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.

The number of young women between the ages of 15 and 49 is expected to increase worldwide between 2013 and 2025. In 2013, the total number of women globally was 1.8 billion and that is expected to increase to almost 2 billion by 2025. The U.S. accounts for a small proportion of the total number of women globally at just 74.7 million in 2013.

Global demographics

Most recent estimates place the total global population at approximately 7.7 billion people. In mid-2018 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 56 percent and 68 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 2015 was Sierra Leone. The country with the highest estimated birth rate between 2015 and 2020 is expected to be Niger, which is also among the countries with the highest maternal mortality rate. Among developed nations, the United States had the highest maternal mortality rate in 2015.

Population ages 50-54, female (% of female population) in World was reported at 5.738 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. World - Population ages 50-54, female (% of female population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

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 March of 2025.

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.

United States US: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 15-64 data was reported at 64.768 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 65.038 % for 2016. United States US: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 15-64 data is updated yearly, averaging 64.683 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 66.046 % in 2009 and a record low of 59.938 % in 1962. United States US: Population: as % of Total: 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 as a percentage of the total female population. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age/sex distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Weighted average; 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.

About this dataset

Context

The dataset tabulates the population of Globe by gender across 18 age groups. It lists the male and female population in each age group along with the gender ratio for Globe. The dataset can be utilized to understand the population distribution of Globe by gender and age. For example, using this dataset, we can identify the largest age group for both Men and Women in Globe. Additionally, it can be used to see how the gender ratio changes from birth to senior most age group and male to female ratio across each age group for Globe.

Key observations

Largest age group (population): Male # 20-24 years (347) | Female # 50-54 years (433). Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2017-2021 5-Year Estimates.

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2017-2021 5-Year Estimates.

Age groups:

• Under 5 years
• 5 to 9 years
• 10 to 14 years
• 15 to 19 years
• 20 to 24 years
• 25 to 29 years
• 30 to 34 years
• 35 to 39 years
• 40 to 44 years
• 45 to 49 years
• 50 to 54 years
• 55 to 59 years
• 60 to 64 years
• 65 to 69 years
• 70 to 74 years
• 75 to 79 years
• 80 to 84 years
• 85 years and over

Scope of gender :

Please note that American Community Survey asks a question about the respondents current sex, but not about gender, sexual orientation, or sex at birth. The question is intended to capture data for biological sex, not gender. Respondents are supposed to respond with the answer as either of Male or Female. Our research and this dataset mirrors the data reported as Male and Female for gender distribution analysis.

Variables / Data Columns

• Age Group: This column displays the age group for the Globe population analysis. Total expected values are 18 and are define above in the age groups section.
• Population (Male): The male population in the Globe is shown in the following column.
• Population (Female): The female population in the Globe is shown in the following column.
• Gender Ratio: Also known as the sex ratio, this column displays the number of males per 100 females in Globe for each age group.

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

Recommended for further research

This dataset is a part of the main dataset for Globe Population by Gender. You can refer the same here

Population ages 60-64, female (% of female population) in World was reported at 4.3108 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. World - Population ages 50-64, female (% of female population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March 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 55 percent. Moldova followed behind with 54 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.

United States US: Population: Female: Ages 60-64: % of Female Population data was reported at 6.224 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 6.143 % for 2016. United States US: Population: Female: Ages 60-64: % of Female Population data is updated yearly, averaging 4.552 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6.224 % in 2017 and a record low of 3.843 % in 1997. United States US: Population: Female: Ages 60-64: % 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 60 to 64 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.; ;

United States US: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 65 and Above data was reported at 16.925 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 16.550 % for 2016. United States US: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 65 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 14.035 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 16.925 % in 2017 and a record low of 10.023 % in 1960. United States US: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 65 and Above 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 65 years of age or older as a percentage of the total female population. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age/sex distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Weighted average; 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.

Female population of Thailand grew by 0.08% from 51.5 % in 2023 to 51.5 % in 2024. Since the 0.08% climb in 2014, female population climb by 0.92% in 2024. Annual data series are interpolated from 5-year period data. Therefore they may not reflect real events as much as observed data.

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.

Population ages 60-64, female (% of female population) in Georgia was reported at 6.9111 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Georgia - Population ages 50-64, female (% of female population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

Population ages 35-39, female (% of female population) in Sweden was reported at 6.5525 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Sweden - Population ages 35-39, female (% of female population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

Population ages 40-44, female (% of female population) in North America was reported at 6.4061 % in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. North America - Population ages 40-44, female (% of female population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

Palau Population: as % of Female Population: Female: Aged 15-64: Ages 15-19 data was reported at 7.060 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 6.822 % for 2022. Palau Population: as % of Female Population: Female: Aged 15-64: Ages 15-19 data is updated yearly, averaging 8.636 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12.259 % in 1970 and a record low of 6.098 % in 2018. Palau Population: as % of Female Population: Female: Aged 15-64: Ages 15-19 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Palau – Table PW.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Female population between the ages 15 to 19 as a percentage of the total female population.;United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2024 Revision.;;

Population ages 15-19, female (% of female population) in Indonesia was reported at 8.0323 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Indonesia - Population ages 15-19, female (% of female population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March 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 one quarter of the total population being women. The United Arab Emirates followed with 36 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 male is due to the high immigration flows of male labor in the country.

Cayman Islands Population: as % of Female Population: Female: Aged 65 and Above data was reported at 9.235 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 8.771 % for 2022. Cayman Islands Population: as % of Female Population: Female: Aged 65 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 7.131 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 9.235 % in 2023 and a record low of 5.695 % in 2009. Cayman Islands Population: as % of Female Population: Female: Aged 65 and Above data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Cayman Islands – Table KY.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Female population 65 years of age or older as a percentage of the total female population. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.;United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2024 Revision.;Weighted average;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.