Population Ranking by Country
| # | Country | Population (M) | Growth % | Density | Urban % | Med. Age | Life Exp. | Fertility | Continent |
|---|
Source: based on UN World Population Prospects estimates; figures are a static snapshot and may differ from the latest revision.
Top 15 Countries by Population
Population Growth Rate by Country
Compare Countries
About this world population table
World Population Data lists 30 populous countries with seven demographic indicators each: population in millions, annual growth rate, density in people per km², the share of people living in urban areas, median age, life expectancy at birth and total fertility rate, plus the continent. It is handy for homework, quick fact checks, or seeing how ageing and fast-growing societies differ. In this dataset, for example, Japan's median age is 48.7 while Nigeria's is 17.2.
How to use the page
- Scroll the Population Ranking by Country table. It starts sorted by population, largest first.
- Click a column heading such as Growth %, Density, Urban %, Med. Age, Life Exp. or Fertility to sort by it; click again to reverse. Numeric columns sort highest first, Country and Continent alphabetically.
- Type part of a name into Search country, or choose a region in the continent menu, to narrow the table.
- Read the two charts: Top 15 Countries by Population, and Population Growth Rate by Country, where green bars are growing populations and red bars shrinking ones.
- Under Compare Countries, tap two to five country chips (China, India and the United States start selected) to plot population, urban share, life expectancy and fertility side by side.
How the numbers and charts are produced
All country figures sit in a JavaScript array inside the page, and sorting, filtering and the rank badges are calculated in your browser. The badge in the # column is always the country's position by population within this 30-country list, whichever column you sort by. Charts are drawn with Chart.js 4.4.7, which your browser loads from cdn.jsdelivr.net when the page opens. Your searches and selections are not sent anywhere or stored.
The comparison chart puts different measures on one axis, so fertility is multiplied by 10 to keep its bars visible; hover over a bar to see the real value. Population in millions shares that axis too, so very large countries dwarf the other bars.
The large number at the top is a simulated ticker, not a live count. On every page load it starts from the same fixed figure, 8,045,311,447, and adds people at a constant 0.88% a year, about 2.2 per second. It illustrates the pace of growth, but the starting figure is a fixed estimate from the same static snapshot as the table and the ticker ignores today's date, so it drifts further from reality over time.
Data sources and limitations
The figures are based on UN World Population Prospects estimates; they are a static snapshot and may differ from the latest revision. Most population totals, such as India at 1,428.6 million and China at 1,425.7 million, match the UN's 2022-revision estimates for mid-2023, but no single reference year is recorded for every column, and some values (a few country totals and fertility rates among them) do not match that revision exactly. The page is not updated automatically. For current numbers, use the UN Population Division's World Population Prospects or the World Bank's World Development Indicators.
- Only 30 countries are included. Some populous countries, such as Iran, are missing, so lower rank badges are positions in this list rather than world ranks.
- Life expectancy, fertility and growth are modelled estimates, and countries define "urban" differently, so values may not match national statistics offices.
- Figures are rounded, mostly to one decimal place.
- Continent labels follow the page's own grouping: Turkey is filed under Asia, Russia under Europe and Mexico under North America.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the counter restart when I reload the page?
Because it is a simulation that always begins at 8,045,311,447 and counts up from the moment the page opens. It is not connected to any live data feed.
What does the fertility rate mean?
It is the average number of children a woman would have over her lifetime if current birth rates held. Around 2.1 is usually treated as replacement level. In this dataset South Korea is lowest at 0.78 and DR Congo highest at 5.56.
Why do some countries have negative growth?
A negative value means the population is shrinking because deaths and emigration outweigh births and immigration. In this dataset Japan, Italy, Russia, South Korea and China all show negative rates.
Can I cite these figures in a report?
For anything formal, cite the original publisher, such as the UN Population Division or a national statistics office, and use their latest release. This page is a quick reference with rounded, static values.