| 81 444
|1.27
|21.0
|8.3
|2.65
|48.3
|67.5
|-
|'''2004'''
|6 475 751
|49.7
|  135 228
|  52 965
| 82 263
|1.27
|20.9
|8.2
|2.64
|46.6
|67.8
|-
|'''2005'''
|6 558 176
|50.3
|  135 800
|  53 213
| 82 587
|1.26
|20.7
|8.1
|2.62
|44.9
|68.2
|-
|'''2006'''
|6 641 416
|50.9
|  136 910
|  53 016
| 83 894
|1.26
|20.6
|8.0
|2.61
|43.1
|68.7
|-
|'''2007'''
|6 725 949
|51.6
|  138 563
|  53 392
| 85 171
|1.27
|20.6
|7.9
|2.61
|41.4
|69.1
|-
|'''2008'''
|6 811 597
|52.2
|  140 164
|  54 038
| 86 126
|1.26
|20.6
|7.9
|2.61
|39.9
|69.3
|-
|'''2009'''
|6 898 306
|52.9
|  141 201
|  53 910
| 87 291
|1.27
|20.5
|7.8
|2.61
|38.4
|69.8
|-
|'''2010'''
|6 985 603
|53.6
|  141 633
|  54 329
| 87 304
|1.25
|20.3
|7.8
|2.59
|37.1
|70.1
|-
|'''2011'''
|7 073 125
|54.2
|  142 135
|  54 394
| 87 741
|1.24
|20.1
|7.7
|2.57
|35.8
|70.5
|-
|'''2012'''
|7 161 698
|54.9
| style="color: blue"| 144 194
|  54 790
| 89 404
|1.25
|20.1
|7.7
|2.59
|34.4
|70.9
|-
|'''2013'''
|7 250 593
|55.6
|  143 422
|  55 034
| 88 388
|1.22
|19.8
| 7.6
|2.56
|33.5
|71.2
|-
|'''2014'''
|7 339 013
|56.3
|  143 671
|  55 218
| 88 453
|1.21
|19.6
| style="color: blue"| 7.5
|2.55
|32.3
|71.6
|-
|'''2015'''
|7 426 598
|57.0
|  142 608
|  55 893
| 86 715
|1.17
|19.2
|7.5
|2.52
|31.5
|71.8
|-
|'''2016'''
|7 513 474
|57.6
|  143 239
|  56 201
| 87 038
|1.16
|19.1
|7.5
|2.53
|30.5
|72.1
|-
|'''2017'''
|7 599 822
|58.3
|  142 624
|  56 966
| 85 658
|1.13
|18.8
|7.5
|2.50
|29.6
|72.3
|-
|'''2018'''
|7 683 790
|58.9
|  139 629
|  57 352
| 82 277
|1.07
|18.2
|7.5
|2.44
|29.2
|72.6
|-
|'''2019'''
|7 764 951
|59.5
|  137 984
|  57 939
| 80 045
|1.03
|17.8
|7.5
|2.41
|28.7
|style="color: blue"|72.8
|-
|'''2020'''
|7 840 953
|60.1
|  135 133
|  63 174
| 71 959
|0.92
|17.2
|8.1
|2.35
|28.3
|72.0
|-
|'''2021'''
|7 909 295
|60.7
|  133 975
| style="color: red"|  69 248
| 64 727
| style="color: red"| 0.82
| style="color: red"| 16.9
|8.8
| style="color: red"|2.32
| style="color: blue"| 27.9
|71.0
|-
|}

Notable events in World demography:
* 1958–1961 - Great Chinese Famine
* 1989 - Fall of the Berlin Wall, Revolutions of 1989
* 2020–2022 - [[Medicine:COVID-19|COVID-19]]

{{GraphChart
| width = 450
| height = 150
| xAxisTitle=year
| yAxisTitle= million
| yAxisMin=
| yGrid= 0,1
| xGrid= 10
| legend=
| type = line
| x = 1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021

| y1= 2499,2543,2590,2640,2692,2746,2801,2858,2916,2970,3019,3068,3127,3196,3267,3337,3406,3475,3547,3621,3695,3770,3845,3920,3996,4069,
4143,4216,4290,4366,4444,4525,4608,4692,4776,4862,4950,5041,5132,5224,5316,5406,5493,5577,5661,5743,5825,5906,5987,6068,6149,6231,6312,
6394,6476,6558,6641,6726,6812,6898,6986,7073,7162,7251,7339,7427,7513,7600,7684,7765,7841,7909

| y1Title= population (million)

}}
{{GraphChart
| width = 450
| height = 150
| xAxisTitle=years
| yAxisTitle= ‰
| yAxisMin=
| yGrid= 0,1
| xGrid= 10
| hAnnotatonsLine=
| hAnnotatonsLabel=
| legend=
| type = line
| x = 1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021

| y1= 1.73,1.74,1.93,1.90,1.98,2.00,1.96,2.05,1.98,1.70,1.57,1.66,2.10,2.27,2.15,2.08,2.03,1.98,2.08,2.04,2.05,1.96,1.96,1.93,
1.88,1.79,1.77,1.74,1.74,1.77,1.79,1.81,1.84,1.77,1.78,1.78,1.82,1.82,1.77,1.76,1.75,1.62,1.56,1.51,1.46,1.43,1.40,1.37,1.35,1.33,1.33,1.31,
1.29,1.27,1.27,1.26,1.26,1.27,1.26,1.27,1.25,1.24,1.25,1.22,1.21,1.17,1.16,1.13,1.07,1.03,0.92,0.82

| y1Title=Natural change (per 1000)
}}
{{GraphChart
| width = 450
| height = 150
| xAxisTitle=years
| yAxisTitle= ‰
| yAxisMin=
| yGrid= 0,1
| xGrid= 10
| hAnnotatonsLine=
| hAnnotatonsLabel=
| legend=
| type = line
| x = 1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021

| y1= 143.4,141.3,137.3,134.5,131.7,128.8,125.8,123.7,121.1,129.6,135.1,124.2,112.9,110.1,108.2,108.4,106.8,105.0,101.9,100.2,98.5,97.7,95.0,
93.4,92.0,90.7,88.7,86.9,84.9,82.6,80.4,78.3,76.1,75.7,74.1,72.4,70.4,68.3,67.8,65.9,64.6,64.6,63.8,62.6,61.6,60.6,59.4,58.1,57.0,55.1,53.3,51.8,50.1,48.3,46.6,44.9,43.1,41.4,39.9,38.4,37.1,35.8,34.4,33.5,32.3,31.5,30.5,29.6,29.2,28.7,28.3,27.9

| y1Title=Infant Mortality (per 1000 live births)
}}
{{GraphChart
| width = 450
| height = 150
| xAxisTitle=years
| yAxisTitle= TFR
| yAxisMin=
| yGrid= 0,1
| xGrid= 10
| hAnnotatonsLine= 2.1
| hAnnotatonsLabel=
| legend=
| type = line
| x = 1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021

| y1= 4.86,4.83,5.01,4.94,5.01,5.01,4.94,5.08,4.94,4.74,4.70,4.57,5.03,5.32,5.13,5.08,4.96,4.86,4.96,4.87,4.83,4.68,4.55,4.42,4.27,4.08,3.98,3.85,
3.79,3.78,3.75,3.72,3.71,3.58,3.55,3.52,3.51,3.48,3.39,3.35,3.31,3.13,3.04,2.98,2.93,2.88,2.83,2.79,2.76,2.73,2.73,2.70,2.67,2.65,
2.64,2.62,2.61,2.61,2.61,2.61,2.59,2.57,2.59,2.56,2.55,2.52,2.53,2.50,2.44,2.41,2.35,2.32

| y1Title=Total Fertility Rate
}}

== Current world population and latest projection ==
[[File:Population pyramid of the world in continental groupings 2023.svg|thumb|300x300px|Population pyramid of the world in continental groupings in 2023]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|+Current world population and latest projection according the {{wipe|United Nations}}. Population in (millions) and percent of the global population in that year.<ref name="unorgde"/>
! Region !! 2022 (percent)!!2030 (percent)!!2050 (percent)
|-
| [[Place:Sub-Saharan Africa|Sub-Saharan Africa]] || '''1,152''' (14.51%)||'''1,401''' (16.46%)||'''2,094''' (21.62%)
|-
| Northern Africa and [[Place:Western Asia|Western Asia]] || '''549''' (6.91%)|| '''617''' (7.25%)|| '''771''' (7.96%)
|-
| Southern and [[Place:Central Asia|Central Asia]] || '''2,065''' (26.13%)||'''2,248''' (26.41%)||'''2,575''' (26.58%)
|-
| Eastern Asia<ref name="populationpyramid.net">[https://www.populationpyramid.net]</ref>|| '''1,642''' (20.71%)||'''1,647''' (19.32%)||'''1,522''' (15.71%)
|-
| Southeastern Asia<ref name="populationpyramid.net"/> || '''675''' (8.49%)||'''721''' (8.47%)||'''771''' (7.95%)
|-
| [[Earth:Europe|Europe]] and [[Earth:North America|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%)
|-
| {{wipe|Australia}}/[[Earth:New Zealand|New Zealand]] || '''31''' (0.39%)||'''34''' (0.40%)||'''38''' (0.39%)
|-
| Other Oceania || '''14''' (0.18%)||'''15''' (0.18%)||'''20''' (0.21%)
|-
| World || '''7,942'''||'''8,512'''||'''9,687'''
|}

== 2019 population distribution ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Region (2019)!! Number !! Percentage<ref name="Population: World">{{cite web|url=https://www.worldometers.info/geography/7-continents|title=Population: World|website=worldometers.info}}</ref>
|-
| Asia || <div style="text-align:right; direction:ltr; margin-left:0;">4,607,523,595</div> || 59.8%
|-
| Africa || <div style="text-align:right; direction:ltr; margin-left:0;">1,313,074,183</div> || 16.7%
|-
| Europe || <div style="text-align:right; direction:ltr; margin-left:0;">747,253,261</div> || 9.8%
|-
| North America || <div style="text-align:right; direction:ltr; margin-left:0;">565,620,340</div> || 7.2%
|-
| South America || <div style="text-align:right; direction:ltr; margin-left:0;">427,751,538</div> || 5.5%
|-
| Oceania || <div style="text-align:right; direction:ltr; margin-left:0;">42,213,121</div> || 0.5%
|-
| Antarctica || <div style="text-align:right; direction:ltr; margin-left:0;">0 (1,106 estimated non-permanent research personnel)</div> || 0.0%
|- style="background:#ccc;"
| '''Total''' ||<div style="text-align:right; direction:ltr; margin-left:0;"> ''' 7,792,204,108'''</div> || '''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.<ref>{{cite web |title=World City Populations 2022 |url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities |website=worldpopulationreview.com |access-date=25 July 2022}}</ref>

{{As of|2010}}, about 3 billion people live in or around urban areas.<ref name="cia world" />

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

{| class="sortable wikitable"
|- style="background:#ececec; text-align:center;"
!| Rank
!| City
!|Population
!| Country
!| Statistical concept<ref>{{cite web | title=World Urbanization Prospects: The 2009 Revision Population Database | url=http://esa.un.org/wup2009/wup/source/country.aspx | publisher=United Nations | access-date=11 September 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927055752/http://esa.un.org/wup2009/wup/source/country.aspx | archive-date=27 September 2011 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
!| Area (km<sup>2</sup>){{efn|1=The area figures are taken from individual national censuses according to the criteria and statistical concepts noted in the World Urbanization Prospects.}}
!| Density (p/km<sup>2</sup>)
|-
|1||Tokyo||align=right|37,500,000||{{JPN}}||Metropolitan area{{efn|1=As defined by the Statistics Bureau of Japan; refers to Kanto major metropolitan area (M.M.A.)}}||13,500||2,777.78
|-
|2||[[Place:Shanghai|Shanghai]]||align=right|24,180,000||{{CHN}}||Urban agglomeration{{efn|1=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.}}||3,920||6,168
|-
|3||New York City|| style="text-align:right;"| 23,600,000<ref name=CityPopulation.de>{{cite web|url=http://citypopulation.de/en/usa/combmetro/|title=USA: Combined Metropolitan Areas|publisher=CityPopulation.de|date=August 2021|access-date=November 19, 2021}}</ref>||{{USA}}||Urban agglomeration||21,483<ref name="US UA 2000">[https://censusreporter.org/profiles/31000US35620-new-york-newark-jersey-city-ny-nj-pa-metro-area/ Censusreporter.org]. Retrieved 26 June 2018.</ref>||1,098
|-
|4||[[Place:Mexico City|Mexico City]]|| style="text-align:right;"|22,460,000||{{MEX}}||Metropolitan area (zona metropolitana)||7,815||2,490
|-
|5||[[Place:Delhi|Delhi]]|| style="text-align:right;"|22,157,000||{{IND}}||Urban agglomeration{{efn|1=Based on a definition of urban agglomeration that is not restricted to state boundaries.}}||33,578||659
|-
|6
|São Paulo
|22,048,504<ref>{{Cite journal |title= |url=https://ftp.ibge.gov.br/Estimativas_de_Populacao/Estimativas_2021/estimativa_dou_2021.pdf |journal=}}</ref>
|{{BRA}}
|Metropolitan Area
|7,946.96
|2,714.45
|-
|7||[[Place:Moscow|Moscow]]|| style="text-align:right;" |21,534,777||{{RUS}}||Metropolitan area||26,000||770
|-
|8||[[Place:Lagos|Lagos]]|| style="text-align:right;" |21,000,000||{{NGA}}||Metropolitan area||1,171||17,933
|-
|9||Cairo|| style="text-align:right;" |20,901,000||{{EGY}}||Metropolitan area||1,709<ref name="newgeography">{{citation|url=http://www.newgeography.com/content/002901-the-evolving-urban-form-cairo|title=The Evolving Urban Form: Cairo|publisher=New Geography|date=13 June 2012|access-date=9 Oct 2015}}</ref>||10,400
|-
|10||[[Place:Karachi|Karachi]]|| align="right" |20,382,881<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2023/Sindh.pdf |title = Announcement of Results of 7th Population and Housing Census-2023 (Sindh province) |date= 5 August 2023 |website = Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (www.pbs.gov.pk) |access-date = 15 August 2023}}</ref>||{{PAK}}||Metropolitan area (megacity)||3,530||4,224
|-
|-
|11||{{wipe|Mumbai}}|| style="text-align:right;" |20,041,000||{{IND}}||Urban agglomeration||1,097{{efn|1=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.}}||18,268
|-
|12||[[Place:Kolkata|Kolkata]]|| align="right" |15,552,000||{{IND}}||Urban agglomeration||1,026<ref name="DCO WB Kolkata">[http://web.cmc.net.in/wbcensus/DataTables/02/FrameTable4_17.htm Directorate of Census Operations, West Bengal; Kolkata District]. Retrieved 3 July 2008.</ref>||15,158
|-
|13||[[Place:Dhaka|Dhaka]]|| align="right" |14,648,000||{{BGD}}||Metropolitan area (megacity)||1,600||9,155
|}

== Population density ==
[[File:Population density map of the world.svg|upright=1.25|thumb|Population density (people per km<sup>2</sup>) by country]]

The world's population is over 8&nbsp;billion<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.un.org/en/dayof8billion |title=Day of Eight Billion |access-date=15 Nov 2022 }}</ref> and [[Astronomy:Earth|Earth]]'s total surface area (including land and water) is {{convert|510 |e6km2 |e6sqmi |0|abbr=off}}.<ref>{{cite web |date=22 January 2010 |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/world/ |title=Geography / People |publisher=CIA |work=The World Factbook }}</ref> Therefore, the worldwide human population density is 8 billion ÷ {{convert|510 |e6km2 |e6sqmi |0|abbr=unit}} = {{cvt|15.7 |/km2 |/sqmi |disp=preunit |people}}. If only the Earth's land area of {{convert|150 |e6km2 |e6sqmi |0|abbr=unit}} is taken into account, then human population density increases to {{cvt|53.3 |/km2 |/sqmi |disp=preunit |people}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Population Density |author=Matt Rosenberg |date=22 July 2016 |url=http://geography.about.com/od/populationgeography/a/popdensity.htm |website=About.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201132604/http://geography.about.com/od/populationgeography/a/popdensity.htm |archive-date=1 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/population-density-overview-1435467 |title=Population Density Information and Statistics |author=Matt Rosenberg |date=2 January 2019 |website=ThoughtCo |access-date=30 April 2019}}</ref>

Several of the most densely populated territories in the world are city-states, microstates or dependencies.<ref name=unpop>{{cite journal | url=https://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wpp2008/wpp2008_text_tables.pdf | title=World Population Prospects, Table A.1| version=2008 revision | publisher=United Nations | author=Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division | year=2009 | access-date= 12 March 2009}}</ref><ref>The Monaco government uses a smaller surface area figure resulting in a population density of 18,078 per km<sup>2</sup></ref> These territories share a relatively small area and a high [[Earth:Urbanization|urbanization]] level, with an economically specialized city population drawing also on rural resources outside the area, illustrating the difference between high population density and [[Unsolved:Human overpopulation|overpopulation]].

== Religion ==
{{Further|Religion:List of religious populations}}

[[File:Prevailing world religions map.png|thumb|upright=1.25|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 [[Philosophy:Hòa Hảo|Hòa Hảo]] is not, even though they are similar [[Religion:New religious movement|new religious movement]]s.

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.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Global religious affiliation
|-
! Religious category !! colspan="2" | Number of followers <br /> (in millions) !! Cultural tradition !!class="unsortable"| Main regions covered
|-
| '''[[Religion:Christianity|Christianity]]''' ||align=right|2,300–2,400 || <ref>[http://worldchristiandatabase.org/wcd/ World Christian Database] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070304152957/http://worldchristiandatabase.org/wcd/ |date=4 March 2007 }} Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary Centre for the Study of Global Christianity</ref>|| [[Religion:Abrahamic religions|Abrahamic religions]] || Predominant in the Western world (Western Europe, the Americas, Oceania), Eastern Europe, Russia, [[Place:Sub-Saharan Africa|Sub-Saharan Africa]], the {{wipe|Philippines}}, and East Timor in Southeast Asia. Minorities worldwide, see Christianity by country.<ref name="Pew">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religious-projection-table/2010/number/all/|title=Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050|publisher=Pew Research Center|date=2 April 2015|access-date=13 May 2020|archive-date=15 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200615053333/https://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religious-projection-table/2010/number/all/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| '''[[Religion:Islam|Islam]]''' ||align=right|1,600–1,800 || <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.religionfacts.com/big_religion_chart.htm|title=The Big Religion Comparison Chart: Compare World Religions|publisher=ReligionFacts|access-date=2 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414025804/http://www.religionfacts.com/big_religion_chart.htm|archive-date=14 April 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>Kettani, H. (2014). The World Muslim Population, History & Prospect. Singapore: Research Publishing Service</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=450 |title=Mapping the Global Muslim Population |access-date=8 October 2009 |date=7 October 2009 }}</ref> || [[Religion:Abrahamic religions|Abrahamic religions]] || West Asia, Northern Africa, Central Asia, Indian Subcontinent, Western Africa, Maritime Southeast Asia with large population centers existing in Eastern Africa, [[Place:Balkans|Balkan Peninsula]], Russia and China.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pewresearch.org/assets/pewforum-muslim-project/weighted-map.htm|title=World distribution of muslim population|date=October 2009|access-date=26 December 2009|publisher=Pew Centre|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091228041834/http://pewresearch.org/assets/pewforum-muslim-project/weighted-map.htm|archive-date=28 December 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|'''[[Religion:Hinduism|Hinduism]]'''|| align="right" | 1,110-1,200 ||<ref>Clarke, Peter B. (editor), The Religions of the World: Understanding the Living Faiths, Marshall Editions Limited: USA (1993); pg. 125</ref>||Indian religions||Indian Subcontinent, [[Place:Bali|Bali]], [[Earth:Mauritius|Mauritius]], Fiji, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, and among the overseas Indian communities.
|-
| '''[[Religion:Irreligion|No religion]]''' ||align=right| 1,100 || <ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20000816004118/http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html Major Religions of the World Ranked by Number of Adherents], [https://web.archive.org/web/19990422162501/http://www.adherents.com/ adherents.com]. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100129202506/http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html |date=29 January 2010 }}</ref> || [[Philosophy:Secularism|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.
|-
| '''[[Religion:Buddhism|Buddhism]]''' ||align=right| 400–600 || <ref name="ciawf">"[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/world/ World]". ''CIA World Factbook'', 2010 [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/world/]</ref><ref>Fischer-Schreiber, Ingrid, et al. ''The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy & Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Zen''. Shambhala: Boston (English: pub. 1994; orig. German: 1986); pg. 50.</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=23 March 2008|title=Tây Tạng một cái nhìn toàn cục|language=vi|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/vietnamese/forum/story/2008/03/080323_tibet_analysis.shtml|publisher=BBC}}</ref> ||Indian religions|| Indian Subcontinent, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and some regions of Russia.
|-
| '''[[Religion:Folk religion|Folk religion]]s''' ||align=right| 600–3,000 || {{efn|name=varies}} || [[Religion:Folk religion|Folk religion]]s || Africa, Asia, Americas
|-
| '''[[Religion:Chinese folk religion|Chinese folk religion]]s'''<br />(including [[Philosophy:Taoism|Taoism]] and [[Philosophy:Confucianism|Confucianism]]) ||align=right| 400–1,000 || <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=468&Itemid=206 |title=Asia Sentinel – How Now Tao? |access-date=2 October 2011 |archive-date=20 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130820221745/http://asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=468&Itemid=206 |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{efn|name=varies|1=The number of people who consider themselves party to a "folk tradition" is impossible to determine.}} || Chinese Religions || East Asia, Vietnam, [[Place:Singapore|Singapore]] and Malaysia.
|-
| '''[[Philosophy:Shinto|Shinto]]''' ||align=right| 27–65 || <ref>[http://www.bunka.go.jp/english/pdf/chapter_11.pdf Japanese government] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325031920/http://www.bunka.go.jp/english/pdf/chapter_11.pdf |date=25 March 2009 }}</ref> || Japanese Religions || Japan
|-
| '''[[Religion:Sikhism|Sikhism]]''' ||align=right| 24–30 || <ref>Indian Registrar General & Census Commissioner. "[http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/India_at_glance/religion.aspx Religious Composition]". ''Census of India'', 2001</ref><ref name="ciawf"/> || Indian religions || Indian Subcontinent, Australasia, Northern America, Southeast Asia, the United Kingdom and Western Europe.
|-
| '''[[Religion:Judaism|Judaism]]''' ||align=right| 14–18 || <ref name="ciawf"/> || [[Religion:Abrahamic religions|Abrahamic religions]] || [[Place:Israel|Israel]] and the worldwide Jewish diaspora (mostly North America, South America, Europe, Ethiopia, and Asia).
|-
| '''[[Philosophy:Jainism|Jainism]]''' ||align=right| 8–12 || {{efn|1=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.}} || Indian religions || India, and East Africa.
|-
| '''[[Social:Baháʼí Faith|Baháʼí Faith]]''' ||align=right| 7.3–7.9 || <ref name="ARDAWorld2010">{{cite web |title=QuickLists: World Religions (2010) |work=Association of Religion Data Archives |year=2010 |url=https://www.thearda.com/QL2010/QuickList_125.asp |access-date=22 October 2020 |quote=Baha'is (sic) 7,305,110 |archive-date=31 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031053338/https://thearda.com/QL2010/QuickList_125.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref> || [[Religion:Abrahamic religions|Abrahamic religions]]{{efn|1=Historically, the Baháʼí Faith arose in 19th century Persia, in the context of [[Religion:Shia Islam|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 [[Religion:New religious movement|new religious movement]], due to its comparatively recent origin, or may be considered sufficiently old and established for such classification to not be applicable.}} || Noted for being dispersed worldwide<ref name="britannica_stats">{{cite book |chapter=Worldwide Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-2002 |title = Encyclopædia Britannica |author= Encyclopædia Britannica | publisher = Encyclopædia Britannica |year = 2002 |isbn=978-0-85229-555-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first = Denis | last = MacEoin |chapter = Baha'i Faith |editor=Hinnells, John R. |title=The New Penguin Handbook of Living Religions: Second Edition|publisher=Penguin |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-14-051480-3}}</ref> but the top ten populations (amounting to about 65%<!--- ARDA 2010: 4.726 million of 7.305 million total ---> of the world's Baháʼí Faith adherents) are (in order of size of community) India, United States, Kenya, Vietnam, DR of the Congo, {{wipe|Philippines}}, [[Religion:Iran|Iran]], Zambia, South Africa, Bolivia<ref name="ARDA2010">{{cite web |title=QuickLists: Most Baha'i (sic) Nations (2010) |work=Association of Religion Data Archives |year=2010 |url=https://www.thearda.com/QL2010/QuickList_40.asp |access-date=22 October 2020 |archive-date=2 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302132059/https://www.thearda.com/QL2010/QuickList_40.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
| '''Cao Đài''' ||align=right| 1–3 || <ref>Sergei Blagov. "[http://lecaodaisme.free.fr/caodainet/English/Htm/Caodai_inVN_SB.htm Caodaism in Vietnam : Religion vs Restrictions and Persecution] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009035436/http://lecaodaisme.free.fr/caodainet/English/Htm/Caodai_inVN_SB.htm|date=2011-10-09}}". IARF World Congress, Vancouver, Canada, 31 July 1999.</ref>||Vietnamese Religions || Vietnam.
|-
| '''[[Religion:Cheondoism|Cheondoism]]''' ||align=right| 3 || <ref>Self-reported figures from 1999; North Korea only (South Korean followers are minimal according to self-reported figures). In ''The A to Z of New Religious Movements'' by George D. Chryssides. {{ISBN|978-0-8108-5588-5}}</ref> || Korean religions || North Korea and {{wipe|South Korea}}
|-
| '''[[Religion:Tenrikyo|Tenrikyo]]''' ||align=right| 2 || <ref name="shukyo"/> || Japanese religions || Japan, {{wipe|Brazil}}.
|-
| '''[[Religion:Wicca|Wicca]]''' ||align=right| 1 ||<ref>Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa (Detroit: Thomson Gale, 2004) p. 82</ref> || [[Religion:New religious movement|New religious movement]]s || United States, Australia, Europe, Canada.
|-
| '''[[Religion:Church of World Messianity|Church of World Messianity]]''' ||align=right| 1 || <ref>Clarke, Peter B. (editor), ''The Religions of the World: Understanding the Living Faiths'', Marshall Editions Limited: USA (1993); pg. 208. "Sekai Kyuseikyo has about one million members, a growing number of them in the west and the third world, especially Brazil and Thailand. "</ref> || Japanese Religions || Japan, Brazil
|-
| '''[[Religion:Seicho-no-Ie|Seicho-no-Ie]]''' ||align=right| 0.8 || <ref name="shukyo">Self-reported figures printed in Japanese Ministry of Education's 宗教年間 ''Shuukyou Nenkan'', 2003</ref> || Japanese religions || Japan, Brazil.
|-
| '''Rastafari movement''' ||align=right| 0.7 || <ref>Leonard E. Barrett. ''The Rastafarians: Sounds of Cultural Dissonance''. Beacon Press, 1988. p. viii.</ref> || [[Religion:New religious movement|New religious movement]]s, [[Religion:Abrahamic religions|Abrahamic religions]] || Jamaica, Caribbean, Africa.
|-
| '''[[Philosophy:Unitarian Universalism|Unitarian Universalism]]''' ||align=right| 0.63 || <ref>[http://www.gc.cuny.edu/faculty/research_briefs/aris/key_findings.htm American Religious Identification Survey] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110428055337/http://www.gc.cuny.edu/faculty/research_briefs/aris/key_findings.htm |date=28 April 2011 }}</ref> || [[Religion:New religious movement|New religious movement]]s || United States, Canada, Europe.
|}

Since the late 19th century, the demographics of religion have changed a great deal. Some [[Social:Western culture|countries with a historically large Christian population]] have experienced a significant decline in the numbers of professed active Christians: see [[Philosophy:Demographics of atheism|demographics of atheism]]. Symptoms of the decline in active participation in Christian religious life include declining recruitment for the [[Religion:Priest|priest]]hood and monastic life, as well as diminishing attendance at church. On the other hand, since the 19th century, large areas of [[Place:Sub-Saharan Africa|sub-Saharan Africa]] have been converted to Christianity, and this area of the world has the highest population growth rate. In the realm of [[Social:Western culture|Western civilization]], there has been an increase in the number of people who identify themselves as [[Philosophy:Secular humanism|secular humanists]].  Despite the decline, [[Religion:Christianity|Christianity]] remains the dominant religion in the Western world, where 70% of the population is Christian.<ref name="Global Christianity">{{cite web|author=Analysis  |url=http://www.pewforum.org/Christian/Global-Christianity-exec.aspx |title=Global Christianity |publisher=Pew Research Center |date=19 December 2011 |access-date=17 August 2012}}</ref> 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 [[Place:Soviet Union|Soviet Union]], religious life has been experiencing resurgence there, in the form of traditional [[Religion:Eastern Christianity|Eastern Christianity]].<ref name="Pew Research Center1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pewforum.org/2018/10/29/eastern-and-western-europeans-differ-on-importance-of-religion-views-of-minorities-and-key-social-issues/|title=Eastern and Western Europeans Differ on Importance of Religion, Views of Minorities, and Key Social Issues|work=Pew Research Center|date=October 29, 2018}}</ref> While, Islam however has gained considerably in the Soviet Unions former republics in [[Place:Central Asia|Central Asia]].

Following is some available data based on the work of the ''World Christian Encyclopedia'':<ref>The results have been studied and found "highly correlated with other sources of data", but "consistently gave a higher estimate for percent Christian in comparison to other cross-national data sets." {{cite journal | last1 = Hsu | first1 = Becky | last2 = Reynolds | first2 = Amy | last3 = Hackett | first3 = Conrad | last4 = Gibbon | first4 = James | title = Estimating the Religious Composition of All Nations | journal = Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion | volume = 47 | issue = 4 | pages = 678–693 | date = 9 July 2008 | url = http://www.princeton.edu/~bhsu/Hsu2008.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100326175049/http://www.princeton.edu/~bhsu/Hsu2008.pdf |archive-date = 26 March 2010|url-status=dead | doi= 10.1111/j.1468-5906.2008.00435.x }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Trends in annual growth of adherence
!1970–1985<ref name="whoare">{{cite news | last = International Community | first = Baháʼí |  title = How many Baháʼís are there? | magazine = The Baháʼís | page = 14 | year = 1992 | url = http://www.bahai.com/thebahais/pg14.htm | access-date = 2 October 2011 | archive-date = 22 May 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110522031634/http://www.bahai.com/thebahais/pg14.htm | url-status = dead }}</ref>
!1990–2000<ref name="worldchristianencyclopedia">{{cite book | url = http://www.bible.ca/global-religion-statistics-world-christian-encyclopedia.htm | first = David A. |last = Barrett | year = 2001 | title = World Christian Encyclopedia | page = 4 | isbn = 978-0-19-507963-0| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110427044044/http://www.bible.ca/global-religion-statistics-world-christian-encyclopedia.htm | archive-date = 27 April 2011| url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Global adherents of the World's 19 distinct major religions| year = 2001 |publisher = William Carey Library | first = David |last = Barrett |author2=Johnson, Todd | access-date = 12 October 2006 | url =http://www.gordonconwell.edu/ockenga/globalchristianity/gd/wct-1-2.pdf |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080228224811/http://www.gordonconwell.edu/ockenga/globalchristianity/gd/wct-1-2.pdf |archive-date = 28 February 2008}}</ref>
!2000–2005<ref>{{cite news | title = The List: The World's Fastest-Growing Religions | work = Foreign Policy | publisher = Carnegie Endowment for International Peace | date = May 2007 | url = https://foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3835 | access-date = 6 March 2017 | archive-date = 11 July 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180711181533/http://www.bellbookandcandlepublications.com/greenwoodsvillage/gor/islam.php | url-status = dead }}</ref>
|-
|2.74%: Islam
|2.13%: Islam
|1.84%: Islam
|-
|3.65%: Baháʼí Faith
|2.28%: Baháʼí Faith
|1.70%: Baháʼí Faith
|-
|2.34%: Hinduism
|1.69%: Hinduism
|1.57%: Hinduism
|-
|1.64%: Christianity
|1.36%: Christianity
|1.32%: Christianity
|-
|1.09%: Judaism
|1.87%: Judaism
|1.62%: Judaism
|-
|1.67%: Buddhism
|1.09%: Buddhism
|
|-
|
|2.65%: Zoroastrianism
|
|-
|
|The annual growth in the world<br /> population over the same period<br /> 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<ref name="Pew2002">{{cite web
 |title=Among Wealthy Nations U.S. Stands Alone in its Embrace of Religion 
 |access-date=12 October 2006 |author=Pew Research Center 
 |publisher=Pew Research Center 
 |url=http://pewglobal.org/reports/display.php?ReportID=167 
 |date=19 December 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061008020254/http://pewglobal.org/reports/display.php?ReportID=167 
 |archive-date=8 October 2006 |url-status=live 
}}</ref> and Kuwait.<ref>{{cite web | title = Income and Religiosity | access-date = 14 September 2009 | author = Pew Research Center | url = http://benmuse.typepad.com/ben_muse/2008/01/wealth-and-reli.html | date = 1 January 2008}}</ref>

==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 {{wipe|Denmark}} while men range from 22.6 in Mozambique to 35.1 in Sweden.<ref name="UNECE">United Nations Economic Commission for Europe [http://w3.unece.org/pxweb/Dialog/varval.asp?ma=052_GEFHAge1stMarige_r&ti=Mean+Age+at+First+Marriage+by+Sex%2C+Country+and+Year&path=../DATABASE/Stat/30-GE/02-Families_households/&lang=1 "Mean age at first marriage by sex"]. Accessed 21 May 2011.</ref>

In 2021, 13.3 million babies, or about 10 per cent of the total worldwide, were born to mothers under 20 years old.<ref name="unorgde"/>

== Age structure ==
[[File:World pop pyramid from 1950 to 2100.gif|thumb|275x275px|Population pyramid of the World from 1950 to 2100 by the {{wipe|United Nations}}]]

According to the 2021 CIA World Factbook, around 25% of the world's population is below 15 years of age.<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/world/ Age structure of the world] – 2021 CIA World Factbook</ref>
* 0–14 years: 25.2% (male 1,010,373,278/female 946,624,579)<ref name="cia world" />
* 15–64 years: 65.1% (male 2,562,946,384/female 2,498,562,457)<ref name="cia world" />
* 65 years and over: 9.7% (male 337,244,947/female 415,884,753) (2021 est.)<ref name="cia world" />
* Median Age – 31 years (male: 30.3 years, female: 31.8 years, 2021 est.)

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%.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Shackman|first1=Gene|last2=Wang|first2=Xun|last3=Liu|first3=Yalin|title=Brief Review of World Demographic Trends Trends in Age Distributions|url=http://gsociology.icaap.org/report/demsumAging.html|website=The Global Social Change Research Project|access-date=23 May 2016}}</ref>
{|class="wikitable"
|+{{center|'''Median age by continent, 2018'''<ref name="visualcapitalist.com">{{cite news|url=https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-the-median-age-of-every-continent/|title=Mapped: The Median Age of the Population on Every Continent|website=Visual Capitalist|author=Jeff Desjardins|date=15 February 2019}}</ref>}}
|-
! Region !! Median age
|-
|Asia|| 31 yo
|-
|Africa|| 18 yo
|-
|Europe|| 42 yo
|-
|North America|| 35 yo
|-
|South America|| 31 yo
|-
|Oceania|| 33 yo
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+{{center|'''Select age groups by continent, 2018'''<ref name="visualcapitalist.com"/>}}
|-
! Region !!Under 15 years<br />(proportion of population) !!Over 65 years<br />(proportion of population)
|-
|Asia|| 24%||8%
|-
|Africa|| 41%||3%
|-
|Europe|| 16%||18%
|-
|Latin America-Caribbean||26%||8%
|-
|North America|| 19%||15%
|-
|Oceania|| 23%||12%
|-
|World|| 26%||9%
|}
[[File:2017 world map, median age by country.svg|thumb|center|upright=2.30|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 ==
[[File:World population growth rate 1950–2050.svg|thumb|left|upright=1.60|Growth rate of world population (1950–2010) <br />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%.<ref name="census1">[https://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idb/worldpop.php U.S. Census Bureau, January 2010] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090701122431/http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idb/worldpop.php |date=1 July 2009 }}</ref> The CIA World Factbook gives the world annual birthrate, mortality rate, and growth rate as 1.915%, 0.812%, and 1.092% respectively<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/world/ World Factbook]</ref> The last one hundred years have seen a rapid increase in population due to medical advances and massive increase in agricultural productivity<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4994590.stm |title=The end of India's green revolution? |work=BBC News |date=29 May 2006 |access-date=6 September 2018}}</ref> made possible by the Green Revolution.<ref>[http://www.foodfirst.org/media/opeds/2000/4-greenrev.html Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090502072517/http://www.foodfirst.org/media/opeds/2000/4-greenrev.html |date=2 May 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0724/p01s01-wogi.html | title=Rising food prices curb aid to global poor| journal=The Christian Science Monitor| date=24 July 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.finfacts.com/irelandbusinessnews/publish/article_1011078.shtml |title=Irish business news |work=Finfacts |access-date=6 September 2018}}</ref>

[[File:1 world map 2010-2015 population increase rate by country.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.25|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.<ref name="census1"/> 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 [[Place:Middle East|Middle East]] and [[Place:Sub-Saharan Africa|Sub-Saharan Africa]], and also in [[Place:South Asia|South Asia]], [[Place:Southeast Asia|Southeast Asia]], and Latin America.<ref>[https://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idb/worldpop.php U.S. Census Bureau, June 2009] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090701122431/http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idb/worldpop.php |date=1 July 2009 }}</ref>

Some countries experienced negative population growth, especially in [[Place:Eastern Europe|Eastern Europe]] mainly due to low fertility rates, high death rates and emigration. In [[Place:Southern Africa|Southern Africa]], growth is slowing due to the high number of [[Biology:HIV|HIV]]-related deaths. Some [[Place:Western Europe|Western Europe]] countries might also encounter negative population growth.<ref>[http://esa.un.org/unpp/index.asp?panel=2 UN population projections] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100914023416/http://esa.un.org/UNPP/index.asp?panel=2 |date=14 September 2010 }}</ref> {{wipe|Japan}}'s population began decreasing in 2005.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jan/02/japan-population |title=Japan sees biggest population fall |work=The Guardian |access-date=6 September 2018}}</ref>

Population in the world increased from 1990 to 2008 with 1,423 billion and 27% growth. Measured by persons, the increase was highest in {{wipe|India}} (290 million) and China (192 million). Population growth was highest in Qatar (174%) and [[Place:United Arab Emirates|United Arab Emirates]] (140%).<ref name=IEApop2011>[http://www.iea.org/co2highlights/co2Highlights.XLS CO2 Emissions from Fuel Combustion] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091012151137/http://www.iea.org/co2highlights/co2Highlights.XLS |date=12 October 2009 }} Population 1971–2008 IEA ([http://iea.org/co2highlights/co2highlights.pdf pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120106205757/http://iea.org/co2highlights/co2highlights.pdf |date=6 January 2012 }} pages 83–85)</ref>

In 2022 the world population reached the 8 billion. The latest projections by the {{wipe|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.<ref name="unorgde">{{cite book|url=https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/sites/www.un.org.development.desa.pd/files/wpp2022_summary_of_results.pdf|title=World Population Prospects 2022. Summary of Results|location=New York|author={{wipe|United Nations}}. Department of Economic and Social Affairs}}</ref>

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, [[Place:Egypt|Egypt]], Ethiopia, {{wipe|India}}, Nigeria, {{wipe|Pakistan}}, {{wipe|Philippines}} and Tanzania.<ref name="unorgde"/>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Rank
!Country
!Population (thousands)<br />1990
!Population (thousands)<br />2010
!Population (thousands)<br />2023 <ref name="populationpyramid.net"/>
!Growth (%)<br />1990–2010
|-
|
| {{noflag}} World
| 5,306,425
| 6,895,889
| 8,035,118

| 30.0%
|-
| 1
| {{flag|India}}
| 873,785
| 1,224,614 
| 1,428,627
| 40.2%
|-
| 2
| {{flag|China}}
| 1,145,195
| 1,341,335
| 1,425,671
| 17.1%
|-
| 3
| {{flag|United States}}
| 253,339
| 310,384
| 331,002
| 22.5%
|-
| 4
| {{flag|Indonesia}}
| 184,346
| 239,871
| 273,523
| 30.1%
|-
| 5
| {{flag|Pakistan}}
| 111,845
| 173,593
| 220,892
| 55.2%
|-
| 6
| {{flag|Brazil}}
| 149,650
| 194,946
| 212,559
| 30.3%
|-
| 7
| {{flag|Nigeria}}
| 97,552
| 158,423
| 206,139
| 62.4%
|-
| 8
| {{flag|Bangladesh}}
| 105,256
| 148,692
| 164,689
| 41.3%
|-
| 9
| {{flag|Russia}}
| 148,244
| 142,958
| 145,934
| −3.6%
|-
| 10
| {{flag|Mexico}}
| 86,007
| 114,092
| 128,932
| 32.7%
|}

== Births ==
In 2021, most births worldwide occurred in two regions: [[Place:Sub-Saharan Africa|sub-Saharan Africa]]
(29 per cent of global births), the region with the highest fertility level, Central and [[Place:South Asia|Southern Asia]] (28 per cent of global births) and Eastern and South-Eastern Asia (18 per cent).<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/sites/www.un.org.development.desa.pd/files/wpp2022_summary_of_results.pdf|title=World Population Prospects 2022. Summary of Results|location=New York|author={{wipe|United Nations}}. Department of Economic and Social Affairs|page=14}}</ref>

==Birth count==
Data required on total number of births per year, and distribution by country.

==Birth rate==
[[File:Crude Birth Rate Map by Country.svg|thumb|center|upright=3.0|{{center|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. 
<div>
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin: 0.5em 0 0.5em 1em; text-align:left"
|+ World historical and predicted crude birth rates (1950–2050) <br /><small>UN, medium variant, 2008 rev.</small><ref>[http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=world+population&d=PopDiv&f=variableID%3A53%3BcrID%3A900 UNdata: Crude birth rate (per 1,000 population)]</ref>
|-
!Years!!CBR!!Years!!CBR
|-
|1950–1955||align=center|37.2||2000–2005||align=center|21.2
|-
||1955–1960||align=center|35.3||2005–2010||align=center|20.3
|-
||1960–1965||align=center|34.9||2010–2015||align=center|19.4
|-
||1965–1970||align=center|33.4||2015–2020||align=center|18.2
|-
||1970–1975||align=center|30.8||2020–2025||align=center|16.9
|-
||1975–1980||align=center|28.4||2025–2030||align=center|15.8
|-
||1980–1985||align=center|27.9||2030–2035||align=center|15.0
|-
||1985–1990||align=center|27.3||2035–2040||align=center|14.5
|-
||1990–1995||align=center|24.7||2040–2045||align=center|14.0
|-
||1995–2000||align=center|22.5||2045–2050||align=center|13.4
|}
</div>
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,<ref>[http://www.uneca.org/eca_programmes/food_security_and_sustainability/programme_overview/population/fertility/crude_world.htm Uneca.org: Crude Birth Rates – The World and its Major Regions, 1950–2050] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816073652/http://www.uneca.org/eca_programmes/food_security_and_sustainability/programme_overview/population/fertility/crude_world.htm |date=16 August 2011 }}</ref> 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.<ref>[http://www.nih.gov/news/health/jul2011/nichd-07.htm Federal report shows drop in adolescent birth rate, July 7, 2011 News Release – National Institutes of Health (NIH)]</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thejournal.ie/ireland-has-one-of-highest-birth-and-lowest-death-rates-in-eu-189080-Jul2011/ |title=Ireland has one of highest birth and lowest death rates in EU |work=Thejournal.ie |date=29 July 2011 |access-date=6 September 2018}}</ref> 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.<ref name="guardian1">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/jul/13/more-midwives-birth-rate-40-year-high |title=Call for more midwives as birth rate reaches 40-year high |work=The Guardian |date=13 July 2011 |access-date=6 September 2018}}</ref> This is the highest birth rate in the UK in 40 years.<ref name="guardian1"/> 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.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/health/2011/0809/1224302081071.html |title=Germany faces up to its kinder surprise |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=9 June 2018 |access-date=6 September 2018}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/04/01/cdc.births.decline/index.html |title=CDC records rise in birth rate for women over 40 |work=CNN.com |access-date=6 September 2018}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14525525 |title=Taiwanese birth rate plummets despite measures |work=BBC News |access-date=6 September 2018}}</ref>

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:<ref>{{cite web |title=Birth rate - The World Factbook |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/birth-rate/ |website=www.cia.gov |access-date=25 July 2022}}</ref>
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#ececec; vertical-align:top;"
! Rank<br />(2022)!! Country !! Highest [[Birth rate|birth rate]]s (2022)<br /> (annual births/1000 persons)
|-
| 1 || {{flag|Niger}} || 47.08
|-
| 2 || {{flag|Angola}} || 41.80
|-
| 3 || {{flag|Benin}} || 41.15
|-
| 4 || {{flag|Mali}} || 41.07
|-
| 5 || {{flag|Uganda}} || 40.94
|-
| 6 || {{flag|Chad}} || 40.45
|-
| 7 || {{flag|DRC}} || 40.08
|-
| 8 || {{flag|Somalia}} || 37.98
|-
| 9 || {{flag|South Sudan}} || 37.69
|-
| 10 || {{flag|Mozambique}} || 37.47
|}
{{col-break}}
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#ececec; vertical-align:top;"
! Rank<br />(2022)!! Country !! Lowest birth rates (2022)<br /> (annual births/1000 persons){{efn|This list includes only independent countries, not regions.}}
|-
| 1 || {{flag|Saint Pierre and Miquelon}} || 6.47
|-
| 2 || {{flag|Monaco}} || 6.66
|-
| 3 || {{flag|Andorra}} || 6.88
|-
| 4 || {{flag|South Korea}} || 6.92
|-
| 5 || {{flag|Japan}} || 6.95
|-
| 6 || {{flag|Italy}} || 6.95
|-
| 7 || {{flag|Spain}} || 7.13
|-
| 8 || {{flag|Taiwan}} || 7.39
|-
| 9 || {{flag|Greece}} || 7.61
|-
| 10 || {{flag|Puerto Rico}} || 7.87
|}
{{col-end}}

{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#ececec; vertical-align:top;"
! Rank<br />(2018)!! Country !! Highest [[Birth rate|birth rate]]s (2018)<br /> (annual births/1000 persons)
|-
| 1 || {{flag|Angola}} || 43.70
|-
| 2 || {{flag|Niger}} || 43.60
|-
| 3 || {{flag|Mali}} || 43.20
|-
| 4 || {{flag|Chad}} || 43.00
|-
| 5 || {{flag|Uganda}} || 42.40
|-
| 6 || {{flag|Zambia}} || 41.10
|-
| 7 || {{flag|Burundi}} || 40.90
|-
| 8 || {{flag|Malawi}} || 40.70
|-
| 9 || {{flag|Somalia}} || 39.30
|-
| 10 || {{flag|Liberia}} || 37.90
|}
{{col-break}}
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#ececec; vertical-align:top;"
! Rank<br />(2018)!! Country !! Lowest birth rates (2018)<br /> (annual births/1000 persons){{efn|This list includes only independent countries, not regions.}}
|-
| 1 || {{flag|Monaco}} || 6.50
|-
| 2 || {{flag|Andorra}} || 7.30
|-
| 3 || {{flag|Japan}} || 7.50
|-
| 4 || {{flag|Portugal}} || 8.20
|-
| 5 || {{flag|Taiwan}} || 8.20
|-
| 6 || {{flag|Greece}} || 8.30
|-
| 7 || {{flag|South Korea}} || 8.30
|-
| 8 || {{flag|Bulgaria}} || 8.50
|-
| 9 || {{flag|Italy}} || 8.50
|-
| 10 || {{flag|Germany}} || 8.60
|}
{{col-end}}

== Death rate ==
The ten countries with the highest and lowest crude death rate, according to the 2018 and 2022 CIA World Factbook estimates, are:<ref>{{cite web |title=Death rate - The World Factbook |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/death-rate/ |website=www.cia.gov |access-date=25 July 2022}}</ref>
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#ececec; vertical-align:top;"
! Rank<br />(2022)!! Country !! Highest death rates (2022)<br /> (annual deaths/1000 persons)
|-
| 1 || {{flag|Serbia}} || 16.39
|-
| 2 || {{flag|Romania}} || 15.26
|-
| 3 || {{flag|Lithuania}} || 15.12
|-
| 4 || {{flag|Latvia}} || 14.65
|-
| 5 || {{flag|Bulgaria}} || 14.41
|-
| 6 || {{flag|Ukraine}} || 13.77
|-
| 7 || {{flag|Russia}} || 13.36
|-
| 8 || {{flag|Estonia}} || 13.10
|-
| 9 || {{flag|Belarus}} || 12.88
|-
| 10 || {{flag|Croatia}} || 12.88
|}
{{col-break}}
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#ececec; vertical-align:top;"
! Rank<br />(2022)!! Country !! Lowest death rates (2022)<br /> (annual deaths/1000 persons)
|-
| 1 || {{flag|Qatar}} || 1.42
|-
| 2 || {{flag|United Arab Emirates}} || 1.56
|-
| 3 || {{flag|Kuwait}} || 2.25
|-
| 4 || {{flag|Bahrain}} || 2.82
|-
| 5 || {{flagicon|Palestine}} [[Place:State of Palestine|Palestine]], Gaza Strip|| 2.91
|-
| 6 || {{flag|Oman}} || 3.23
|-
| 7 || {{flagicon|Palestine}} [[Place:State of Palestine|Palestine]], West Bank || 3.40
|-
| 8 || {{flag|Saudi Arabia}} || 3.42
|-
| 9 || {{flag|Libya}} || 3.45
|-
| 10 || {{flag|Jordan}} || 3.45
|}
{{col-end}}

{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#ececec; vertical-align:top;"
! Rank<br />(2018)!! Country !! Highest death rates (2018)<br /> (annual deaths/1000 persons)
|-
| 1 || {{flag|South Sudan}} || 19.30
|-
| 2 || {{flag|Lesotho}} || 15.10
|-
| 3 || {{flag|Lithuania}} || 14.80
|-
| 4 || {{flag|Bulgaria}} || 14.50
|-
| 5 || {{flag|Latvia}} || 14.50
|-
| 6 || {{flag|Ukraine}} || 14.30
|-
| 7 || {{flag|Serbia}} || 13.60
|-
| 8 || {{flag|Russia}} || 13.40
|-
| 9 || {{flag|Afghanistan}} || 13.20
|-
| 10 || {{flag|Belarus}} || 13.20
|}
{{col-break}}
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#ececec; vertical-align:top;"
! Rank<br />(2018)!! Country !! Lowest death rates (2018)<br /> (annual deaths/1000 persons){{efn|This list includes only independent countries, not regions.}}
|-
| 1 || {{flag|Qatar}} || 1.60
|-
| 2 || {{flag|United Arab Emirates}} || 1.70
|-
| 3 || {{flag|Kuwait}} || 2.30
|-
| 4 || {{flag|Bahrain}} || 2.80
|-
| 5 || {{flag|Oman}} || 3.30
|-
| 6 || {{flag|Saudi Arabia}} || 3.30
|-
| 7 || {{flag|Jordan}} || 3.40
|-
| 8 || {{flag|Singapore}} || 3.50
|-
| 9 || {{flag|Brunei}} || 3.70
|-
| 10 || {{flag|Libya}} || 3.70
|}
{{col-end}}
<div>
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin: 0.5em 0 0.5em 1em; text-align:left"
|+ World historical and predicted crude death rates (1950–2050) <br /><small>UN, medium variant, 2008 rev.</small><ref>[http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=PopDiv&f=variableID%3A65 UNdata: Crude death rate (per 1,000 population)]</ref>
|-
!Years!!CDR!!Years!!CDR
|-
|1950–1955||align=center|19.5||2000–2005||align=center|8.6
|-
||1955–1960||align=center|17.3||2005–2010||align=center|8.5
|-
||1960–1965||align=center|15.5||2010–2015||align=center|8.3
|-
||1965–1970||align=center|13.2||2015–2020||align=center|8.3
|-
||1970–1975||align=center|11.4||2020–2025||align=center|8.3
|-
||1975–1980||align=center|10.7||2025–2030||align=center|8.5
|-
||1980–1985||align=center|10.3||2030–2035||align=center|8.8
|-
||1985–1990||align=center|9.7||2035–2040||align=center|9.2
|-
||1990–1995||align=center|9.4||2040–2045||align=center|9.6
|-
||1995–2000||align=center|8.9||2045–2050||align=center|10
|}
</div>
See list of countries by mortality rate for worldwide statistics.

According to the [[Organization:World Health Organization|World Health Organization]], the 10 leading causes of death in 2002 were:
<!-- ref: http://www.who.int/entity/whr/2004/annex/topic/en/annex_2_en.pdf -->
# 12.6% Ischemic heart disease
# 9.7% Cerebrovascular disease
# 6.8% Lower respiratory infections
# 4.9% HIV/AIDS
# 4.8% [[Medicine:Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease|Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]]
# 3.2% Diarrhoeal diseases
# 2.7% [[Medicine:Tuberculosis|Tuberculosis]]
# 2.2% Trachea/bronchus/lung cancers
# 2.2% [[Medicine:Malaria|Malaria]]
# 2.1% Road traffic accidents

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

According to Jean Ziegler (the {{wipe|United Nations}} Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food for 2000 to March 2008), mortality due to [[Medicine:Malnutrition|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".<ref name=Ziegler>Jean Ziegler, ''L'Empire de la honte'', Fayard, 2007 {{ISBN|978-2-253-12115-2}}, p.130.</ref>

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.<ref name="doi10.2202/1941-6008.1011">{{cite journal | last = Aubrey D.N.J | first = de Grey |  title = Life Span Extension Research and Public Debate: Societal Considerations | journal = Studies in Ethics, Law, and Technology | volume = 1 | issue = 1, Article 5 | year = 2007 | url = http://www.sens.org/files/pdf/ENHANCE-PP.pdf | doi = 10.2202/1941-6008.1011 | access-date = 7 August 2011 | citeseerx = 10.1.1.395.745 | s2cid = 201101995 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161013163622/http://www.sens.org/files/pdf/ENHANCE-PP.pdf | archive-date = 13 October 2016 | url-status = dead }}</ref>{{better source needed|| reference uses an extremely broad definition of "age-related" deaths, including even traffic accidents due to poor eyesight|date=June 2018}} In industrialized nations, the proportion was even higher according to that article, reaching 90%.<ref name="doi10.2202/1941-6008.1011"/>

== 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).<ref name="unorgde"/>

There is an inverse correlation between income and fertility, wherein [[Finance:Developed country|developed countries]] usually have a much lower fertility rate. Various fertility factors may be involved, such as education and urbanization. [[Mortality rate]]s 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.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Gallagher|first=James|date=15 July 2020|title='Jaw-dropping' world fertility rate crash expected|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/health-53409521|access-date=18 July 2020}}</ref> Female labor participation rate also has substantial negative impact on fertility. However, this effect is neutralized among Nordic or liberalist countries.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://homepage3.nifty.com/sociology/motion.html |title=Graph Charts of TFR and FLR using Google Motion Chart using World Bank's World Development Index. |access-date=2 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110827110525/http://homepage3.nifty.com/sociology/motion.html |archive-date=27 August 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{explain|date=November 2012}}

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.
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right"
|-
! scope="col" |Region
! scope="col" |Total fertility rate<br />(2010–2015)<ref>{{cite conference |conference=Expert Group Meeting on Changing Population Age Structures and Sustainable Development New York, 13–14 October 2016 |url=https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/events/pdf/expert/25/2016-EGM_Nicole%20Mun%20Sam%20Lai.pdf |title=Global Population Age Structures and Sustainable Development |author=Nicole Mun Sim Lai |date=14 October 2016}}</ref>
|-
|World
|2.5
|-
|Africa
|4.7
|-
|Sub-Saharan Africa
|5.1
|-
|Western Africa
|5.5
|-
|Middle Africa
|5.8
|-
|Eastern Africa
|4.9
|-
|Northern Africa
|3.3
|-
|Southern Africa
|2.5
|-
|Oceania
|2.4
|-
|Asia
|2.2
|-
|Europe
|1.6
|-
|Latin America-Caribbean
|2.2
|-
|North America
|1.9
|}

==Health==
[[File:Expectancy of life CIA2016.svg|thumb|upright=1.25|Life expectancy (as of 2016) varies greatly from country to country. It is lowest in certain countries in [[Earth:Africa|Africa]] and higher in {{wipe|Japan}}, {{wipe|Australia}} and {{wipe|Spain}}.<ref name="WHO2016">{{cite web |title=World Health Statistics 2016: Monitoring health for the SDGs Annex B: tables of health statistics by country, WHO region and globally |publisher=World Health Organization |url=https://www.who.int/gho/publications/world_health_statistics/2016/EN_WHS2016_AnnexB.pdf |page=110 |date=2016 |access-date=3 August 2018}}</ref>
{| style="width:100%;"
|-
| valign=top |
{{legend|#0000CD|>80}}
{{legend|#4169E1|77.5–80}}
{{legend|#00BFFF|75–77.5}}
{{legend|#3CB371|72.5–75}}
{{legend|#32CD32|70–72.5}}
| valign=top |
{{legend|#ADFF2F|67.5–70}}
{{legend|#FFFF00|65–67.5}}
{{legend|#FFD700|60–65}}
{{legend|#FF8C00|55–60}}
{{legend|#FF4500|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)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/hea_hos_bed-health-hospital-beds |title=Countries Compared by Health > Hospital beds > Per 1,000 people. International Statistics at |publisher=Nationmaster.com |access-date=6 September 2018}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.fao.org/publications/sofi/en/ |title=SOFI &#124; FAO &#124; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |year=2021 |publisher=FAO |doi=10.4060/CB4474EN |isbn=978-92-5-134325-8 |s2cid=241785130 |access-date=6 September 2018}}</ref>

Life Expectancy at Birth:
* total population: 71.4 years
* male: 69.1 years
* female: 73.8 years (2015 est.)<ref name="WHO2016"/>


{| class="wikitable"
|+World historical and predicted total life expectancy at birth (1950–2050) <br /><small>UN, 2017 rev.</small><ref>{{cite web|url=https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/DataQuery/|title=World Population Prospects – Population Division – United Nations|website=esa.un.org|access-date=2 September 2018}}</ref>
!Years
!LEB
!Years
!LEB
|-
|1950–1955
|47.9
|2000–2005
|67.2
|-
|1955–1960
|49.3
|2005–2010
|69.1
|-
|1960–1965
|51.2
|2010–2015
|70.8
|-
|1965–1970
|55.5
|2015–2020
|72.0
|-
|1970–1975
|58.1
|2020–2025
|73.0
|-
|1975–1980
|60.3
|2025–2030
|73.8
|-
|1980–1985
|62.1
|2030–2035
|74.7
|-
|1985–1990
|63.7
|2035–2040
|75.5
|-
|1990–1995
|64.6
|2040–2045
|76.2
|-
|1995–2000
|65.7
|2045–2050
|77.0
|}

== Sex ratio ==
[[File:Sex ratio total population.PNG|thumb|right|upright=1.25|Map indicating the human sex ratio by country.
{| border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="width:100%; background:none;"
|-
|valign="top"|
{{Legend|#E66771|Countries with more '''females''' than males.}}
{{Legend|#7CFC00|Countries with '''similar''' number of males and females.}}
{{Legend|#318CE7|Countries with more '''males''' than females.}}
{{Legend|Grey|No data}}
|}]]

The value for the entire world population is 1.02 males/female,<ref name="CIA Fact Book">{{cite web|title=CIA Fact Book |date=15 November 2021 |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/world/ |publisher=The Central Intelligence Agency of the United States }}</ref> 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 [[Place:Georgia (country)|Georgia]] and China are tied for the highest male ratio with 1.13 males/female (according to the 2006 CIA World Factbook).

The "[[Finance:First World|First World]]" [[Organization:G7|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 [[Place:Arabian Peninsula|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, [[Place:United Arab Emirates|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 [[Place:Eastern Europe|Eastern Europe]] (the [[Place:Baltic states|Baltic states]], {{wipe|Belarus}}, {{wipe|Ukraine}}, {{wipe|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, [[Place:Armenia|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 [[Biology:Human migration|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 ==
[[File:Primary Human Languages Improved Version.png|thumb|right|upright=1.25|Primary language families of the world (and in some cases geographic groups of families). For greater detail, see ''Distribution of languages in the world''.]]

{{Main|Social:Language family}}

Worldwide, [[Social:English language|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 [[Social:Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin Chinese]] which is a [[Social:First language|first language]] of around 960 million people, or 12.44% of the population, predominantly in [[Place:Greater China|Greater China]]. [[Social:Spanish language|Spanish]] is spoken by around 330 to 400 million people, predominantly in the [[Earth:Americas|Americas]] and {{wipe|Spain}}. [[Social:Hindustani language|Hindustani]] ([[Social:Hindi|Hindi]]-[[Social:Urdu|Urdu]]) is spoken by about 370 to 420 million speakers, mostly in {{wipe|India}} and {{wipe|Pakistan}}.

[[Social:Arabic language|Arabic]] is spoken by around 350 million people predomimantly in [[Place:Arab world|Arab world]]. [[Social:Bengali language|Bengali]] is spoken by around 250 million people worldwide, predominantly in Bangladesh and India. [[Social:Portuguese language|Portuguese]] is spoken by about 230 million speakers in Portugal, {{wipe|Brazil}}, East Timor, and [[Place:Southern Africa|Southern Africa]].

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

# [[Social:Indo-European languages|Indo-European languages]] 46% ([[Earth:Europe|Europe]], [[Place:Western Asia|Western Asia]], [[Place:South Asia|South Asia]], [[Place:North Asia|North Asia]], [[Earth:North America|North America]], [[Earth:South America|South America]], and [[Earth:Oceania|Oceania]])
# [[Social:Sino-Tibetan languages|Sino-Tibetan languages]] 21% ([[Place:East Asia|East Asia]], [[Place:Mainland Southeast Asia|Mainland Southeast Asia]], and [[Place:South Asia|South Asia]])
# [[Social:Niger–Congo languages|Niger–Congo languages]] 6.4% ([[Place:Sub-Saharan Africa|Sub-Saharan Africa]])
# [[Social:Afroasiatic languages|Afroasiatic languages]] 6.0% ([[Place:North Africa|North Africa]] to [[Place:Horn of Africa|Horn of Africa]], and [[Place:Western Asia|Western Asia]])
# [[Social:Austronesian languages|Austronesian languages]] 5.9% ([[Earth:Oceania|Oceania]], {{wipe|Madagascar}}, and [[Place:Maritime Southeast Asia|Maritime Southeast Asia]])
# [[Social:Dravidian languages|Dravidian languages]] 3.7% ([[Place:South Asia|South Asia]])
# [[Social:Altaic languages|Altaic languages]] (controversial combination of Turkic, Mongolic, and Tungusic families) 2.3% ([[Place:Central Asia|Central Asia]], [[Place:North Asia|North Asia]] (Siberia), and [[Earth:Anatolia|Anatolia]]){{efn|1=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.}}
# [[Social:Austroasiatic languages|Austroasiatic languages]] 1.7% ([[Place:Mainland Southeast Asia|Mainland Southeast Asia]])
# [[Social:Kra–Dai languages|Kra–Dai languages]] 1.3% ([[Place:Southeast Asia|Southeast Asia]])

There are also hundreds of non-verbal sign languages.

==Education==
[[File:World map of countries by literacy rate.svg|300px|thumb|World map of countries shaded according to the literacy rate for all people aged 15 and over, as of 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uis.unesco.org/DataCentre/Excel/LITEA/Metadata%20on%20literacy%20-%20M%C3%A9tadonn%C3%A9es%20sur%20l%E2%80%99alphab%C3%A9tisme.xlsx|title=Literacy Statistics Metadata Information Table|publisher=UNESCO Institute for Statistics|date=September 2015|access-date=19 November 2015}}</ref>]]
Total population: 83.7% over the age of 15 can read and write, 88.3% male and 79.2% female{{Citation needed|date=October 2014}}
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|date=October 2014}}

As of 2008, the school life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) for a man or woman is 11 years.{{Citation needed|date=October 2014}}

==See also==
{{col div|colwidth=20em}}
* Demographics of Africa
* Demographics of Antarctica
* Demographics of Asia
* Demographics of Europe
* [[Earth:North America#Demographics|Demographics of North America]]
** List of Caribbean countries by population
* [[Earth:Demographics of Oceania|Demographics of Oceania]]
* Demographics of South America
* World population
{{colend}}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}
{{reflist|group=fn|refs=
}}

==References==
{{reflist}}


[[Category:Earth]]

{{Sourceattribution|Demographics of the world}}