Over the past 23 years, there were constantly more men than women living on the planet. Of the 8.06 billion people living on the Earth in 2023, 4.05 billion were men and 4.01 billion were women. One-quarter of the world's total population in 2024 was below 15 years.

Population, female (% of total population) in World was reported at 49.71 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. World - Population, female (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on May of 2025.

In 2013, the total number of women aged 15 to 49 years worldwide was *** billion. In 2017 it was estimated that this number would increase to almost ****billion by 2025. The U.S. accounted for a small proportion of the total number of women globally in 2013 with just **** million. Global demographics In 2024, the total global population at approximately **** billion people. In 2024, the continent with the largest proportion of the global population was Asia, followed by Africa. While North America and Oceania were some of the least populated areas of the world. The age distribution of the population varies by region as well. For example, the percentage of the global population between the ages of 15 and 64 years varies between ** percent and ** percent. Women’s health worldwide Women face different health challenges depending on the region and country. One important global health issue is maternal mortality. The country with the highest maternal mortality rate in 2023 was Nigeria. Chad had the seventh-highest estimated birth rate in 2024 and was the country with the second-highest maternal mortality rate. The United States has one of the highest maternal mortality rates when compared to similarly developed countries.

Population, female in World was reported at 4007523965 Persons in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. World - Population, female - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Worldwide, the male population is slightly higher than the female population, although this varies by country. As of 2023, Hong Kong has the highest share of women worldwide with almost ** percent. Moldova followed behind with ** percent. Among the countries with the largest share of women in the total population, several were former Soviet-states or were located in Eastern Europe. By contrast, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman had some of the highest proportions of men in their populations.

The average for 2023 based on 196 countries was 49.99 percent. The highest value was in Hong Kong: 54.92 percent and the lowest value was in Qatar: 28.48 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

United States US: Population: Female: Ages 0-4: % of Female Population data was reported at 5.882 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 5.887 % for 2016. United States US: Population: Female: Ages 0-4: % of Female Population data is updated yearly, averaging 7.100 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 10.773 % in 1960 and a record low of 5.882 % in 2017. United States US: Population: Female: Ages 0-4: % of Female Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Female population between the ages 0 to 4 as a percentage of the total female population.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age/sex distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; ;

Population ages 15-64, female (% of female population) in World was reported at 64.4 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. World - Population ages 15-64, female (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Worldwide, the male population is slightly higher than the female population. As of 2023, the country with the highest percentage of men was Qatar, with only slightly more than *********** of the total population being women. The United Arab Emirates followed with ** percent. Different factors can influence the gender distribution in a population, such as life expectancy, the sex ratio at birth, and immigration. For instance, in Qatar, the large share of males is due to the high immigration flows of male labor in the country.

Global Women's Share of Population Aged 15+ Living with HIV by Country, 2023 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Globally, about 25 percent of the population is under 15 years of age and 10 percent is over 65 years of age. Africa has the youngest population worldwide. In Sub-Saharan Africa, more than 40 percent of the population is below 15 years, and only three percent are above 65, indicating the low life expectancy in several of the countries. In Europe, on the other hand, a higher share of the population is above 65 years than the population under 15 years. Fertility rates The high share of children and youth in Africa is connected to the high fertility rates on the continent. For instance, South Sudan and Niger have the highest population growth rates globally. However, about 50 percent of the world’s population live in countries with low fertility, where women have less than 2.1 children. Some countries in Europe, like Latvia and Lithuania, have experienced a population decline of one percent, and in the Cook Islands, it is even above two percent. In Europe, the majority of the population was previously working-aged adults with few dependents, but this trend is expected to reverse soon, and it is predicted that by 2050, the older population will outnumber the young in many developed countries. Growing global population As of 2025, there are 8.1 billion people living on the planet, and this is expected to reach more than nine billion before 2040. Moreover, the global population is expected to reach 10 billions around 2060, before slowing and then even falling slightly by 2100. As the population growth rates indicate, a significant share of the population increase will happen in Africa.

In terms of population size, the sex ratio in the United States favors females, although the gender gap is remaining stable. In 2010, there were around 5.17 million more women, with the difference projected to decrease to around 3 million by 2027.

Gender ratios by U.S. state In the United States, the resident population was estimated to be around 331.89 million in 2021. The gender distribution of the nation has remained steady for several years, with women accounting for approximately 51.1 percent of the population since 2013. Females outnumbered males in the majority of states across the country in 2020, and there were eleven states where the gender ratio favored men.

Metro areas by population National differences between male and female populations can also be analyzed by metropolitan areas. In general, a metropolitan area is a region with a main city at its center and adjacent communities that are all connected by social and economic factors. The largest metro areas in the U.S. are New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. In 2019, there were more women than men in all three of those areas, but Jackson, Missouri was the metro area with the highest share of female population.

United States US: Population: Female: Aged 15-64 data was reported at 106,545,028.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 106,254,414.000 Person for 2016. United States US: Population: Female: Aged 15-64 data is updated yearly, averaging 81,112,897.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 106,545,028.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 54,897,168.000 Person in 1960. United States US: Population: Female: Aged 15-64 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Female population between the ages 15 to 64. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; World Bank staff estimates using the World Bank's total population and age/sex distributions of the United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Sum; Relevance to gender indicator: Knowing how many girls, adolescents and women there are in a population helps a country in determining its provision of services.

The average for 2023 based on 47 countries was 51.06 percent. The highest value was in Moldova: 53.98 percent and the lowest value was in Malta: 48.11 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Users can access data related to international women’s health as well as data on population and families, education, work, power and decision making, violence against women, poverty, and environment. Background World’s Women Reports are prepared by the Statistics Division of the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). Reports are produced in five year intervals and began in 1990. A major theme of the reports is comparing women’s situation globally to that of men in a variety of fields. Health data is available related to life expectancy, cause of death, chronic disease, HIV/AIDS, prenatal care, maternal morbidity, reproductive health, contraceptive use, induced abortion, mortality of children under 5, and immunization. User functionality Users can download full text or specific chapter versions of the reports in color and black and white. A limited number of graphs are available for download directly from the website. Topics include obesity and underweight children. Data Notes The report and data tables are available for download in PDF format. The next report is scheduled to be released in 2015. The most recent report was released in 2010.

Population ages 20-24, female (% of female population) in World was reported at 7.4262 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. World - Population ages 20-24, female (% of female population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Female life expectancy is forecast to increase in every world region from 2023 to 2050, underlining the challenges of an aging population in several countries. Australia and New Zealand were forecast to have the highest female life expectancy at birth in 2050, reaching 88.5 years. On the other hand, Sub-Saharan Africa was forecast to have the lowest, below 70 years.

As of 2024, the share of internet users in the CIS region (Commonwealth of Independent States) was the highest in the world, with 91 percent of the female population and 93 percent of the male population accessing the internet. As of the same year, there were 90 percent female and 92 percent male internet users in Europe, making it the second region worldwide by internet usage. Africa was the region where internet access was the lowest. Share of female and male internet users worldwide There are still disparities between the internet access rates of male and female online users in global regions. According to the latest data, 34 percent of Africa’s female population had online access, compared to 45 percent of men. Whereas in the Americas, the share of male and female internet users was the same, 83 percent. There was also a big difference in the share of female and male internet users in the Arab States. In the region, 65 percent of women had access to the internet, whereas the share of the male population using the internet was 75 percent. The gender gap was also seen in mobile internet usage in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). Internet access and SDGs As of 2022, Africa’s online access rate was the lowest worldwide, with estimates showing that just over 30 percent of the total population was using the internet. By comparison, the global average online usage rate was 51 percent. This technological gap between Africa and the rest of the world highlights the need for continued investment in information and communication technologies on the continent, as such processes can speed up progress towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations. The Sustainable Development Goals, also known as the Global Goals, are a worldwide agenda to protect the planet, end poverty, and ensure global peace and prosperity. ICTs, especially mobile internet, contribute to the goals by enabling countries to participate in digital economies as well as empowering individuals to access crucial information and services. However, almost 40 percent of the world was not using the internet as of 2021. Particularly disenfranchised groups were frequently excluded from digital society, including women and girls, people with disabilities, elders, indigenous populations, people living in poverty, and inhabitants of least developed or developing countries. The digital gender gap was another obstacle for women to overcome on a global level to achieve economic advancement which would ultimately also benefit their communities.

Today, globally, women of childbearing age have an average of approximately 2.2 children over the course of their lifetime. In pre-industrial times, most women could expect to have somewhere between five and ten live births throughout their lifetime; however, the demographic transition then sees fertility rates fall significantly. Looking ahead, it is believed that the global fertility rate will fall below replacement level in the 2050s, which will eventually lead to population decline when life expectancy plateaus. Recent decades Between the 1950s and 1970s, the global fertility rate was roughly five children per woman - this was partly due to the post-WWII baby boom in many countries, on top of already-high rates in less-developed countries. The drop around 1960 can be attributed to China's "Great Leap Forward", where famine and disease in the world's most populous country saw the global fertility rate drop by roughly 0.5 children per woman. Between the 1970s and today, fertility rates fell consistently, although the rate of decline noticeably slowed as the baby boomer generation then began having their own children. Replacement level fertility Replacement level fertility, i.e. the number of children born per woman that a population needs for long-term stability, is approximately 2.1 children per woman. Populations may continue to grow naturally despite below-replacement level fertility, due to reduced mortality and increased life expectancy, however, these will plateau with time and then population decline will occur. It is believed that the global fertility rate will drop below replacement level in the mid-2050s, although improvements in healthcare and living standards will see population growth continue into the 2080s when the global population will then start falling.

Since 2000, employment-to-population ratio worldwide was constantly significantly higher among men than among women. Whereas more than ********** of men were estimated to be employed worldwide in 2025, less than **** of women were the same. Moreover, employment rates among both genders fell over the time period, with the decrease being larger among men.