World population — live counter and statistics
Current world population
8,308,073,261
Live estimate, extrapolated from United Nations 2025 rates
Today and this-year counters reset at midnight UTC.
World population map
Countries shaded by population, density or annual growth — and a time machine: press play or drag the year slider to watch 66+ years of population change sweep across the map. Hover any country for a snapshot, click to open its full profile. Island states too small to appear at this scale are in the full ranking.
World population, 1960–2100
Observed totals from 1960 to 2025 (World Bank), continued by the United Nations medium-variant projection to 2100 (dashed).
World population today
The world population is currently estimated at 8.31 billion people. Every day brings roughly 362,497 births and 172,860 deaths worldwide — a net gain of about 189,637 people per day, or 69.26 million per year. The live counter above extrapolates these United Nations rates second by second.
Growth on this scale is historically recent. In 1960 the world held about 3.02 billion people; it passed 4 billion in 1975, 5 billion in 1987, 6 billion in 1999, 7 billion in 2010, and 8 billion in 2023. The complete year-by-year table below tracks the population since 1960.
The growth rate tells a different story than the raw numbers: it peaked at about 2.12% per year around 1963 and has fallen to 0.91% today. The population keeps rising because the base is so much larger, even as fertility declines almost everywhere.
Looking ahead, United Nations medium-variant projections expect the 9 billion mark to be crossed around 2037, with world population peaking near 10.28 billion in the 2080s and easing to about 10.18 billion by 2100. Longer horizons carry real uncertainty — small shifts in fertility compound over decades.
Population is heavily concentrated: the five largest countries — India, China, United States, Indonesia, Pakistan — together hold about 46% of everyone alive. India leads with 1,463,865,525 people.
World population by year
Recent years annually, earlier years at five-year steps. Annual change is measured against the immediately preceding year.
| Year | Population | Growth rate | Annual change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8,215,424,893 | 0.91% | +74,527,370 |
| 2024 | 8,140,897,523 | 0.96% | +77,974,106 |
| 2023 | 8,062,923,417 | 0.93% | +74,373,216 |
| 2022 | 7,988,550,201 | 0.87% | +68,982,206 |
| 2021 | 7,919,567,995 | 0.83% | +65,704,856 |
| 2020 | 7,853,863,139 | 0.98% | +76,700,663 |
| 2019 | 7,777,162,476 | 1.05% | +81,002,748 |
| 2018 | 7,696,159,728 | 1.08% | +82,371,073 |
| 2017 | 7,613,788,655 | 1.13% | +85,567,076 |
| 2016 | 7,528,221,579 | 1.16% | +87,136,808 |
| 2015 | 7,441,084,771 | 1.18% | +87,552,548 |
| 2014 | 7,353,532,223 | 1.21% | +88,127,486 |
| 2010 | 7,000,860,073 | 1.22% | +84,691,877 |
| 2005 | 6,575,410,029 | 1.27% | +83,055,402 |
| 2000 | 6,161,528,496 | 1.36% | +83,458,674 |
| 1995 | 5,736,205,135 | 1.50% | +85,670,714 |
| 1990 | 5,298,962,018 | 1.74% | +91,583,644 |
| 1985 | 4,850,494,238 | 1.76% | +84,681,032 |
| 1980 | 4,437,473,406 | 1.76% | +77,542,510 |
| 1975 | 4,061,959,945 | 1.86% | +74,773,173 |
| 1970 | 3,680,493,750 | 2.08% | +75,799,596 |
| 1965 | 3,318,979,339 | 2.06% | +67,730,169 |
| 1960 | 3,021,512,598 | – | – |
World population forecast to 2100
United Nations World Population Prospects 2024, medium variant. Change is measured against the previous row.
| Year | Projected population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8,231,613,070 | +16,188,177 |
| 2030 | 8,569,124,911 | +337,511,841 |
| 2035 | 8,885,210,181 | +316,085,270 |
| 2040 | 9,177,190,203 | +291,980,022 |
| 2045 | 9,439,639,668 | +262,449,465 |
| 2050 | 9,664,378,587 | +224,738,919 |
| 2060 | 9,989,232,292 | +324,853,705 |
| 2070 | 10,189,241,959 | +200,009,667 |
| 2080 | 10,283,078,028 | +93,836,069 |
| 2090 | 10,271,565,070 | −11,512,958 |
| 2100 | 10,180,160,751 | −91,404,319 |
Population by continent
| Continent | Population | World share | Annual growth | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asia | 4,826,086,897 | 58.7% | +0.64% | 51 |
| Africa | 1,546,877,498 | 18.8% | +2.27% | 54 |
| Europe | 744,883,309 | 9.1% | +0.27% | 48 |
| North America | 612,362,225 | 7.5% | +0.67% | 34 |
| South America | 437,788,241 | 5.3% | +0.57% | 12 |
| Oceania | 47,293,944 | 0.6% | +1.44% | 19 |
Sums of member countries' 2025 estimates (six-continent model). Click a continent for its full profile.
Most populous countries
Full ranking of all 218 countries →| # | Country | Population | Yearly change | World share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 1,463,865,525 | +0.89% | 17.8% |
| 2 | China | 1,406,585,000 | −0.17% | 17.1% |
| 3 | United States | 341,784,857 | +0.52% | 4.2% |
| 4 | Indonesia | 285,721,236 | +0.78% | 3.5% |
| 5 | Pakistan | 255,219,554 | +1.56% | 3.1% |
| 6 | Nigeria | 237,527,782 | +2.06% | 2.9% |
| 7 | Brazil | 212,812,405 | +0.38% | 2.6% |
| 8 | Bangladesh | 175,686,899 | +1.22% | 2.1% |
| 9 | Russia | 143,513,328 | −0.11% | 1.7% |
| 10 | Ethiopia | 135,472,051 | +2.55% | 1.6% |
| 11 | Mexico | 131,946,900 | +0.83% | 1.6% |
| 12 | Japan | 123,366,734 | −0.49% | 1.5% |
| 13 | Egypt | 118,365,995 | +1.56% | 1.4% |
| 14 | Philippines | 116,786,962 | +0.81% | 1.4% |
| 15 | DR Congo | 112,832,473 | +3.20% | 1.4% |
| 16 | Vietnam | 101,598,527 | +0.60% | 1.2% |
| 17 | Iran | 92,417,681 | +0.92% | 1.1% |
| 18 | Turkey | 85,878,556 | +0.42% | 1.0% |
| 19 | Germany | 83,491,249 | −0.03% | 1.0% |
| 20 | Thailand | 71,619,863 | −0.07% | 0.9% |
World population FAQ
How many people are in the world right now?
The world population is estimated at about 8.31 billion people in 2026. The exact figure can never be known in real time — the live counter extrapolates from United Nations estimates of births, deaths and total population (UN World Population Prospects 2024, 2025 medium-variant estimates).
How many people are born and how many die each day?
Roughly 362,497 babies are born and 172,860 people die worldwide every day, based on UN 2026 rates. That is a net addition of about 189,637 people per day.
When will the world population reach 9 billion?
United Nations medium-variant projections put the 9 billion milestone around 2037. Projections that far ahead carry uncertainty, driven mainly by how fast fertility falls in high-growth regions.
Will the world population ever stop growing?
Yes — UN medium-variant projections expect world population to peak at about 10.28 billion in the 2080s and then begin a slow decline, as more countries drop below replacement-level fertility.
Which country has the largest population?
India is the world's most populous country, with 1,463,865,525 people (2025 estimate) — about 17.8% of the global total.
How accurate is the live population counter?
It is an estimate, not a census. The counter applies the UN's latest annual birth, death and growth rates to the most recent official population total, second by second. Real-time precision is impossible — the honest reading is "about right to within a fraction of a percent", which for the world means several million people either way.
Sources: World Bank Open Data (2025 estimates, CC BY-4.0) and United Nations World Population Prospects 2024. Live figures are estimates — see data sources & methodology. Compact figures like 8.2B abbreviate billions.