Before 2025, the world's total population is expected to reach eight billion. Furthermore, it is predicted to reach over 10 billion in 2060, before slowing again as global birth rates are expected to decrease. Moreover, it is still unclear to what extent global warming will have an impact on population development. A high share of the population increase is expected to happen on the African continent.

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.

Population growth (annual %) in World was reported at 0.9512 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. World - Population growth (annual %) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Until 2100, the world's population is expected to be ageing. Whereas people over 60 years made up less than 13 percent of the world's population in 2024, this share is estimated to reach 28.8 percent in 2100. On the other hand, the share of people between zero and 14 years was expected to decrease by almost ten percentage points over the same period.

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.

ABOUT

The Global Population Growth Dataset provides a comprehensive record of population trends across various countries over multiple decades. It includes detailed information such as the country name, ISO3 country code, year-wise population data, population growth, and growth rate. This dataset is valuable for researchers, demographers, policymakers, and data analysts interested in studying population dynamics, demographic trends, and economic development.

Key features of the dataset:

✅ Covers multiple countries and regions worldwide
✅ Includes historical and recent population data
✅ Provides year-wise population growth and growth rate (%)
✅ Categorizes data by country and decade for better trend analysis

This dataset serves as a crucial resource for analyzing global population trends, understanding demographic shifts, and supporting socio-economic research and policy-making.

FILE INFORMATION

The dataset consists of structured records related to country-wise population data, compiled from official sources. Each file contains information on yearly population figures, growth trends, and country-specific data. The structured format makes it useful for researchers, economists, and data scientists studying demographic patterns and changes. The file type is CSV.

COLUMNS DESCRIPTION

• Country – The name of the country.
• ISO3 – The three-letter ISO code of the country.
• Year – The year corresponding to the population data, useful for trend analysis.
• Population – The total population of the country for the given year.
• Population Growth – The absolute increase in population compared to the previous year.
• Growth Rate (%) – The percentage change in population compared to the previous year.
• Decade – The decade classification (e.g., 1990s, 2000s) for grouping long-term trends.

Graph and download economic data for Population Growth for Developing Countries in Middle East and North Africa (SPPOPGROWMNA) from 1961 to 2023 about North Africa, Middle East, population, and rate.

The Global One-Eighth Degree Population Base Year and Projection Grids Based on the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways, Revision 01, data set consists of global urban, rural, and total population data for the base year 2000, and population projections at ten-year intervals for 2010-2100 at a resolution of one-eighth degree (7.5 arc-minutes), consistent both quantitatively and qualitatively with the SSPs. Spatial demographic data are key inputs for the analysis of land use, energy use, and emissions, as well as for the assessment of climate change vulnerability, impacts, and adaptation. The SSPs are developed to support future climate and global change research and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6).

The West Africa Coastal Vulnerability Mapping: Population Projections, 2030 and 2050 data set is based on an unreleased working version of the Gridded Population of the World (GPW), Version 4, year 2010 population count raster but at a coarser 5 arc-minute resolution. Bryan Jones of Baruch College produced country-level projections based on the Shared Socioeconomic Pathway 4 (SSP4). SSP4 reflects a divided world where cities that have relatively high standards of living, are attractive to internal and international migrants. In low income countries, rapidly growing rural populations live on shrinking areas of arable land due to both high population pressure and expansion of large-scale mechanized farming by international agricultural firms. This pressure induces large migration flow to the cities, contributing to fast urbanization, although urban areas do not provide many opportUnities for the poor and there is a massive expansion of slums and squatter settlements. This scenario may not be the most likely for the West Africa region, but it has internal coherence and is at least plausible.

This statistic shows the 20 countries with the highest population growth rate in 2024. In SouthSudan, the population grew by about 4.65 percent compared to the previous year, making it the country with the highest population growth rate in 2024. The global population Today, the global population amounts to around 7 billion people, i.e. the total number of living humans on Earth. More than half of the global population is living in Asia, while one quarter of the global population resides in Africa. High fertility rates in Africa and Asia, a decline in the mortality rates and an increase in the median age of the world population all contribute to the global population growth. Statistics show that the global population is subject to increase by almost 4 billion people by 2100. The global population growth is a direct result of people living longer because of better living conditions and a healthier nutrition. Three out of five of the most populous countries in the world are located in Asia. Ultimately the highest population growth rate is also found there, the country with the highest population growth rate is Syria. This could be due to a low infant mortality rate in Syria or the ever -expanding tourism sector.

Poland PL: Population Projection: Mid Year data was reported at 32,738,308.000 Person in 2050. This records a decrease from the previous number of 32,981,966.000 Person for 2049. Poland PL: Population Projection: Mid Year data is updated yearly, averaging 36,438,155.000 Person from Jun 1950 (Median) to 2050, with 101 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 38,668,755.000 Person in 1998 and a record low of 24,824,000.000 Person in 1950. Poland PL: Population Projection: Mid Year data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Poland – Table PL.US Census Bureau: Demographic Projection.

Graph and download economic data for Population Growth for High Income Countries (SPPOPGROWHIC) from 1961 to 2024 about income, population, and rate.

Australia Population Projection: Mid Year: Growth data was reported at 0.300 % in 2100. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.300 % for 2099. Australia Population Projection: Mid Year: Growth data is updated yearly, averaging 0.750 % from Jun 1986 (Median) to 2100, with 115 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.230 % in 2008 and a record low of 0.300 % in 2100. Australia Population Projection: Mid Year: Growth data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by U.S. Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.US Census Bureau: Demographic Projection.

United States US: Population Projection: Mid Year data was reported at 420,267,733.000 Person in 2060. This records an increase from the previous number of 418,161,420.000 Person for 2059. United States US: Population Projection: Mid Year data is updated yearly, averaging 295,516,599.000 Person from Jun 1950 (Median) to 2060, with 111 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 420,267,733.000 Person in 2060 and a record low of 151,868,000.000 Person in 1950. United States US: Population Projection: Mid Year data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.US Census Bureau: Demographic Projection.

Context

The United States Census Bureau’s international dataset provides estimates of country populations since 1950 and projections through 2050. Specifically, the dataset includes midyear population figures broken down by age and gender assignment at birth. Additionally, time-series data is provided for attributes including fertility rates, birth rates, death rates, and migration rates.

Querying BigQuery tables

You can use the BigQuery Python client library to query tables in this dataset in Kernels. Note that methods available in Kernels are limited to querying data. Tables are at bigquery-public-data.census_bureau_international.

Sample Query 1

What countries have the longest life expectancy? In this query, 2016 census information is retrieved by joining the mortality_life_expectancy and country_names_area tables for countries larger than 25,000 km2. Without the size constraint, Monaco is the top result with an average life expectancy of over 89 years!

standardSQL

SELECT age.country_name, age.life_expectancy, size.country_area FROM ( SELECT country_name, life_expectancy FROM bigquery-public-data.census_bureau_international.mortality_life_expectancy WHERE year = 2016) age INNER JOIN ( SELECT country_name, country_area FROM bigquery-public-data.census_bureau_international.country_names_area where country_area > 25000) size ON age.country_name = size.country_name ORDER BY 2 DESC /* Limit removed for Data Studio Visualization */ LIMIT 10

Sample Query 2

Which countries have the largest proportion of their population under 25? Over 40% of the world’s population is under 25 and greater than 50% of the world’s population is under 30! This query retrieves the countries with the largest proportion of young people by joining the age-specific population table with the midyear (total) population table.

standardSQL

SELECT age.country_name, SUM(age.population) AS under_25, pop.midyear_population AS total, ROUND((SUM(age.population) / pop.midyear_population) * 100,2) AS pct_under_25 FROM ( SELECT country_name, population, country_code FROM bigquery-public-data.census_bureau_international.midyear_population_agespecific WHERE year =2017 AND age < 25) age INNER JOIN ( SELECT midyear_population, country_code FROM bigquery-public-data.census_bureau_international.midyear_population WHERE year = 2017) pop ON age.country_code = pop.country_code GROUP BY 1, 3 ORDER BY 4 DESC /* Remove limit for visualization*/ LIMIT 10

Sample Query 3

The International Census dataset contains growth information in the form of birth rates, death rates, and migration rates. Net migration is the net number of migrants per 1,000 population, an important component of total population and one that often drives the work of the United Nations Refugee Agency. This query joins the growth rate table with the area table to retrieve 2017 data for countries greater than 500 km2.

SELECT growth.country_name, growth.net_migration, CAST(area.country_area AS INT64) AS country_area FROM ( SELECT country_name, net_migration, country_code FROM bigquery-public-data.census_bureau_international.birth_death_growth_rates WHERE year = 2017) growth INNER JOIN ( SELECT country_area, country_code FROM bigquery-public-data.census_bureau_international.country_names_area

Update frequency

Historic (none)

Dataset source

United States Census Bureau

Terms of use: This dataset is publicly available for anyone to use under the following terms provided by the Dataset Source - http://www.data.gov/privacy-policy#data_policy - and is provided "AS IS" without any warranty, express or implied, from Google. Google disclaims all liability for any damages, direct or indirect, resulting from the use of the dataset.

See the GCP Marketplace listing for more details and sample queries: https://console.cloud.google.com/marketplace/details/united-states-census-bureau/international-census-data

Mexico MX: Population Projection: Mid Year data was reported at 150,567,503.000 Person in 2050. This records an increase from the previous number of 150,471,915.000 Person for 2049. Mexico MX: Population Projection: Mid Year data is updated yearly, averaging 99,775,434.000 Person from Jun 1950 (Median) to 2050, with 101 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 150,567,503.000 Person in 2050 and a record low of 28,485,180.000 Person in 1950. Mexico MX: Population Projection: Mid Year data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Mexico – Table MX.US Census Bureau: Demographic Projection.

Norway NO: Population: Growth data was reported at 0.907 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.850 % for 2016. Norway NO: Population: Growth data is updated yearly, averaging 0.635 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.313 % in 2012 and a record low of 0.282 % in 1984. Norway NO: Population: Growth data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Norway – Table NO.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage . Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; Derived from total population. Population source: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision, (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

Data contains 2022 world population data publised by the UN DESA for six most populous countries of the world. File also contains the analysis of decomposition of demographic indicators on population growth.

China population growth rate for 2023 was -0.10%, a 0.09% decline from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>China population growth rate for 2022 was <strong>-0.01%</strong>, a <strong>0.1% decline</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>China population growth rate for 2021 was <strong>0.09%</strong>, a <strong>0.15% decline</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>China population growth rate for 2020 was <strong>0.24%</strong>, a <strong>0.12% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage . Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.

Historical chart and dataset showing Japan population growth rate by year from 1961 to 2023.