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.

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.

Chart and table of World population from 1950 to 2025. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100.

Here we present the MCMC chains for the accompanying paper entitled "Unveiling the Planet Population at Birth". Three files are included associated with each model from the analysis.

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.

Global biodiversity is facing a crisis, which must be solved through effective policies and on-the-ground conservation. But governments, NGOs, and scientists need reliable indicators to guide research, conservation actions, and policy decisions. Developing reliable indicators is challenging because the data underlying those tools is incomplete and biased. For example, the Living Planet Index tracks the changing status of global vertebrate biodiversity, but taxonomic, geographic and temporal gaps and biases are present in the aggregated data used to calculate trends. But without a basis for real-world comparison, there is no way to directly assess an indicator's accuracy or reliability. Instead, a modelling approach can be used.

We developed a model of trend reliability, using simulated datasets as stand-ins for the "real world", degraded samples as stand-ins for indicator datasets (e.g. the Living Planet Database), and a distance measure to quantify reliability by comparing sampled to unsampled trends. The model revealed that the proportion of species represented in the database is not always indicative of trend reliability. Important factors are the number and length of time series, as well as their mean growth rates and variance in their growth rates, both within and between time series. We found that many trends in the Living Planet Index need more data to be considered reliable, particularly trends across the global south. In general, bird trends are the most reliable, while reptile and amphibian trends are most in need of additional data. We simulated three different solutions for reducing data deficiency, and found that collating existing data (where available) is the most efficient way to improve trend reliability, and that revisiting previously-studied populations is a quick and efficient way to improve trend reliability until new long-term studies can be completed and made available.

The statistic shows the development of the world population from 1950 to 2050. The world population was around 7.38 billion people in 2015.

The global population

As shown above, the total number of people living on Earth has more than doubled since the 1950s, and continues to increase. A look at the development of the world population since the beginning of the Common Era shows that such a surge in numbers is unprecedented. The first significant rise in population occurred during the 14th century, after the Black Death had killed approximately 25 million people worldwide. Subsequently, the global population increased slowly but steadily until it reached record numbers between 1950 and 2000.

The majority of the global population lives on the Asian continent, as a statistic of the world population by continent shows. In around 100 years, it is estimated that population levels on the African continent will have reached similar levels to those we see in Asia today. As for a forecast of the development of the world population, the figures are estimated to have reached more than 10 billion by the 22nd century.

Growing population numbers pose an increasing risk to the planet, since rocketing numbers equal increased consumption of food and resources. Scientists worry that natural resources, such as oil, and food resources will become scarce, endangering the human race and, even more so, the world’s ecosystem. Nowadays, the number of undernourished / starving people worldwide has decreased slightly, but forecasts paint a darker picture.

We present results from an extensive search in the literature and Gaia DR2 for visual co-moving binary companions to stars hosting exoplanets and brown dwarfs within 200 pc. We found 218 planet hosts out of the 938 in our sample to be part of multiple-star systems, with 10 newly discovered binaries and 2 new tertiary stellar components. This represents an overall raw multiplicity rate of 23.2 ± 1.6 % for hosts to exoplanets across all spectral types, with multi-planet systems found to have a lower stellar duplicity frequency at the 2.2-σ level. We found that more massive hosts are more often in binary configurations, and that planet-bearing stars in multiple systems are predominantly observed to be the most massive component of stellar binaries. Investigations of the multiplicity of planetary systems as a function of planet mass and separation revealed that giant planets with masses above 0.1 MJup are more frequently seen in stellar binaries than small sub-Jovian planets with a 3.6-σ difference, a trend enhanced for the most massive (>7 MJup) short-period (

This is the first chapter in Living in the Age of Humans, a series of stories examining the planet-wide impacts of our species. In "The Human Reach," we'll explore, through visually striking maps and graphics, how humankind has reshaped the planet in its image. Data:Esri World ImageryGPW Population Density 2015 (1km grid)Urban Agglomeration Populations: 1950-2035Earth at Night (2016)World RoadsGlobal Shipping Routes (2004)Submarine Cables and Terminals (2018)Global Airline RoutesThe Human Footprint (2009)

This dataset contains key characteristics about the data described in the Data Descriptor Population Centroids of the World Administrative Units from Nighttime Lights 1992-2013. Contents:

    1. human readable metadata summary table in CSV format


    2. machine readable metadata file in JSON format 


      Versioning Note:Version 2 was generated when the metadata format was updated from JSON to JSON-LD. This was an automatic process that changed only the format, not the contents, of the metadata.

Until the 1800s, population growth was incredibly slow on a global level. The global population was estimated to have been around 188 million people in the year 1CE, and did not reach one billion until around 1803. However, since the 1800s, a phenomenon known as the demographic transition has seen population growth skyrocket, reaching eight billion people in 2023, and this is expected to peak at over 10 billion in the 2080s.

The average for 2023 based on 196 countries was 0.51 percent. The highest value was in India: 17.91 percent and the lowest value was in Andorra: 0 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Planet formation leads to two detectable outcomes planets and debris disks. No correlation between these outcomes has been found for main sequence FGK stars. However, planet formation outcome depends on spectral type. Furthermore, the higher incidence of both planets and debris for A stars makes correlations easier to detect. We propose to test for a debrisplanet correlation around A stars, by observing 36 subgiants (retired A stars) with PACS to search for debris disk emission. All of these stars have been searched for planets, and 18 have detections. Our population models, calibrated to main sequence disk evolution statistics, predict that we should detect disks toward 23% of our sample. Comparison of debris incidences in the planet and control samples will quantify any debrisplanet correlation, which would provide valuable constraints for planet formation models. Even without such a correlation, we expect to find 4 debrisplanet systems, adding to the 10 currently known, which would provide a significant advance in our understanding of the dynamics of planetdisk interactions, and so of how these systems could have formed. Also, since the postmain sequence debris disk population is currently poorly known, any disk discovery (or lack of it) will provide important new constraints on the evolution of debris in this phase. truncated!, Please see actual data for full text [truncated!, Please see actual data for full text]

Chart and table of World population density from 1950 to 2025. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100.

Exoplanets around nearby small stars present the best opportunity for futureatmospheric studies with the James Webb Space Telescope and the ground basedELTs under construction. The MEarth Project has discovered a rocky planet with aperiod of 24.73 days residing in the habitable zone of the nearby, spun downstar LHS 1140. We seek to detect the high energy emission from LHS 1140 in orderto constrain atmospheric escape and aid future studies of LHS 1140bsatmosphere, which are already planned in the JWST GTO program. In addition, LHS1140 is representative of the low mass, slowly rotating population of M dwarfsin the Milky Way. A deep Xray exposure on this extremum of the stellarpopulation will shed insight into the magnetic dynamo and high energy processes ongoing in these stars. truncated!, Please see actual data for full text [truncated!, Please see actual data for full text]

Humans need food, shelter, and water to survive. Our planet provides the resources to help fulfill these needs and many more. But exactly how much of an impact are we making on our planet? And will we reach a point at which the Earth can no longer support our growing population?Just like a bank account tracks money spent and earned, the relationship between human consumption of resources and the number of resources the Earth can supply—our human footprint—can be measured. Our human footprint can be calculated for an individual, town, or country, and quantifies the intensity of human pressures on the environment. The Human Footprint map layer is designed to do this by deriving a value representing the magnitude of the human footprint per one square kilometer (0.39 square miles) for every biome.This map layer was created by scientists with data from NASA's Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center to highlight where human pressures are most extreme in hopes to reduce environmental damage. The Human Footprint map asks the question, where are the least influenced, most “wild” parts of the world?The Human Footprint map was produced by combining thirteen global data layers that spatially visualize what is presumed to be the most prominent ways humans influence the environment. These layers include human population pressure (population density), human land use and infrastructure (built-up areas, nighttime lights, land use/land cover), and human access (coastlines, roads, railroads, navigable rivers). Based on the amount of overlap between layers, each square kilometer value is scaled between zero and one for each biome. Meaning that if an area in a Moist Tropical Forest biome scored a value of one, that square kilometer of land is part of the one percent least influenced/most wild area in its biome. Knowing this, we can help preserve the more wild areas in every biome, while also highlighting where to start mitigating human pressures in areas with high human footprints.So how can you reduce your individual human footprint? Here are just a few ways:Recycle: Recycling helps conserve resources, reduces water and air pollution, and helps save space in overcrowded landfills.Use less water: The average American uses 310 liters (82 gallons) of water a day. Reduce water consumption by taking shorter showers, turning off the water when brushing your teeth, avoiding pouring excess drinking water down the sink, and washing fruits and vegetables in a bowl of water rather than under the tap.Reduce driving: When you can, walk, bike, or take a bus instead of driving. Even 3 kilometers (2 miles) in a car puts about two pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. If you must drive, try to carpool to reduce pollution. Lastly, skip the drive-through. You pollute more when you sit in a line while your car is emitting pollutant gases.Know how much you’re consuming: Most people are unaware of how much they are consuming every day. Calculate your individual ecological footprint to see how you can reduce your consumption here.Systemic implications: Individually, we are a rounding error. Take some time to understand how our individual actions can inform more systemic changes that may ultimately have a bigger impact on reducing humanity's overarching footprint.

Open and free data for assessing the human presence on the planet.

The Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) project produces global spatial information, evidence-based analytics, and knowledge describing the human presence on the planet. The GHSL relies on the design and implementation of spatial data processing technologies that allow automatic data analytics and information extraction from large amounts of heterogeneous geospatial data including global, fine-scale satellite image data streams, census data, and crowd sourced or volunteered geographic information sources.

The JRC, together with the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) and Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS) are working towards a regular and operational monitoring of global built-up and population based on the processing of Sentinel Earth Observation data produced by European Copernicus space program. In addition, the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) undertakes activities related to user uptake of data, information and services.

Open and free data for assessing the human presence on the planet.

The Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) project produces global spatial information, evidence-based analytics, and knowledge describing the human presence on the planet. The GHSL relies on the design and implementation of spatial data processing technologies that allow automatic data analytics and information extraction from large amounts of heterogeneous geospatial data including global, fine-scale satellite image data streams, census data, and crowd sourced or volunteered geographic information sources.

The JRC, together with the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) and Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS) are working towards a regular and operational monitoring of global built-up and population based on the processing of Sentinel Earth Observation data produced by European Copernicus space program. In addition, the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) undertakes activities related to user uptake of data, information and services.

All cities with a population > 1000 or seats of adm div (ca 80.000)Sources and ContributionsSources : GeoNames is aggregating over hundred different data sources. Ambassadors : GeoNames Ambassadors help in many countries. Wiki : A wiki allows to view the data and quickly fix error and add missing places. Donations and Sponsoring : Costs for running GeoNames are covered by donations and sponsoring.Enrichment:add country name

Human-induced environmental changes have a direct impact on species populations, with some species experiencing declines while others display population growth. Understanding why and how species populations respond differently to environmental changes is fundamental to mitigate and predict future biodiversity changes. Theoretically, species life-history strategies are key determinants shaping the response of populations to environmental impacts. Despite this, the association between species' life-histories and the response of populations to environmental changes has not been tested. In this study, we analysed the effects of recent land-cover and temperature changes on rates of population change of 1,072 populations recorded in the Living Planet Database. We selected populations with at least 5 yearly consecutive records (after imputation of missing population estimates) between 1992 and 2016, and for which we achieved high population imputation accuracy (in the cases where missing values had to be imputed). These populations were distributed across 553 different locations and included 461 terrestrial amniote vertebrate species (273 birds, 137 mammals, and 51 reptiles) with different life-history strategies. We showed that populations of fast-lived species inhabiting areas that have experienced recent expansion of cropland or bare soil present positive population trends on average, whereas slow-lived species display negative population trends. Although these findings support previous hypotheses that fast-lived species are better adapted to recover their populations after an environmental perturbation, the sensitivity analysis revealed that model outcomes are strongly influenced by the addition or exclusion of populations with extreme rates of change. Therefore, the results should be interpreted with caution. With climate and land-use changes likely to increase in the future, establishing clear links between species characteristics and responses to these threats is fundamental for designing and conducting conservation actions. The results of this study can aid in evaluating population sensitivity, assessing the likely conservation status of species with poor data coverage, and predicting future scenarios of biodiversity change.