The world's population first reached one billion people in 1803, and reach eight billion in 2023, and will peak at almost 11 billion by the end of the century. Although it took thousands of years to reach one billion people, it did so at the beginning of a phenomenon known as the demographic transition; from this point onwards, population growth has skyrocketed, and since the 1960s the population has increased by one billion people every 12 to 15 years. The demographic transition sees a sharp drop in mortality due to factors such as vaccination, sanitation, and improved food supply; the population boom that follows is due to increased survival rates among children and higher life expectancy among the general population; and fertility then drops in response to this population growth. Regional differences The demographic transition is a global phenomenon, but it has taken place at different times across the world. The industrialized countries of Europe and North America were the first to go through this process, followed by some states in the Western Pacific. Latin America's population then began growing at the turn of the 20th century, but the most significant period of global population growth occurred as Asia progressed in the late-1900s. As of the early 21st century, almost two thirds of the world's population live in Asia, although this is set to change significantly in the coming decades. Future growth The growth of Africa's population, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, will have the largest impact on global demographics in this century. From 2000 to 2100, it is expected that Africa's population will have increased by a factor of almost five. It overtook Europe in size in the late 1990s, and overtook the Americas a decade later. In contrast to Africa, Europe's population is now in decline, as birth rates are consistently below death rates in many countries, especially in the south and east, resulting in natural population decline. Similarly, the population of the Americas and Asia are expected to go into decline in the second half of this century, and only Oceania's population will still be growing alongside Africa. By 2100, the world's population will have over three billion more than today, with the vast majority of this concentrated in Africa. Demographers predict that climate change is exacerbating many of the challenges that currently hinder progress in Africa, such as political and food instability; if Africa's transition is prolonged, then it may result in further population growth that would place a strain on the region's resources, however, curbing this growth earlier would alleviate some of the pressure created by climate change.

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.

This statistic shows the total population of the European Union from 2010 to 2023. The population is based on data from the most recent census adjusted by the components of population change produced since the last census, or based on population registers. At the beginning of 2023, the total population of the European Union amounted to approximately 448.38 million inhabitants. See figures for the total population by continent here. The global population The global population is rapidly increasing. Between 1990 and 2015, the global population has increased by around 2 billion people, and it is estimated to have increased by another 1 billion people by 2030. Asia is the continent in the world with the largest population, followed by Africa and Europe. Asia has the two most populous nations in the world: China and India. In 2014, the combined population in China and India amounted to more than 2.6 billion people. The total population in Europe is around 741 million people. As of 2014, about 10.2 percent of the global population lived in Europe. Europe is the continent with the second highest life expectancy at birth in the world. Born in 2013, the average European was estimated to live for around 78 years. Stable economies as well as developing and emerging markets in Europe provide for good living conditions for foreign nationals; seven of the top twenty countries in the world with the largest gross domestic product in 2024 are located in Europe.

Graph and download economic data for Fertility Rate, Total for the European Union (SPDYNTFRTINEUU) from 1960 to 2023 about fertility, EU, Europe, and rate.

In the middle of 2023, about 60 percent of the global population was living in Asia.The total world population amounted to 8.1 billion people on the planet. In other words 4.7 billion people were living in Asia as of 2023. Global populationDue to medical advances, better living conditions and the increase of agricultural productivity, the world population increased rapidly over the past century, and is expected to continue to grow. After reaching eight billion in 2023, the global population is estimated to pass 10 billion by 2060. Africa expected to drive population increase Most of the future population increase is expected to happen in Africa. The countries with the highest population growth rate in 2024 were mostly African countries. While around 1.47 billion people live on the continent as of 2024, this is forecast to grow to 3.9 billion by 2100. This is underlined by the fact that most of the countries wit the highest population growth rate are found in Africa. The growing population, in combination with climate change, puts increasing pressure on the world's resources.

The average for 2021 based on 27 countries was 0.01 percent. The highest value was in Romania: 0.04 percent and the lowest value was in Austria: 0 percent. The indicator is available from 1980 to 2021. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Key information about EU Unemployment Rate

• EU Unemployment Rate remained the same at 5.80% in Jan 2025, from the previously reported figure of 5.80% in Dec 2024.
• EU Unemployment Rate is updated monthly, available from Jan 2000 to Jan 2025, with an average rate of 9.30%.
• The data reached an all-time high of 11.70% in May 2013 and a record low of 5.80% in Jan 2025.
• The data is reported by reported by Eurostat.
• In the latest reports, EU Population reached 449.31 million people in Dec 2023.

The average for 2021 based on 27 countries was 24.5 percent. The highest value was in Denmark: 58.9 percent and the lowest value was in Sweden: 6.2 percent. The indicator is available from 1961 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Adolescent fertility rate (births per 1,000 women ages 15-19) in European Union was reported at 6.664 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. European Union - Adolescent fertility rate (births per 1,000 women ages 15-19) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

The average for 2021 based on 25 countries was 24.17 percent. The highest value was in Bulgaria: 29.9 percent and the lowest value was in Slovakia: 19.1 percent. The indicator is available from 1963 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Imports: swda: EU 27E: Brazil: Total data was reported at 3.890 EUR bn in Feb 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 3.907 EUR bn for Jan 2025. Imports: swda: EU 27E: Brazil: Total data is updated monthly, averaging 2.357 EUR bn from Jan 2002 (Median) to Feb 2025, with 278 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5.042 EUR bn in Jun 2022 and a record low of 1.220 EUR bn in Jan 2002. Imports: swda: EU 27E: Brazil: Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Eurostat. The data is categorized under Global Database’s European Union – Table EU.JA028: Eurostat: Trade Statistics: By SITC: European Union: Brazil.

Graph and download economic data for Fertility Rate, Total for Developing Countries in Europe and Central Asia (SPDYNTFRTINECA) from 1960 to 2023 about Central Asia, fertility, Europe, and rate.

The average for 2022 based on 195 countries was 18.38 births per 1000 people. The highest value was in Niger: 45.03 births per 1000 people and the lowest value was in Hong Kong: 4.4 births per 1000 people. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Graph and download economic data for Literacy Rate, Adult Total for the Euro Area (SEADTLITRZSEMU) from 1988 to 2016 about literacy, adult, Euro Area, Europe, and rate.

The average for 2020 based on 32 countries was 2.47 percent. The highest value was in Croatia: 9.72 percent and the lowest value was in Russia: 0.33 percent. The indicator is available from 1995 to 2020. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Urban population (% of total population) in European Union was reported at 75.7 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. European Union - Urban population (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Imports: EU 27E: Brazil: Food and Live Animals Chiefly for Food data was reported at 1.116 EUR bn in Feb 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.063 EUR bn for Jan 2025. Imports: EU 27E: Brazil: Food and Live Animals Chiefly for Food data is updated monthly, averaging 0.690 EUR bn from Jan 2002 (Median) to Feb 2025, with 278 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.591 EUR bn in Aug 2022 and a record low of 0.331 EUR bn in Feb 2003. Imports: EU 27E: Brazil: Food and Live Animals Chiefly for Food data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Eurostat. The data is categorized under Global Database’s European Union – Table EU.JA028: Eurostat: Trade Statistics: By SITC: European Union: Brazil.

The number of social media users in Central & Western Europe was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 43.4 million users (+19.56 percent). After the ninth consecutive increasing year, the social media user base is estimated to reach 265.37 million users and therefore a new peak in 2029. Notably, the number of social media users of was continuously increasing over the past years.The shown figures regarding social media users have been derived from survey data that has been processed to estimate missing demographics.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in up to 150 countries and regions worldwide. All indicators are sourced from international and national statistical offices, trade associations and the trade press and they are processed to generate comparable data sets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).Find more key insights for the number of social media users in countries like Russia and Northern Europe.

Imports: swda: EU 27E: Brazil: Miscellaneous Manufactured Articles data was reported at 0.072 EUR bn in Feb 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.075 EUR bn for Jan 2025. Imports: swda: EU 27E: Brazil: Miscellaneous Manufactured Articles data is updated monthly, averaging 0.049 EUR bn from Jan 2002 (Median) to Feb 2025, with 278 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.086 EUR bn in Dec 2021 and a record low of 0.031 EUR bn in May 2014. Imports: swda: EU 27E: Brazil: Miscellaneous Manufactured Articles data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Eurostat. The data is categorized under Global Database’s European Union – Table EU.JA028: Eurostat: Trade Statistics: By SITC: European Union: Brazil.

Imports: EU 27E: South Korea: Other Manufactured Products data was reported at 1.141 EUR bn in Feb 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1.169 EUR bn for Jan 2025. Imports: EU 27E: South Korea: Other Manufactured Products data is updated monthly, averaging 0.615 EUR bn from Jan 2002 (Median) to Feb 2025, with 278 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.479 EUR bn in Oct 2024 and a record low of 0.237 EUR bn in Dec 2002. Imports: EU 27E: South Korea: Other Manufactured Products data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Eurostat. The data is categorized under Global Database’s European Union – Table EU.JA044: Eurostat: Trade Statistics: By SITC: European Union: South Korea.