While we recently surpassed eight billion people on Earth, a closer look at the data reveals a world in the midst of a profound demographic transformation, with slowing growth rates, shifting population centers, and dramatic changes in fertility, life expectancy, and urbanization shaping our collective future.
Key Takeaways
- As of mid-2023, the global population reached approximately 8.045 billion people
- The world population growth rate in 2023 was about 0.88%, down from 1.05% in 2013
- Between 2022 and 2023, the global population increased by 71.1 million people
- India's population in 2023 was 1.428 billion, surpassing China's 1.425 billion
- China's population in 2023 stood at 1.425 billion after declining for the first time in 60 years
- United States population reached 339.7 million as of July 2023
- In 2023, 26% of the world's population was aged 0-14 years
- Globally, the population aged 15-64 years comprised 65% in 2023
- Persons aged 65+ made up 10% of the global population in 2023, projected to 16% by 2050
- In 2023, 56% of the world's urban population lived in cities of over 1 million
- Global urban population grew from 751 million in 1950 to 4.58 billion in 2023
- In 2023, 43% of the world population was rural, down from 65% in 1950
- Global net migration rate was -0.1 per 1,000 population in 2023
- World population growth rate peaked at 2.3% in 1963, now 0.9% in 2023
- UN projects annual global population growth to decline to 21 million by 2100
Global population growth is slowing while shifting toward Africa and aging.
Age and Sex Demographics
- In 2023, 26% of the world's population was aged 0-14 years
- Globally, the population aged 15-64 years comprised 65% in 2023
- Persons aged 65+ made up 10% of the global population in 2023, projected to 16% by 2050
- The global sex ratio is 101 males per 100 females as of 2023
- In 2023, there were 4.02 billion males and 3.98 billion females worldwide
- The median age in Europe reached 43.5 years in 2023, highest regionally
- Africa's median age is 19.7 years in 2023, lowest globally
- In 2023, 50.4% of the world population was male
- Global population aged 80+ exceeded 150 million in 2023
- The youth bulge (10-24 years) affects 1.8 billion people in developing countries in 2023
- In 2023, children under 18 comprised 29% of global population at 2.3 billion
- Working-age population (15-64) in Asia is 64% of regional total in 2023
- Europe's old-age dependency ratio was 32% in 2023
- Globally, female life expectancy exceeds male by 5 years at 76 vs 71 in 2023
- In 2023, 12% of Africa's population was 65+, compared to 20% in Europe
- The global child dependency ratio is 41 per 100 working-age in 2023
- Latin America's median age rose to 31.5 years in 2023
- In 2023, supercentenarians (110+) numbered around 800 worldwide
- Gender imbalance at birth is highest in China at 115 boys per 100 girls in recent data
- Northern Africa's population under 15 is 32% in 2023
- Global adolescent population (10-19) is 1.2 billion in 2023
Age and Sex Demographics Interpretation
While the world currently operates with a comfortable 65% majority in its prime working years, it's nervously eyeing the 16% retirement-aged crowd projected for 2050 and wondering who will pay the pensions, especially since Europe is already looking distinctly middle-aged at 43.5 while Africa's youthful 19.7-year-old median hints at a very different set of global challenges and opportunities.
Global Population Trends
- As of mid-2023, the global population reached approximately 8.045 billion people
- The world population growth rate in 2023 was about 0.88%, down from 1.05% in 2013
- Between 2022 and 2023, the global population increased by 71.1 million people
- The United Nations projects the world population to peak at around 10.4 billion in the 2080s
- In 2023, Asia accounted for 60% of the world's population with 4.7 billion people
- Africa's population share of the world is projected to rise from 18% in 2023 to 39% by 2100
- The global fertility rate dropped to 2.3 children per woman in 2023 from 4.9 in 1960
- Life expectancy at birth worldwide reached 73.4 years in 2023, up from 66.8 in 2000
- The global population density is approximately 60 people per square kilometer as of 2023
- In 2023, the number of people aged 65 and over worldwide was 761 million
- The world's urban population reached 56.9% of total population in 2023
- Global infant mortality rate fell to 27.4 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023
- The global sex ratio at birth is 105 boys per 100 girls as of recent estimates
- World population doubled from 2.5 billion in 1950 to 5 billion in 1987, reaching 8 billion in 2022
- The least populous continent by share is Oceania at 0.5% of world population in 2023
- Global population growth added 83 million people annually on average during 2010-2020
- In 2023, the world's median age rose to 31 years from 24 in 1970
- The global dependency ratio decreased to 52 dependents per 100 working-age people in 2023
- World population is projected to be 9.7 billion by 2050 according to UN medium variant
- Asia's population grew by 1.3% annually in the 1980s but slowed to 0.6% by 2023
- Europe's population share declined from 25% in 1900 to 9% in 2023
- Global youth population (15-24 years) peaked at 1.2 billion in 2015 and is now stable
- The world's population of children under 5 was 674 million in 2023
- Global population growth rate is expected to fall below 0.5% by 2050
- In 2023, the number of centenarians worldwide exceeded 600,000
- The global population doubled every 40 years from 1800 to 1960 but slowed significantly
- Latin America's population constitutes 8.4% of the world total in 2023 at 670 million
- Northern America's population is 4.7% of global at 373 million in 2023
- The world's population of stateless persons is estimated at 4.4 million in 2023
- Global population momentum will drive growth even as fertility falls below replacement
Global Population Trends Interpretation
While our growth rate has slowed to a more sensible stroll, we're still packing the planet like a matryoshka doll, with Asia currently holding most of the people and Africa poised to inherit the lion's share of the future.
Migration and Growth Rates
- Global net migration rate was -0.1 per 1,000 population in 2023
- World population growth rate peaked at 2.3% in 1963, now 0.9% in 2023
- UN projects annual global population growth to decline to 21 million by 2100
- In 2023, net international migrants numbered 281 million, 3.6% of world population
- India's population growth rate was 0.81% in 2023
- Nigeria's growth rate of 2.41% made it add 5.4 million people in 2023
- China's growth rate turned negative at -0.15% in 2023
- Global refugee population reached 36.4 million in 2023
- Net migration contributed 20% to Europe's population growth in 2023
- US net migration gain was 1 million in 2023
- Sub-Saharan Africa had net migration loss of 1.5 million in 2023
- Global remittances to low/middle-income countries hit $656 billion in 2023
- Fertility rate in Europe averaged 1.5 births per woman in 2023, below replacement
- Pakistan's growth rate of 1.96% added 4.7 million in 2023
- Internally displaced persons globally numbered 71 million in 2023
- Germany's net migration was 1.1 million in 2023
- Global doubling time for population is now 82 years at current growth rates
- Mexico's growth rate slowed to 0.77% in 2023
- Emigration rate from Eastern Europe is 5% of population since 1990
- Bangladesh growth rate 0.95% in 2023 despite high density
Migration and Growth Rates Interpretation
The world is no longer a crowded elevator going up but a complex game of musical chairs, with some nations stepping out, others shuffling in, and everyone sending money back home to explain why they left.
National Populations
- India's population in 2023 was 1.428 billion, surpassing China's 1.425 billion
- China's population in 2023 stood at 1.425 billion after declining for the first time in 60 years
- United States population reached 339.7 million as of July 2023
- Indonesia's population was 278.7 million in 2023, making it the 4th most populous nation
- Pakistan's population hit 240.5 million in 2023 with a growth rate of 1.95%
- Nigeria's population reached 223.8 million in 2023, Africa's most populous country
- Brazil's population was 216.4 million in 2023
- Bangladesh population stood at 173.0 million in 2023, density 1,350 per sq km
- Russia's population was 144.4 million in 2023, declining at 0.39% annually
- Mexico's population reached 129.2 million in 2023
- Japan's population was 123.3 million in 2023, with a negative growth rate of 0.53%
- Ethiopia's population grew to 126.5 million in 2023, growth rate 2.45%
- Philippines population was 117.3 million in 2023
- Egypt's population hit 112.7 million in 2023
- Vietnam's population reached 98.9 million in 2023
- DR Congo's population was 102.3 million in 2023, growth 3.19%
- Turkey's population stood at 85.4 million in 2023
- Iran's population was 89.2 million in 2023
- Germany's population reached 84.7 million in 2023
- Thailand's population was 71.8 million in 2023
- United Kingdom population hit 67.6 million in 2023
- France's population was 68.4 million in 2023 including overseas territories
- Italy's population declined to 58.9 million in 2023
- South Africa's population reached 62.0 million in 2023
- Tanzania's population was 67.4 million in 2023
- Myanmar's population stood at 54.6 million in 2023
- Kenya's population hit 55.1 million in 2023
- Colombia's population was 52.2 million in 2023
National Populations Interpretation
While India quietly claimed the demographic crown as China's population began its first decline in six decades, a glance across the globe reveals a story of explosive growth in some nations and worrying contraction in others, painting a complex picture of our crowded planet's future.
Urban and Rural Populations
- In 2023, 56% of the world's urban population lived in cities of over 1 million
- Global urban population grew from 751 million in 1950 to 4.58 billion in 2023
- In 2023, 43% of the world population was rural, down from 65% in 1950
- Tokyo's urban agglomeration had 37.1 million residents in 2023, largest globally
- India's urban population reached 37% or 531 million in 2023
- China has 688 million urban residents in 2023, 49% urbanization rate
- Sub-Saharan Africa's urban population doubled to 576 million between 2010-2023
- Global slum population is 1.1 billion in 2023, 23% of urban dwellers
- Europe's urbanization rate is 75% in 2023, highest continentally
- In 2023, 50% of Latin America's population lived in urban areas of 20,000+
- Northern America has 82% urban population in 2023
- Asia's megacities (10M+) number 25 in 2023, housing 13% of urban Asians
- Rural population decline in OECD countries averaged 1% annually 2010-2023
- In 2023, 1.6 billion people lived in 1,000+ largest cities worldwide
- Africa's urbanization rate reached 44% in 2023, up from 35% in 2010
- Global urban land area expanded 3-fold since 1985 to cover 1.5% of land in 2023
- In India, urban density averages 11,000 per sq km in 2023
- Oceania's urban population is 68% in 2023
- 90% of urban growth to 2050 will occur in Asia and Africa per 2023 UN data
- Manila's metro population density is 43,000 per sq km in 2023
Urban and Rural Populations Interpretation
Humanity's once-scattered dwelling has consolidated into a dense, urban tapestry, where over half of city-dwellers now squeeze into million-plus metropolises—a dramatic shift from 751 million urbanites in 1950 to a staggering 4.58 billion today—yet this great convergence is starkly unequal, as one in four urban residents lives in a slum and future growth is overwhelmingly destined for Asia and Africa.
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