UN DESA Population Division · Total Population
Population by country
How many people live in each country?
Of the 222 countries compared in 2023, India had the highest reading, 1,438,069,596, and Vatican City had the lowest reading, 496. In the middle country the figure was 6,541,413. Among the 222 countries measured in every edition since 1950, the middle one moved from 1,914,992 to 6,541,413.
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Part ofPeople & Population
Population · 2023
Context statistic
Highest of 222India
1,438,069,596012023 · position · derived
The highest and the lowest
The three countries with the highest values of 222 compared, the three with the lowest, and the highest on each continent. This statistic has no better end, so no country is shown as leading.
- 1
- 2
- 3
Lowest in 2023
- 222
Vatican City496 - 221
Niue1,817 - 220
Montserrat4,420
Positions out of 222. This statistic has no better end: the two ends describe size, not success.
02Every measured country
Population on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value. This statistic has no better end, so the shades describe size, not success.
- 496–320,409
- 387,558–3,431,932
- 3,470,390–10,642,081
- 10,644,851–33,845,617
- 35,126,298–1,438,069,596
- No reading in 2023
- Asia
17,423,880
the middle country, of 51 measured · 52 members
India1,438,069,596
Brunei458,949Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Africa
14,258,251
the middle country, of 54 measured · 55 members
Nigeria227,882,945
Seychelles127,951Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Europe
5,518,611
the middle country, of 48 measured · 49 members
Russia145,440,500Vatican City496Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Americas
2,171,359
the middle country, of 48 measured · 48 members
United States343,477,335Montserrat4,420Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Oceania
132,530
the middle country, of 21 measured · 21 members
Australia26,451,124Niue1,817Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Every region
22 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Northern Africa
41,938,362
the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members
Egypt114,535,772
Libya7,305,659Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Southern Asia
41,454,761
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
India1,438,069,596
Maldives525,994Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- South-eastern Asia
35,126,298
the middle country, of 11 measured · 11 members
Indonesia281,190,067Brunei458,949Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Eastern Asia
24,867,675
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
China1,422,584,933
Macau713,912Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- South America
18,819,459
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Brazil211,140,729
Suriname628,886Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Eastern Africa
17,349,719
the middle country, of 18 measured · 19 members
Ethiopia128,691,692Seychelles127,951Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Western Africa
14,258,251
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Nigeria227,882,945
Cabo Verde522,331Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Central Asia
10,389,799
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Uzbekistan35,652,307
Kyrgyzstan7,073,516Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Eastern Europe
10,248,090
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Russia145,440,500
Moldova3,067,070Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Western Europe
9,130,429
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Germany84,548,231
Monaco38,956Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Western Asia
7,514,904
the middle country, of 18 measured · 19 members
Türkiye87,270,501
Cyprus1,344,976Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Central America
6,566,619
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
Mexico129,739,759
Belize411,106Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Middle Africa
6,182,885
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
DR Congo105,789,731
São Tomé and Príncipe230,871Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Northern Europe
4,025,365
the middle country, of 12 measured · 13 members
United Kingdom68,682,962
Faroe Islands54,714Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Southern Africa
2,480,244
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
South Africa63,212,384
Eswatini1,230,506Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Southern Europe
2,118,396
the middle country, of 17 measured · 17 members
Italy59,499,453Vatican City496Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Melanesia
800,005
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Papua New Guinea10,389,635
New Caledonia289,870Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Caribbean
104,631
the middle country, of 24 measured · 24 members
Haiti11,637,398Montserrat4,420Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Polynesia
47,521
the middle country, of 7 measured · 7 members
French Polynesia281,118Niue1,817Highest and lowest reading in Polynesia.
- Micronesia
45,143
the middle country, of 7 measured · 7 members
Guam166,506
Nauru11,875Highest and lowest reading in Micronesia.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
Australia26,451,124
New Zealand5,172,836Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Northern America
4 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Bermuda, Canada, Greenland, United States.
United States343,477,335
Greenland55,922Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
03The whole field at once
The spread
222 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 6,541,413; a quarter are above 25,562,182, and a quarter below 732,030. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
Log scale: each gridline is ten times the one before, so countries of very different sizes can be seen on one line.
04All 222 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. “=” marks a position shared with another country. UN DESA Population Division ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. Neither end of this table is better. The order is by size and nothing more, so a country near the top is populous, not successful, and one near the bottom is small, not failing. Read it as a scale for the rest of the site rather than as a result.
Showing 25 of 222 countries
Values for 2023. The change column compares 2023 with 2022 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
051950–2023 · 74 reference years
Over time
Each point is one year from 1950, as restated by the 2024 revision. The line is not a record of what was believed at the time — every revision recalculates the whole history — and it stops at 2023, because everything after that is a projection rather than an estimate.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 222 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 222 | 6,541,413 | 732,030 – 25,562,182 | 6,541,413 |
| 2022 | 222 | 6,505,487 | 723,496 – 24,839,008 | 6,505,487 |
| 2021 | 222 | 6,450,262 | 711,449 – 24,266,188 | 6,450,262 |
| 2020 | 222 | 6,399,970 | 698,425 – 23,704,075 | 6,399,970 |
| 2019 | 222 | 6,352,988 | 685,267 – 23,492,543 | 6,352,988 |
| 2018 | 222 | 6,280,770 | 671,354 – 23,307,758 | 6,280,770 |
| 2017 | 222 | 6,216,842 | 656,334 – 23,246,592 | 6,216,842 |
| 2016 | 222 | 6,216,733 | 641,329 – 23,068,314 | 6,216,733 |
| 2015 | 222 | 6,154,260 | 630,963 – 22,505,053 | 6,154,260 |
| 2014 | 222 | 6,068,152 | 620,525 – 21,931,784 | 6,068,152 |
| 2013 | 222 | 5,868,315 | 607,358 – 21,600,782 | 5,868,315 |
| 2012 | 222 | 5,752,533 | 598,970 – 22,362,187 | 5,752,533 |
| 2011 | 222 | 5,638,976 | 589,897 – 22,112,093 | 5,638,976 |
| 2010 | 222 | 5,556,110 | 580,127 – 21,825,958 | 5,556,110 |
| 2009 | 222 | 5,487,383 | 570,222 – 21,349,569 | 5,487,383 |
| 2008 | 222 | 5,436,442 | 560,261 – 20,872,566 | 5,436,442 |
| 2007 | 222 | 5,419,303 | 552,494 – 20,707,057 | 5,419,303 |
| 2006 | 222 | 5,329,650 | 544,936 – 19,944,187 | 5,329,650 |
| 2005 | 222 | 5,294,219 | 537,654 – 19,258,298 | 5,294,219 |
| 2004 | 222 | 5,250,530 | 530,618 – 18,605,062 | 5,250,530 |
| 2003 | 222 | 5,168,555 | 522,260 – 18,039,819 | 5,168,555 |
| 2002 | 222 | 5,071,692 | 512,144 – 17,529,518 | 5,071,692 |
| 2001 | 222 | 4,988,050 | 501,725 – 17,039,283 | 4,988,050 |
| 2000 | 222 | 4,903,178 | 491,502 – 16,435,971 | 4,903,178 |
| 1999 | 222 | 4,809,886 | 481,659 – 15,985,426 | 4,809,886 |
| 1998 | 222 | 4,730,053 | 472,204 – 15,777,256 | 4,730,053 |
| 1997 | 222 | 4,744,884 | 462,995 – 15,647,102 | 4,744,884 |
| 1996 | 222 | 4,708,759 | 453,899 – 15,336,260 | 4,708,759 |
| 1995 | 222 | 4,631,146 | 444,851 – 14,795,874 | 4,631,146 |
| 1994 | 222 | 4,514,762 | 437,317 – 14,308,992 | 4,514,762 |
| 1993 | 222 | 4,405,468 | 432,935 – 13,987,316 | 4,405,468 |
| 1992 | 222 | 4,321,644 | 429,470 – 13,358,922 | 4,321,644 |
| 1991 | 222 | 4,348,371 | 424,973 – 12,906,583 | 4,348,371 |
| 1990 | 222 | 4,276,698 | 419,414 – 12,481,851 | 4,276,698 |
| 1989 | 222 | 4,208,944 | 412,718 – 12,102,817 | 4,208,944 |
| 1988 | 222 | 4,141,036 | 404,486 – 11,717,523 | 4,141,036 |
| 1987 | 222 | 4,043,676 | 396,935 – 11,388,647 | 4,043,676 |
| 1986 | 222 | 3,932,059 | 384,899 – 11,315,767 | 3,932,059 |
| 1985 | 222 | 3,819,365 | 371,383 – 11,226,557 | 3,819,365 |
| 1984 | 222 | 3,705,738 | 365,149 – 10,915,280 | 3,705,738 |
| 1983 | 222 | 3,629,981 | 352,816 – 10,622,617 | 3,629,981 |
| 1982 | 222 | 3,601,175 | 349,203 – 10,566,839 | 3,601,175 |
| 1981 | 222 | 3,536,898 | 343,473 – 10,581,875 | 3,536,898 |
| 1980 | 222 | 3,426,399 | 328,792 – 10,590,376 | 3,426,399 |
| 1979 | 222 | 3,390,269 | 321,558 – 10,577,729 | 3,390,269 |
| 1978 | 222 | 3,354,629 | 316,532 – 10,513,875 | 3,354,629 |
| 1977 | 222 | 3,315,502 | 308,890 – 10,206,073 | 3,315,502 |
| 1976 | 222 | 3,261,429 | 297,619 – 10,036,506 | 3,261,429 |
| 1975 | 222 | 3,186,677 | 287,744 – 9,960,200 | 3,186,677 |
| 1974 | 222 | 3,116,007 | 282,295 – 9,908,413 | 3,116,007 |
| 1973 | 222 | 3,047,947 | 276,585 – 9,717,181 | 3,047,947 |
| 1972 | 222 | 2,979,609 | 279,232 – 9,630,687 | 2,979,609 |
| 1971 | 222 | 2,922,233 | 271,106 – 9,543,964 | 2,922,233 |
| 1970 | 222 | 2,843,478 | 264,681 – 9,476,602 | 2,843,478 |
| 1969 | 222 | 2,779,187 | 250,910 – 9,291,166 | 2,779,187 |
| 1968 | 222 | 2,754,187 | 250,888 – 9,036,594 | 2,754,187 |
| 1967 | 222 | 2,693,775 | 250,424 – 8,840,195 | 2,693,775 |
| 1966 | 222 | 2,638,213 | 246,991 – 8,842,602 | 2,638,213 |
| 1965 | 222 | 2,585,851 | 243,027 – 8,806,885 | 2,585,851 |
| 1964 | 222 | 2,525,595 | 228,493 – 8,598,719 | 2,525,595 |
| 1963 | 222 | 2,464,909 | 213,482 – 8,510,372 | 2,464,909 |
| 1962 | 222 | 2,404,270 | 209,006 – 8,359,956 | 2,404,270 |
| 1961 | 222 | 2,352,699 | 204,673 – 8,120,275 | 2,352,699 |
| 1960 | 222 | 2,316,137 | 200,781 – 7,932,879 | 2,316,137 |
| 1959 | 222 | 2,284,255 | 197,303 – 7,784,576 | 2,284,255 |
| 1958 | 222 | 2,234,467 | 193,695 – 7,577,205 | 2,234,467 |
| 1957 | 222 | 2,179,897 | 191,213 – 7,365,866 | 2,179,897 |
| 1956 | 222 | 2,127,103 | 193,596 – 7,228,186 | 2,127,103 |
| 1955 | 222 | 2,076,422 | 188,273 – 7,030,516 | 2,076,422 |
| 1954 | 222 | 2,038,550 | 179,467 – 6,922,370 | 2,038,550 |
| 1953 | 222 | 2,006,475 | 175,533 – 6,748,958 | 2,006,475 |
| 1952 | 222 | 1,973,641 | 171,577 – 6,560,588 | 1,973,641 |
| 1951 | 222 | 1,942,561 | 167,800 – 6,382,770 | 1,942,561 |
| 1950 | 222 | 1,914,992 | 163,949 – 6,227,406 | 1,914,992 |
062022 → 2023
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Rose most
before → after222 countries were measured in both 2022 and 2023.
07Across every edition
Population in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
1,438,069,596
Total population, mid-year (people)
Lowest reading on record
496
Total population, mid-year (people)
Biggest rise between editions
+21,168,635
802,140,332 → 823,308,967
Biggest fall between editions
−3,315,930
41,048,766 → 37,732,836
Biggest change since first measured
+1,091,790,775
346,278,821 → 1,438,069,596
Highest most often
72 of 74
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The measure
About population
How many people live in a country, counted at the middle of the year on the de facto definition — everyone resident, whatever their legal status or citizenship. It is the denominator under almost every other number on this site: a figure per person, per worker or per 100,000 is this one doing the dividing.
What the number is: Total population, mid-year (people).
09Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under People & Population, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Moves with
Where population is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Methane EmissionsEDGAR · 207 countries in commonρ 0.92
- Agricultural EmissionsFAO · 197 countries in commonρ 0.88
- Land Under Cereal ProductionFAO · 180 countries in commonρ 0.86
Moves against
Where population is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Outbound Mobility Ratio, TertiaryUIS · 117 countries in commonρ −0.72
- Political Stability and Absence of ViolenceKeyWorld Bank Group · 211 countries in commonρ −0.68
- Services ExportsUNCTAD · 181 countries in commonρ −0.57
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 386 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
10Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
The countries at either end
11Questions
Population: questions and answers
Which country has the highest population?
India, at 1,438,069,596, among the 222 countries compared in 2023.
Which country has the lowest population?
Vatican City, at 496, among the 222 countries compared in 2023.
How many countries does the Total Population cover?
222 in 2023.
What is the world average population?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 222 compared in 2023, the figure was 6,541,413.
Is this UN DESA Population Division’s own ranking?
No. UN DESA Population Division publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.
How often is the Total Population published?
This site holds 74 reference years, 1950–2023, all recalculated in UN DESA Population Division’s 2024 report on one method — not 74 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From UN DESA Population Division, under CC BY 3.0 IGO. From World Population Prospects 2024, read from the Population Division's own CSV download rather than through the World Bank, whose copy blends the UN's estimates with national statistical offices and differs for 72 countries. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
12Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Total Population — UN DESA Population Division
From World Population Prospects 2024, read from the Population Division's own CSV download rather than through the World Bank, whose copy blends the UN's estimates with national statistical offices and differs for 72 countries.
Newest edition
Report year 2023Data year 2023
Cite the source as: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024, Online Edition.
Licence: CC BY 3.0 IGO, checked 2026-09-10.
How this page reads the numbers
- UN DESA Population Division ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
- This statistic has no better end, so the page describes higher and lower values and never calls a country a leader.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Population by country: Total Population, data from UN DESA Population Division. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/population