GITNUXREPORT 2026

Human Statistics

The world's population will continue growing but at a slower rate than before.

Rajesh Patel

Team Lead & Senior Researcher with over 15 years of experience in market research and data analytics.

First published: Feb 13, 2026

Our Commitment to Accuracy

Rigorous fact-checking · Reputable sources · Regular updatesLearn more

Statistic 1

Global literacy rate: 86.3%

Statistic 2

Internet users: 5.3 billion (66% of population)

Statistic 3

Social media users: 4.9 billion

Statistic 4

Average screen time: 6 hours 40 minutes daily

Statistic 5

71% of people check phone within 10 minutes of waking

Statistic 6

Divorce rate: 40-50% in first marriages US

Statistic 7

Average marriage duration before divorce: 8 years

Statistic 8

Friendship count averages 3 close friends

Statistic 9

58% prefer dogs, 44% cats as pets

Statistic 10

Charitable giving: $484 billion annually US

Statistic 11

Voter turnout global average: 66.5%

Statistic 12

Crime rate: homicide 6.1 per 100,000 globally

Statistic 13

82% wash hands after toilet globally

Statistic 14

Coffee consumption: 2.25 billion cups daily

Statistic 15

Music listening: 20 hours weekly average

Statistic 16

Exercise: 27% meet guidelines globally

Statistic 17

Vegetarianism: 8% globally

Statistic 18

Travel: 1.4 billion international tourists yearly pre-COVID

Statistic 19

Language speakers: Mandarin 1.1 billion

Statistic 20

Religion: 84% religious, 16% unaffiliated

Statistic 21

Happiness score global average 5.5/10

Statistic 22

Procrastination: 20% chronic

Statistic 23

Saving rate: 7.5% disposable income OECD average

Statistic 24

Commuting time average 1 hour daily

Statistic 25

Gaming: 3.2 billion gamers worldwide

Statistic 26

Book reading: 15 books per year average

Statistic 27

Handshaking frequency: 5-6 per day average

Statistic 28

Global average life expectancy is 73 years

Statistic 29

Leading cause of death: ischaemic heart disease, 16% of deaths

Statistic 30

COVID-19 caused 6.9 million deaths by 2023

Statistic 31

Obesity affects 13% of world adults

Statistic 32

Diabetes prevalence: 422 million adults

Statistic 33

Smoking kills 8 million annually

Statistic 34

Alcohol causes 3 million deaths yearly

Statistic 35

Global suicide rate: 9 per 100,000

Statistic 36

Maternal mortality ratio: 211 per 100,000 live births

Statistic 37

Under-5 mortality: 38 per 1,000 live births

Statistic 38

HIV prevalence: 38.4 million living with it

Statistic 39

Tuberculosis: 10 million new cases yearly

Statistic 40

Malaria deaths: 619,000 in 2021, mostly children

Statistic 41

Mental disorders affect 970 million people

Statistic 42

Depression: 280 million cases

Statistic 43

Anxiety disorders: 301 million

Statistic 44

Healthy life expectancy: 63.1 years globally

Statistic 45

1.9 billion adults overweight, 650 million obese

Statistic 46

Air pollution causes 7 million premature deaths yearly

Statistic 47

2 billion lack safe drinking water

Statistic 48

Vaccination prevents 2-3 million deaths annually

Statistic 49

Cancer: 10 million deaths in 2020

Statistic 50

Stroke: 6.6 million deaths yearly

Statistic 51

Alzheimer's affects 55 million

Statistic 52

Physical inactivity: 1.4 billion adults

Statistic 53

Hearing loss: 1.5 billion affected

Statistic 54

Average human body temperature is 36.8°C (98.4°F)

Statistic 55

Human heart beats about 100,000 times per day, pumping 2,000 gallons of blood

Statistic 56

Lungs have surface area of 70 m², equivalent to a tennis court

Statistic 57

Human skeleton has 206 bones in adults

Statistic 58

Brain consumes 20% of body's oxygen despite being 2% of body mass

Statistic 59

Average adult male height is 171 cm globally

Statistic 60

Average adult female height is 159 cm globally

Statistic 61

Human skin is the largest organ, covering 1.9 m² on average

Statistic 62

Kidneys filter 180 liters of blood daily

Statistic 63

Liver processes 1.4 liters of blood per minute

Statistic 64

Human eye can distinguish 10 million colors

Statistic 65

Tongue has 8 taste buds per square mm, total 2,000-8,000

Statistic 66

Hair grows 1 cm per month on average

Statistic 67

Fingernails grow 3-4 mm per month

Statistic 68

Average blood volume is 5 liters in adults

Statistic 69

Red blood cells live 120 days

Statistic 70

White blood cells number 4,000-11,000 per microliter

Statistic 71

Platelets range 150,000-450,000 per microliter

Statistic 72

Basal metabolic rate for men averages 1,600-1,800 kcal/day

Statistic 73

Human genome has 3 billion base pairs

Statistic 74

99.9% genetic similarity between humans

Statistic 75

Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes

Statistic 76

Average sleep need is 7-9 hours per night for adults

Statistic 77

Muscle mass is 40% of body weight in men, 36% in women

Statistic 78

Fat mass averages 20-25% in men, 25-31% in women

Statistic 79

Bone density peaks at age 30, declines after

Statistic 80

Salivary glands produce 1-1.5 liters saliva daily

Statistic 81

Stomach acid pH is 1.5-3.5

Statistic 82

Small intestine is 6-7 meters long

Statistic 83

Large intestine absorbs 1.5 liters water daily

Statistic 84

Humans shed 30,000-40,000 skin cells per minute

Statistic 85

Ear canal hair grows throughout life

Statistic 86

The world human population reached 8 billion on November 15, 2022

Statistic 87

As of 2023, India has the largest population at approximately 1.428 billion people

Statistic 88

China's population is about 1.412 billion in 2023, making it the second most populous country

Statistic 89

The United States has a population of around 339 million in 2023

Statistic 90

Nigeria's population is projected to reach 400 million by 2050

Statistic 91

Global fertility rate averaged 2.3 children per woman in 2021

Statistic 92

Life expectancy at birth globally is 73.4 years as of 2021

Statistic 93

Urban population worldwide reached 56% in 2020

Statistic 94

Median age of world population is 30.4 years in 2023

Statistic 95

Asia hosts 60% of the world's population, about 4.7 billion people

Statistic 96

Africa's population growth rate is 2.5% annually, highest globally

Statistic 97

Europe's population is declining at -0.1% per year

Statistic 98

Number of centenarians worldwide exceeds 500,000

Statistic 99

Global sex ratio at birth is 105 boys per 100 girls

Statistic 100

Youth population (15-24 years) is 16% of world total, about 1.2 billion

Statistic 101

Elderly population (65+) will double to 1.6 billion by 2050

Statistic 102

Migration: 281 million international migrants in 2020

Statistic 103

Refugee population stands at 26 million as of 2023

Statistic 104

Global population density averages 60 people per km²

Statistic 105

Monaco has the highest population density at 19,000 per km²

Statistic 106

Greenland has the lowest at 0.14 per km²

Statistic 107

Population momentum will cause growth even if fertility drops below replacement

Statistic 108

Least developed countries have 45% of global births

Statistic 109

Global infant population under 1 year: about 134 million

Statistic 110

Working-age population (15-64) is 65% globally

Statistic 111

Child population (0-14) is 25% of world total

Statistic 112

Population growth rate slowed to 0.9% in 2023

Statistic 113

Peak population projected at 10.4 billion in 2080s

Statistic 114

49% of world population is female

Statistic 115

Global human population doubles every 60 years historically adjusted

Statistic 116

Average human brain has 86 billion neurons

Statistic 117

Short-term memory holds 7±2 items

Statistic 118

Reaction time averages 250 ms for visual stimuli

Statistic 119

Humans can store 2.5 petabytes of information lifetime

Statistic 120

Happiness peaks at age 23 and 69

Statistic 121

Optimism bias: people overestimate positive events by 20-30%

Statistic 122

Dunning-Kruger effect inflates low performers' self-assessment by 20-30%

Statistic 123

Average person has 6,000 thoughts per day

Statistic 124

Dreams occupy 2 hours nightly

Statistic 125

75% remember dreams if awakened during REM

Statistic 126

Emotional intelligence predicts 58% of job performance variance

Statistic 127

Growth mindset improves performance by 10-20% vs fixed

Statistic 128

Stereotype threat reduces performance by 10-15 IQ points

Statistic 129

Humans detect lies 54% accurately

Statistic 130

Bystander effect: likelihood of help drops 1/n where n observers

Statistic 131

Confirmation bias affects 70% of decisions unconsciously

Statistic 132

Average attention span declined to 8.25 seconds from 12 in 2000

Statistic 133

Flow state boosts productivity 500%

Statistic 134

Gratitude journaling increases happiness 25%

Statistic 135

Meditation reduces anxiety by 38% after 8 weeks

Statistic 136

Bilingualism delays dementia onset by 4-5 years

Statistic 137

Mirror neurons activate in 20% of observed actions

Statistic 138

Placebo effect heals 30-40% of mild conditions

Statistic 139

Average vocabulary: 20,000-35,000 words active

Statistic 140

Reading speed averages 250 wpm

Statistic 141

95% of cognition is unconscious

Statistic 142

Self-control depletes like muscle, recovers with glucose 20%

Statistic 143

80% of humans are right-handed

Statistic 144

Humans laugh 17 times per day on average

Statistic 145

Average person spends 6 months dreaming lifetime

1/145

Sources

Trusted by 500+ publications

+497

Consider this: from the 7,200 daily beats of your heart to the 1.428 billion rhythms of India, humanity is a symphony of staggering statistics that paint a vivid portrait of our species' scale, biology, and shared global experience.

Key Takeaways

The world human population reached 8 billion on November 15, 2022
As of 2023, India has the largest population at approximately 1.428 billion people
China's population is about 1.412 billion in 2023, making it the second most populous country
Average human body temperature is 36.8°C (98.4°F)
Human heart beats about 100,000 times per day, pumping 2,000 gallons of blood
Lungs have surface area of 70 m², equivalent to a tennis court
Global average life expectancy is 73 years
Leading cause of death: ischaemic heart disease, 16% of deaths
COVID-19 caused 6.9 million deaths by 2023
Average human brain has 86 billion neurons
Short-term memory holds 7±2 items
Reaction time averages 250 ms for visual stimuli
Global literacy rate: 86.3%
Internet users: 5.3 billion (66% of population)
Social media users: 4.9 billion

The world's population will continue growing but at a slower rate than before.

Behavior and Society

Global literacy rate: 86.3%
Internet users: 5.3 billion (66% of population)
Social media users: 4.9 billion
Average screen time: 6 hours 40 minutes daily
71% of people check phone within 10 minutes of waking
Divorce rate: 40-50% in first marriages US
Average marriage duration before divorce: 8 years
Friendship count averages 3 close friends
58% prefer dogs, 44% cats as pets
Charitable giving: $484 billion annually US
Voter turnout global average: 66.5%
Crime rate: homicide 6.1 per 100,000 globally
82% wash hands after toilet globally
Coffee consumption: 2.25 billion cups daily
Music listening: 20 hours weekly average
Exercise: 27% meet guidelines globally
Vegetarianism: 8% globally
Travel: 1.4 billion international tourists yearly pre-COVID
Language speakers: Mandarin 1.1 billion
Religion: 84% religious, 16% unaffiliated
Happiness score global average 5.5/10
Procrastination: 20% chronic
Saving rate: 7.5% disposable income OECD average
Commuting time average 1 hour daily
Gaming: 3.2 billion gamers worldwide
Book reading: 15 books per year average
Handshaking frequency: 5-6 per day average

Behavior and Society Interpretation

While we're more connected than ever, we seem to be gazing at screens that show us how to find love, friends, and happiness rather than looking up to actually find them.

Health and Longevity

Global average life expectancy is 73 years
Leading cause of death: ischaemic heart disease, 16% of deaths
COVID-19 caused 6.9 million deaths by 2023
Obesity affects 13% of world adults
Diabetes prevalence: 422 million adults
Smoking kills 8 million annually
Alcohol causes 3 million deaths yearly
Global suicide rate: 9 per 100,000
Maternal mortality ratio: 211 per 100,000 live births
Under-5 mortality: 38 per 1,000 live births
HIV prevalence: 38.4 million living with it
Tuberculosis: 10 million new cases yearly
Malaria deaths: 619,000 in 2021, mostly children
Mental disorders affect 970 million people
Depression: 280 million cases
Anxiety disorders: 301 million
Healthy life expectancy: 63.1 years globally
1.9 billion adults overweight, 650 million obese
Air pollution causes 7 million premature deaths yearly
2 billion lack safe drinking water
Vaccination prevents 2-3 million deaths annually
Cancer: 10 million deaths in 2020
Stroke: 6.6 million deaths yearly
Alzheimer's affects 55 million
Physical inactivity: 1.4 billion adults
Hearing loss: 1.5 billion affected

Health and Longevity Interpretation

The human race appears to be a remarkably resilient species, navigating a minefield of our own making from heart disease and pandemics to polluted air and chronic stress, yet still managing to push our average lifespan into the seventies.

Physiology and Anatomy

Average human body temperature is 36.8°C (98.4°F)
Human heart beats about 100,000 times per day, pumping 2,000 gallons of blood
Lungs have surface area of 70 m², equivalent to a tennis court
Human skeleton has 206 bones in adults
Brain consumes 20% of body's oxygen despite being 2% of body mass
Average adult male height is 171 cm globally
Average adult female height is 159 cm globally
Human skin is the largest organ, covering 1.9 m² on average
Kidneys filter 180 liters of blood daily
Liver processes 1.4 liters of blood per minute
Human eye can distinguish 10 million colors
Tongue has 8 taste buds per square mm, total 2,000-8,000
Hair grows 1 cm per month on average
Fingernails grow 3-4 mm per month
Average blood volume is 5 liters in adults
Red blood cells live 120 days
White blood cells number 4,000-11,000 per microliter
Platelets range 150,000-450,000 per microliter
Basal metabolic rate for men averages 1,600-1,800 kcal/day
Human genome has 3 billion base pairs
99.9% genetic similarity between humans
Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes
Average sleep need is 7-9 hours per night for adults
Muscle mass is 40% of body weight in men, 36% in women
Fat mass averages 20-25% in men, 25-31% in women
Bone density peaks at age 30, declines after
Salivary glands produce 1-1.5 liters saliva daily
Stomach acid pH is 1.5-3.5
Small intestine is 6-7 meters long
Large intestine absorbs 1.5 liters water daily
Humans shed 30,000-40,000 skin cells per minute
Ear canal hair grows throughout life

Physiology and Anatomy Interpretation

Beneath our distinctly average heights and endlessly shedding skin, the human form is revealed to be a wildly ambitious and impossibly efficient biological engine, meticulously calibrated to run on coffee, questionable decisions, and the sheer willpower required to filter a bathtub of blood daily just so we can argue on the internet.

Population and Demographics

The world human population reached 8 billion on November 15, 2022
As of 2023, India has the largest population at approximately 1.428 billion people
China's population is about 1.412 billion in 2023, making it the second most populous country
The United States has a population of around 339 million in 2023
Nigeria's population is projected to reach 400 million by 2050
Global fertility rate averaged 2.3 children per woman in 2021
Life expectancy at birth globally is 73.4 years as of 2021
Urban population worldwide reached 56% in 2020
Median age of world population is 30.4 years in 2023
Asia hosts 60% of the world's population, about 4.7 billion people
Africa's population growth rate is 2.5% annually, highest globally
Europe's population is declining at -0.1% per year
Number of centenarians worldwide exceeds 500,000
Global sex ratio at birth is 105 boys per 100 girls
Youth population (15-24 years) is 16% of world total, about 1.2 billion
Elderly population (65+) will double to 1.6 billion by 2050
Migration: 281 million international migrants in 2020
Refugee population stands at 26 million as of 2023
Global population density averages 60 people per km²
Monaco has the highest population density at 19,000 per km²
Greenland has the lowest at 0.14 per km²
Population momentum will cause growth even if fertility drops below replacement
Least developed countries have 45% of global births
Global infant population under 1 year: about 134 million
Working-age population (15-64) is 65% globally
Child population (0-14) is 25% of world total
Population growth rate slowed to 0.9% in 2023
Peak population projected at 10.4 billion in 2080s
49% of world population is female
Global human population doubles every 60 years historically adjusted

Population and Demographics Interpretation

In a crowded but aging world where India and China jostle for the top spot, our future hinges on whether Africa’s booming youth can thrive in shrinking European villages and bustling Asian megacities, all while we collectively figure out how to share a planet that feels ever smaller.

Psychology and Cognition

Average human brain has 86 billion neurons
Short-term memory holds 7±2 items
Reaction time averages 250 ms for visual stimuli
Humans can store 2.5 petabytes of information lifetime
Happiness peaks at age 23 and 69
Optimism bias: people overestimate positive events by 20-30%
Dunning-Kruger effect inflates low performers' self-assessment by 20-30%
Average person has 6,000 thoughts per day
Dreams occupy 2 hours nightly
75% remember dreams if awakened during REM
Emotional intelligence predicts 58% of job performance variance
Growth mindset improves performance by 10-20% vs fixed
Stereotype threat reduces performance by 10-15 IQ points
Humans detect lies 54% accurately
Bystander effect: likelihood of help drops 1/n where n observers
Confirmation bias affects 70% of decisions unconsciously
Average attention span declined to 8.25 seconds from 12 in 2000
Flow state boosts productivity 500%
Gratitude journaling increases happiness 25%
Meditation reduces anxiety by 38% after 8 weeks
Bilingualism delays dementia onset by 4-5 years
Mirror neurons activate in 20% of observed actions
Placebo effect heals 30-40% of mild conditions
Average vocabulary: 20,000-35,000 words active
Reading speed averages 250 wpm
95% of cognition is unconscious
Self-control depletes like muscle, recovers with glucose 20%
80% of humans are right-handed
Humans laugh 17 times per day on average
Average person spends 6 months dreaming lifetime

Psychology and Cognition Interpretation

The human brain, with its 86 billion neurons, is a remarkably flawed masterpiece: capable of storing a lifetime's knowledge yet predictably optimistic, distractible, and often hilariously overconfident in its own limited hardware.