Nearly one in ten global deaths in 2019 was linked to air pollution. Over a third of the world's population still cooks with unsafe fuels. This article assembles the most recent data on global health, displacement, and demographic change.
Key Takeaways
- Global life expectancy at birth is 72.8 years in 2019 (World Bank / UN IGME compilation).
- 2.2 deaths per 1,000 live births occur among infants in 2021 in the world average (UN IGME/World Bank compilation).
- 1.8 billion people use a source of drinking water that is faecally contaminated (WHO/UNICEF JMP).
- 2.2 billion people lacked safely managed sanitation services in 2020 (WHO/UNICEF JMP).
- 8.7 million refugees were newly displaced in 2023 (UNHCR Global Trends 2023).
- Globally, 2.0 billion people were aged 0–19 in 2023 (UN Population Division estimates).
- The old-age dependency ratio is projected to rise from 13% in 2019 to 27% in 2050 (UN DESA).
- 9.8% of the world’s population is aged 65+ in 2023 (UN Population Division age estimates).
- 84% of the global population reported access to improved drinking water sources in 2022 (WHO/UNICEF JMP; JMP estimates).
- 7.4% of people globally are undernourished (FAO SOFI 2023; prevalence of undernourishment estimate).
- 9.1 million deaths were attributable to air pollution globally in 2019 (WHO Global Health Observatory / air pollution estimates).
- 1.2 million asylum-seekers were recorded globally in 2023 (UNHCR).
- The number of people displaced worldwide by disasters rose to 36.4 million in 2023 (IDMC).
- 736 million people were living in extreme poverty in 2023 (World Bank poverty estimates).
- 3.3 billion people lacked clean cooking facilities in 2022 (IEA).
Despite improving access to water and internet, millions still face unsafe sanitation, hunger, and displacement worldwide.
Related reading
01 · Category
Fertility & Mortality2 stats
01
Global life expectancy at birth is 72.8 years in 2019 (World Bank / UN IGME compilation).https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.LE00.IN
02
2.2 deaths per 1,000 live births occur among infants in 2021 in the world average (UN IGME/World Bank compilation).https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.IMRT.IN
Interpretation
Fertility & Mortality Interpretation
In the Fertility and Mortality picture, global life expectancy reached 72.8 years in 2019, while infant mortality remains relatively low at about 2.2 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2021.
02 · Category
Health & Migration6 stats
01
1.8 billion people use a source of drinking water that is faecally contaminated (WHO/UNICEF JMP).https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/drinking-water
02
2.2 billion people lacked safely managed sanitation services in 2020 (WHO/UNICEF JMP).https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/sanitation
03
8.7 million refugees were newly displaced in 2023 (UNHCR Global Trends 2023).https://www.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/2024-06/UNHCR%20Global%20Trends%202023.pdf
04
2.3% of the world’s population are international migrants (UN DESA).https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/content/international-migrant-stock
05
39.5 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance in 2023 (UN OCHA Global Humanitarian Overview).https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/world/global-humanitarian-overview-2024
06
1.6 million deaths occurred as a result of maternal complications worldwide in 2020 (WHO).https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/maternal-health
Interpretation
Health & Migration Interpretation
With 8.7 million new refugees displaced in 2023 and 1.8 billion people still using faecally contaminated drinking water, the Health and Migration picture shows how large-scale movement can collide with unsafe water and sanitation risks that already affect billions worldwide.
03 · Category
Demographics & Ageing3 stats
01
Globally, 2.0 billion people were aged 0–19 in 2023 (UN Population Division estimates).https://population.un.org/dataportal/home/
02
The old-age dependency ratio is projected to rise from 13% in 2019 to 27% in 2050 (UN DESA).https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/news/world-population-prospects-2019
03
9.8% of the world’s population is aged 65+ in 2023 (UN Population Division age estimates).https://population.un.org/dataportal/knowledgebase/
Interpretation
Demographics & Ageing Interpretation
In the Demographics and Ageing story, the share of older people is rising fast, with 9.8% of the world aged 65 or over in 2023 and the old age dependency ratio projected to jump from 13% in 2019 to 27% by 2050.
More related reading
04 · Category
Health & Mortality6 stats
01
84% of the global population reported access to improved drinking water sources in 2022 (WHO/UNICEF JMP; JMP estimates).https://www.unicef.org/reports/state-of-worlds-children-2023
02
7.4% of people globally are undernourished (FAO SOFI 2023; prevalence of undernourishment estimate).https://www.fao.org/publications/sofi/2023/en/
03
9.1 million deaths were attributable to air pollution globally in 2019 (WHO Global Health Observatory / air pollution estimates).https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/air-pollution
04
10.6 million people died in 2021 from causes related to communicable diseases globally (Global Burden of Disease estimates).https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/
05
1.9 billion adults were overweight worldwide in 2016 (Global Burden of Disease / WHO/NCD reporting).https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight
06
Antenatal care coverage (at least one visit) was 81% globally in 2022 (UNICEF maternal health reporting).https://data.unicef.org/topic/maternal-health/antenatal-care/
Interpretation
Health & Mortality Interpretation
In the Health and Mortality picture, while 84% of people had access to improved drinking water in 2022 and antenatal care reached 81% of pregnant women, major preventable risks remain at scale with 9.1 million deaths from air pollution in 2019 and 10.6 million deaths in 2021 from communicable disease causes.
05 · Category
Migration & Displacement2 stats
01
1.2 million asylum-seekers were recorded globally in 2023 (UNHCR).https://www.unhcr.org/global-trends-2023
02
The number of people displaced worldwide by disasters rose to 36.4 million in 2023 (IDMC).https://www.internal-displacement.org/global-report/grid2024/
Interpretation
Migration & Displacement Interpretation
In 2023, migration and displacement pressures remained intense as 1.2 million people sought asylum worldwide while disasters displaced 36.4 million more people, showing how both forced movement and crisis-driven displacement are escalating together.
06 · Category
Socioeconomic Indicators4 stats
01
736 million people were living in extreme poverty in 2023 (World Bank poverty estimates).https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/brief/global-poverty-brief
02
3.3 billion people lacked clean cooking facilities in 2022 (IEA).https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-outlook-2023/executive-summary
03
66.6% of the world’s population used the internet in 2024 (ITU).https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx
04
2.7 billion people lacked access to safe sanitation facilities in 2020 (World Bank/WASH).https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240036703
Interpretation
Socioeconomic Indicators Interpretation
Socioeconomic progress is uneven worldwide, with 736 million people in extreme poverty in 2023 and 2.7 billion lacking safe sanitation in 2020 even as 66.6% used the internet in 2024, showing that connectivity gains have not yet translated into basic living standards for everyone.
report visual · Comparison
Global population—ages, life expectancy, and dependency trends
A growing share of the world population is in older age groups, while overall life expectancy and age-structure indicators highlight long-term demographic change.
Global life expectancy at birth is 72.8 years in 2019 (World Bank / UN IGME compilation).72.8
The old-age dependency ratio is projected to rise from 13% in 2019 to 27% in 2050 (UN DESA).
13%
9.8% of the world’s population is aged 65+ in 2023 (UN Population Division age estimates).
9.8%
source-verifieddata.worldbank.org · un.org · population.un.org2023
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Marcus Engström. (2026, February 13). World Population Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/world-population-statistics
MLA
Marcus Engström. "World Population Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/world-population-statistics.
Chicago
Marcus Engström. 2026. "World Population Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/world-population-statistics.
Sources & references
23 datasets cited across this report
+9 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)