On July 11, 1987, the world population passed the five billion mark – since then the figure has risen steadily to 7.9 billion in 2021. The UN expects the world’s population to grow to 10.9 billion by 2100.

According to the International Monetary Fund, the largest share of the world population lives in China with 18.25 percent, followed by India with 18.04 percent. The U.S. is actually the world’s third most populous nation. 4.3 percent of the global population live here.

Asia is by far the most populous continent on Earth, being home not only to China and India, but also to populous nations like Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh. This makes half of the world’s ten biggest countries Asian. 50 percent of the top 20 are also Asian. Here, Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Iran and Thailand are listed for their population sizes between ranks 10-20. Further down, Myanmar and South Korea in ranks 26 and 27 add around 0.7 percent to the world’s population.

The United Nations estimates that the Asian population will peak at 5.27 billion in 2070. Europe and Latin America will reach their population peaks at 689 million and 765 million inhabitants, respectively, around the year 2060, according to the projection. African populations are expected to keep growing, albeit at a slower pace, beyond the current century, which is when their combined size could surpass that of Asian populations.

source statista

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