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Great Pacific Garbage Patch | National Geographic Society

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World Population: Past, Present, and Future

(move and expand the bar at the bottom of the chart to navigate through time)

The chart above illustrates how world population has changed throughout history. View the full tabulated data.

At the dawn of agriculture, about 8000 B.C., the population of the world was approximately 5 million. Over the 8,000-year period up to 1 A.D. it grew to 200 million (some estimate 300 million or even 600, suggesting how imprecise population estimates of early historical periods can be), with a growth rate of under 0.05% per year.

A tremendous change occurred with the industrial revolution: whereas it had taken all of human history until around 1800 for world population to reach one billion, the second billion was achieved in only 130 years (1930), the third billion in 30 years (1960), the fourth billion in 15 years (1974), and the fifth billion in only 13 years (1987).

During the 20th century alone, the population in the world has grown from 1.65 billion to 6 billion.

In 1970, there were roughly half as many people in the world as there are now.

Because of declining growth rates, it will now take over 200 years to double again.

Wonder how big was the world's population when you were born?
Check out this simple wizard or this more elaborated one to find out.

Growth Rate

Population in the world is growing at a rate of around 0.91% per year in 2024 (up from 0.88% in 2023, and down from 0.98% in 2020, and 1.06% in 2019). The current population increase is estimated at around 73 million people per year.

Annual growth rate reached its peak in the late 1960s, when it was at around 2%. The rate of increase has nearly halved since then, and will continue to decline in the coming years.

World population will therefore continue to grow in the 21st century, but at a much slower rate compared to the recent past. World population has doubled (100% increase) in 40 years from 1959 (3 billion) to 1999 (6 billion). It is now estimated that it will increase by 50% in the subsequent 40 years, to reach 9 billion by 2037.

The latest world population projections indicate that world population will reach 10 billion persons in the year 2057 and 10.4 billion in 2100.

World Population (2024 and historical)
View the complete population historical table
World Population Forecast (2025-2050)
View population projections for all years (up to 2100)
World Population Milestones

10 Billion (2058)

The United Nations projects world population will reach 10 billion in the year 2058.

9 Billion (2037)

World population is expected to reach 9 billion in the year 2037.

8.1 Billion (current)

The current world population is 8,109,479,367 as of Thursday, May 16, 2024 according to the most recent United Nations estimates elaborated by Worldometer. The term "World Population" refers to the human population (the total number of humans currently living) of the world.

8 Billion (2022)

World population has reached 8 billion people on November 15, 2022 according to the United Nations. The U.S. Census Bureau International Database (IDB) estimates instead that the world population hit 8 billion on September 26, 2023. In their note, they added: " Emphasis on the word estimates. There are many sources of uncertainty in estimating the global population, and it's unlikely this population milestone was reached on that exact date" [ source]

7 Billion (2010)

According to the latest revision by the United Nations (released in 2022), world population reached 7 Billion in late 2010 (after being previously estimated as occurring on October 31, 2011). The U.S. Census Bureau made a different estimate, for which the 7 billion mark was reached on March 12, 2012.

6 Billion (1998)

According to the latest revision by the United Nations (released in 2022), the 6 billion figure was reached towards the end of 1998 (this was previously estimated as occurring on October 12, 1999, celebrated as the Day of 6 Billion). According to the U.S. Census Bureau instead, the six billion milestone was reached on July 22, 1999, at about 3:49 AM GMT. Yet, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the date and time of when 6 billion was reached will probably change because the already uncertain estimates are constantly being updated.

Previous Milestones

Summary Table

1 - 1804 ( 1803 years): 0.2 to 1 bil.

1804 - 2022 ( 218 years): from 1 billion to 8 billion

World Population by Region

World Population Density (people/km²)

Population density map of the world showing not only countries but also many subdivisions (regions, states, provinces). See also: World Map

Courtesy of
Junuxx at en.wikipedia [ CC-BY-SA-3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

World Population by Religion

According to a recent study (based on the 2010 world population of 6.9 billion) by The Pew Forum, there are:

2,173,180,000 Christians (31% of world population), of which 50% are Catholic, 37% Protestant, 12% Orthodox, and 1% other.

1,598,510,000 Muslims (23%), of which 87-90% are Sunnis, 10-13% Shia.

1,126,500,000 No Religion affiliation (16%): atheists, agnostics and people who do not identify with any particular religion. One-in-five people (20%) in the United States are religiously unaffiliated.

1,033,080,000 Hindus (15%), the overwhelming majority (94%) of which live in India.

487,540,000 Buddhists (7%), of which half live in China.

405,120,000 Folk Religionists (6%): faiths that are closely associated with a particular group of people, ethnicity or tribe.

58,110,000 Other Religions (1%): Baha'i faith, Taoism, Jainism, Shintoism, Sikhism, Tenrikyo, Wicca, Zoroastrianism and many others.

13,850,000 Jews (0.2%), four-fifths of which live in two countries: United States (41%) and Israel (41%).

World Population by Country

How many people have ever lived on earth?

It was written during the 1970s that 75% of the people who had ever been born were alive at that moment. This was false.

Assuming that we start counting from about 50,000 B.C., the time when modern Homo sapiens appeared on the earth (and not from 700,000 B.C. when the ancestors of Homo sapiens appeared, or several million years ago when hominids were present), taking into account that all population data are a rough estimate, and assuming a constant growth rate applied to each period up to modern times, it has been estimated that a total of approximately 106 billion people have been born since the dawn of the human species, making the population currently alive roughly 6% of all people who have ever lived on planet Earth.

Others have estimated the number of human beings who have ever lived to be anywhere from 45 billion to 125 billion, with most estimates falling into the range of 90 to 110 billion humans.

World Population clock: sources and methodology

The world population counter displayed on Worldometer takes into consideration data from two major sources: the United Nations and the U.S. Census Bureau.

1. The United Nations Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs every two years calculates, updates, and publishes estimates of total population in its World Population Prospects series. These population estimates and projections provide the standard and consistent set of population figures that are used throughout the United Nations system.

The World Population Prospect: the 2022 Revision provides the most recent data available (released in July of 2022). Estimates and projected world population and country specific populations are given from 1950 through 2100 and are released every two years. Worldometer, as it is common practice, utilizes the medium fertility estimates.

Data underlying the population estimates are national and sub national census data and data on births, deaths, and migrants available from national sources and publications, as well as from questionnaires. For all countries, census and registration data are evaluated and, if necessary, adjusted for incompleteness by the Population Division as part of its preparations of the official United Nations population estimates and projections.

2. The International Programs Center at the U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division also develops estimates and projections based on analysis of available data (based on census, survey, and administrative information) on population, fertility, mortality, and migration for each country or area of the world. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, world population reached 7 billion on March 12, 2012.

For most countries adjustment of the data is necessary to correct for errors, omissions, and inconsistencies in the data. Finally, since most recent data for a single country is often two years old on average, the current world population figure is necessarily a projection of past data based on assumed trends. As new data become available, assumptions and data are reevaluated and past conclusions and current figures may be modified.

For information about how these estimates and projections are made by the U.S. Census Bureau, see the Population Estimates and Projections Methodology.

Why Worldometer's Population Clock is the most accurate

The above world population clock is based on the latest estimates released in July of 2022 by the United Nations. It will show the same number wherever you are in the world and whatever time you set on your PC.

Visitors around the world visiting a PC clock based counter, instead, will see different numbers depending on where they are located. This is the case with other world population clocks - such as the one hosted on a United Nations website, reaching 8 billion in 24 different instances (one per hour) on November 15, 2022, when each local time zone reached 12:10:08. Similarly, in 2011, the clocks on a UN website and on National Geographic - showed 7 billion whenever the visitor's locally set PC clocks reached 4:21:10 AM on October 31, 2011.

Obviously, the UN data is based on estimates and can't be 100% accurate, so in all honesty nobody can possibly say with any degree of certainty on which day world population reached 7 billion (or any other exact number), let alone at what time. But once an estimate is made (based on the best data and analysis available), the world population clock should be showing the same number at any given time anywhere around the world.

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World Population Clock: 8.1 Billion People (LIVE, 2024) - Worldometer

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How many people are there in the world? World population has reached 8 billion on November 15, 2022 according to the United Nations. World population live counter with data sheets, graphs, maps, and census data regarding the current, historical, and future world population figures, estimates, growth rates, densities and demographics

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Boyan Slat talks up his latest invention, The Interceptor

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waste management inc (business operation)

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WIH Resource Group introduces Capt. Charles Moore of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation first discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch -- an endless floating waste of plastic trash. Now he's drawing attention to the growing, choking problem of plastic debris in our seas.

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Horrific Methods Used by Elephant Poachers | BBC Studios

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Use the link below to help flag items that contain ivory!

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Flag ivory items on Craigslist to stop elephant poaching.

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Track environmental and population statistics in real time!

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World Population:

reached 8 billion on November 15, 2022 according to the latest United Nations estimates.

is projected to reach 9 billion in 2037, and 10 billion in 2058.

has doubled in 40 years from 1959 (3 billion) to 1999 (6 billion).

is currently (2023) growing at a rate of around 0.88% per year, adding around 70 million people per year to the total.

growth rate reached its peak in the late 1960s, when it was at 2.09%.

growth rate is currently declining and is projected to continue to decline in the coming years (reaching below 0.50% by 2048, reach 0 in 2086, and decline by -0.11% in 2100) .

a tremendous change occurred with the industrial revolution: whereas it had taken all of human history up to the year 1800 for world population to reach 1 billion, the second billion was achieved in only 130 years (1930), the third billion in 30 years (1960), the fourth billion in 15 years (1974), the fifth billion in 13 years (1987), the sixth billion in 11 years (1998), the seventh billion and eighth billion in 12 years each (2010 and 2022). During the 20th century alone, the population in the world has grown from 1.65 billion to 6 billion.

Sources for the world population counter: For more detailed information:

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Worldometer - real time world statistics

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Live world statistics on population, government and economics, society and media, environment, food, water, energy and health. Interesting statistics with world population clock, forest loss this year, carbon dioxide co2 emission, world hunger data, energy consumed, and a lot more

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About the Oil Slick and Landfall Locations

The "estimated extent" of the oil slick is an estimate by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of where oil is mostly likely to go based on wind and ocean current forecasts, as well as analysis of aerial photography and satellite imagery.

The "surveyed extent" shows areas where oil was visible on the water surface during aerial and satellite surveys of the Gulf. The surveyed extents are not available every day and may be incomplete on occasion because poor weather conditions prevented observation in some areas.

The extents may vary widely from day to day because of changes in wind patterns and ocean currents. The loop currents are from NOAA and from Roffer's Ocean Fishing Forecasting Service.

The locations where oil has made landfall are based on reports from federal, state and local officials. They are placed on the map on the day of the earliest report, and may change as better reports become available.

About the Estimate of the Amount Spilled

The BP oil spill is the largest accidental release of oil into marine waters, according to flow estimates announced on Aug. 2 by a federal panel of scientists, called the Flow Rate Technical Group. The panel said that about 4.9 million barrels of oil have come out of the well, with about 800,000 barrels, or 17 percent, captured by BP's containment efforts. Of the remaining 4.1 million barrels of oil that were released into the waters of the gulf, more than half had been burned or skimmed, or had already evaporated or dispersed by the beginning of August. This meant that about 1.3 million barrels of oil was still onshore as tar balls, buried under sand and sediment or floating on the ocean surface as a light sheen.

The totals in the chart to the right of the map are calculated beginning from the initial explosion at 10 p.m. on April 20 until the flow was stopped on July 15. Totals are adjusted from May 17 to May 25 for oil diverted through a narrow tube that was inserted into the well's damaged pipe and from June 3 to June 15 for oil captured after a cap was successfully placed over the leak.

While both oil and gas are leaking from the well, the estimates here are only for the amount of oil. BP said in May that the fluid leaking was roughly half oil, half natural gas.

The previous largest accidental spill into a body of water was Ixtoc I, an exploratory oil well, which leaked at an estimated rate of 10,000 to 30,000 barrels per day for almost ten months until it was capped in March 1980. The total amount spilled was estimated to be 140 million gallons, or about 3.3 million barrels, of crude oil.

For more on the estimates, see these articles:

May 14: Size of Oil Spill Underestimated, Scientists Say

May 28: Estimates Suggest Spill Is Biggest in U.S. History

June 7: Rate of Oil Leak, Still Not Clear, Puts Doubt on BP

June 10: New Estimates Double Rate of Oil Leak

June 15: Panel Sharply Raises Estimate of Oil Spill

Aug. 2: Gulf Spill Is the Largest of Its Kind

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Map and Estimates of the Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico - Interactive Map - NYTimes.com

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About the Oil Slick and Landfall Locations The "estimated extent" of the oil slick is an estimate by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of where oil is mostly likely to go based on wind and ocean current forecasts, as well as analysis of aerial photography and satellite imagery.

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What is your Ecological Footprint? How many planets does it take to support your lifestyle? Take this free quiz to find out!