Discover the Top 25 Most Populated Countries in the World

According to data released by the World Bank, 5.8 billion people out of a total population of 7.9 billion lived in the 25 nations with the highest populations in 2021, making up roughly two-thirds of the world’s population.

Following Asia, Africa, Europe, and North and South America each had a smaller percentage of the world’s most populous nations. With three countries in Sub-Saharan Africa seeing population growth of more than 30% since 2011, this region is home to some of the most populous nations in the world.

These are the top 25 most populous nations as of 2021, as determined by the World Bank, along with information on population density, or the number of people per square kilometre of land, as of 2020.

China: 1,412 billion people

The title of the world’s most populated nation, long held by China, may soon be relinquished. India’s population is anticipated to surpass mainland China’s anytime from now(1,425,775,850 people), matching it.

In truth, China’s population is already falling. This is because Chinese citizens have chosen to have far fewer babies than had been anticipated when the previous one-child policy was gradually relaxed, then lifted, in the last couple of decades.

Its population will likely decline more quickly in the coming decades, even if the PRC government has other wishes.

India: 1.408 billion people

India is expected to overtake China as the world’s most populous nation as a result of sustained population increase in India and depopulation in China.

India’s future cannot be predicted mostly based on its current population size, but a closer look at the country’s demographic dynamics reveals that its leaders must act swiftly to take advantage of the country’s favourable age structure and its potential for rapid economic growth.

India now has 1.408 billion people, about four times as many as the 361 million people who were counted in the 1951 census immediately following Partition.

United States: 331. 9 million people

Third in terms of population worldwide is the United States.

On July 1, 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that 333,287,557 people were living in the country. Although the population of five unincorporated U.S. territories is not included in this statistic, it does include the District of Columbia and the 50 states.

Population growth was 0.4%, less than the 0.9% annual average rate for the world, according to the Census Bureau, for the year that ended in July 2022. 1.665 children are expected to be born per woman in the United States in 2022, which is less than the replacement fertility rate of around 2.1.

Indonesia: 280 million people

At 1,904,569 square kilometres (735,358 square miles), Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world and the fourteenth-largest country overall. 

Additionally, Indonesia is the most populous Muslim-majority nation with a population of over 280 million, ranking fourth in the world. More than half of the population of Indonesia lives on Java, the island with the highest population in the world.

Pakistan: 241 million people

With a population of 241.5 million, Pakistan ranks fifth in terms of population in the globe and, as of 2023, will have the largest Muslim population. The main city and financial hub of the country is Karachi, which is immediately followed by Lahore and Faisalabad. Islamabad is the nation’s capital.

Nigeria: 224 million people

Nigeria, the sixth-most populous nation in the world with a population of over 230 million, is the most populous nation in Africa.

Nigeria is a federal republic made up of 36 states as well as the Federal Capital Territory, where Abuja, the nation’s capital, is situated.

Brazil: 217 million people

Brazil is the seventh-most populous nation in the world and the fifth-largest country by area. The most populated city is So Paulo, and the capital is Brasilia. The Federal District and the union of the 26 states make up the federation. 

Due to more than a century of widespread immigration from all over the world, it is one of the most cosmopolitan and ethnically varied countries and the most populous nation with a Roman Catholic majority.

Bangladesh: 169 million people

With 169 million inhabitants spread across 148,460 square kilometres (57,320 sq mi), Bangladesh is the eighth most populous nation in the world.

Bangladesh is one of the world’s most populous nations. It shares land boundaries with Myanmar to the southeast, India to the west, north, and east, and the Bay of Bengal to the south.

Russia: 144 million people

Eastern Europe and Northern Asia are shared by the transcontinental nation of Russia. It is the largest nation in the globe in terms of land mass, spanning the northernmost and easternmost regions of Asia and Europe.

It is also the most populated nation in both Europe and the ninth most populous nation on the entire planet. Moscow is the largest and the nation’s capital. Russia’s second-largest city and cultural hub is Saint Petersburg. 

Mexico: 129 million people

With a land size of 1,972,550 km2 (761,610 sq mi), Mexico is the 10^th most populous country in the world and has the most Spanish-speaking people. It is also the 13^th-largest country in terms of population as well.

Mexico is set up as a federal republic with 31 states and Mexico City as the centre.

Japan: 124 million people

Japan is one of the most densely inhabited countries in the world and has the eleventh-highest population. Mountainous topography makes up around three-fourths of the nation, which concentrates its densely populated coastal plains.

Within Japan, there are eight traditional regions and 47 administrative prefectures. Most people live in the Greater Tokyo Area, which is the world’s most populous metropolitan area. Even with a decrease in its population, Japan still maintains the highest life expectancy in the world.

Philippines: 105 million people

With a variety of races and cultures, the Philippines is the eleventh most populous country in the world. The nation’s capital, Manila, and its most populous city, Quezon City, are both located in Metro Manila.

The Philippines had 109,035,343 inhabitants as of May 1, 2020. In 2020, urban areas were home to 54% of the nation’s population.

Egypt: 105 million people

Approximately 95 million people called Egypt home as of 2017, making it the most populous nation in the Arab world and the third most populous on the continent of Africa. Medical advancements and increases in agricultural output made possible by the Green Revolution contributed to a substantial increase in its population between 1970 and 2010. Today, about 105 million people are living in Egypt.

When Napoleon entered Egypt in 1798, there were reportedly 3 million people living there.

Egypt’s population is heavily urbanized and concentrated along the Nile, especially in Cairo and Alexandria, as well as in the Delta and close to the Suez Canal.

Ethiopia, 105 million people

The most inhabited landlocked nation in the world is Ethiopia. In 2018, 109.5 million people were living there, up from 38.1 million in 1983. Only nine million people lived there in the nineteenth century.

By 2060, the population is expected to reach over 210 million, an increase over 2011 predictions of approximately 2.5, and 293 million in 2100.

Over 80 different ethnic groups make up Ethiopia’s population, with the Oromo, Amhara, Somali, and Tigrayans being the four biggest.

Vietnam: 100 million people

With a population of over 100 million people and a territory measuring 331,212 square kilometres (127,882 square miles) in the easternmost tip of Southeast Asia, Vietnam is the fifteenth-most populous nation in the world.

According to the 2019 census, only 34.4% of Vietnamese people reside in urban areas, leaving rural areas home to 65.6% of the country’s population. Recent increases in the average growth rate of the urban population are mostly attributable to migration and increasing urbanization.

Democratic Republic of the Congo: 95 million people

A nation in Central Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is also referred to as Congo-Kinshasa and was originally known as Zaire. It is the second-largest country by land area in Africa and the eleventh-largest in the globe.

DRC, which has a population of about 95 million, is the largest officially Francophone nation in the world. Kinshasa, which also happens to be the economic hub, is the country’s capital and largest city.

Turkey, 85 million people

Birth control and abortion are not common in Turkey because it is an Islamic nation. This has led to a rapid population increase. Furthermore, it has been facilitated by early marriage customs for women and high levels of illiteracy among women. However, a rapid increase in population has put an excessive strain on the country’s economy over the previous 20 years.

Problems with unemployment, a lack of urban housing, inadequate public health services, a lack of schools, a reduction in farmland, and insufficient food supply have all become more and more evident.

The nation simply needs to slightly lower the natural population rise rate to achieve a balanced economic development given its current base and abundance of natural resources.

Iran: 86 million people

Iran is the second-largest nation in the Middle East and the 18^th-most populous nation in the world, according to estimates of its population of 86.8 million. The capital Tehran is the largest city, accompanied by Mashhad, Isfahan, Karaj, Shiraz, and Tabriz.

With almost a million migrants, largely from Afghanistan and Iraq, Iran is one of the countries with the greatest refugee populations worldwide. Iranian authorities have been coordinating the return of these individuals since 2006 with the UNHCR and Afghan authorities.

Germany, 84 million people

Germany is the most crowded nation in the European Union, the second-most populated in Europe after Russia. It’s also the nineteenth-most densely populated nation in the world, with an estimated population of 80.2 million as of the 2011 German Census. The population of Germany is expected to increase to 83.7 million by 2022.

Germany is the second most preferred country for immigration after the United States. The bulk of immigrants reside in western Germany, especially in cities.

Thailand: 69 million people

As of 2020, 69,799,978 people were living in Thailand. In 1909, 8.2 million people were counted in the country. The majority of Thailand’s population lives in rural areas, mostly in the central, northeastern, and northern provinces, which are known for their rice growing.

The government-sponsored family planning program in Thailand caused a sharp drop in population growth, from 3.1% in 1960 to roughly 0.4% presently.

France, 68 million people

It was predicted that France would likely have 68,042,591 citizens in January 2023, making it the 21^st most populous nation in the world, the third most populous in Europe (after Russia and Germany), and the second most populous in the European Union (behind Germany).

Due to its relatively high rate of natural population growth, France stands out among developed nations, particularly in Europe: It accounted for practically all natural population growth in the European Union in 2006 based solely on birth rates.

United Kingdom: 67 million people

With a projected population of approximately 68 million people in 2023, the United Kingdom is one of the top twenty populated countries in the world. It also has a total area of 93,628 square miles (242,495 km2).

Mid-2014 and mid-2015 saw a greater contribution to population increase from net long-term foreign migration. Natural change was the main factor driving population growth in mid-2012 and mid-2013.

Tanzania: 61 million people

Tanzania has about 61 people, making it the most populated nation located south of the equator. This is according to the national census of 2022.

Tanzania has a very unequal population distribution. The majority of the population resides at the northern border or along the shore, with much of the remaining land being barely populated.

In the Dar es Salaam Region, the density ranges from 3,133 per square kilometre (8,110/sq mi) to 12 per square kilometre (31 sq mi) in the Katavi Region.

South Africa: 60 million people

South Africa, which has a population of nearly 60 million and a land area of 1,221,037 square kilometres (471,445 square miles), is the 24^th most populous in the world. 

South Africa had 55.3 million people overall in 2015, up from 13.6 million in 1950, according to the World Population Prospects report from the UN. Three million Zimbabweans were among the estimated five million illegal immigrants living in South Africa,

Italy: 58 million people

Italy had 58 million people living there at the start of 2020. At 202 people per square kilometre (520/sq mi), the consequent population density is greater than that of the majority of Western European nations. But there are significant disparities in the population’s distribution.

Although Italy’s population nearly doubled during the 20^th century, the growth pattern was incredibly uneven due to widespread migration within the country from the rural South to the commercial centres of the North, a phenomenon that resulted from the Italian economic miracle of the 1950s to 1960s.

Conclusion

The two nations with populations of more than a billion people are China and India, by far the most populous. They make up 8% of the habitable earth’s surface and around 36% of the world’s population collectively. The nation with the largest population as of April 2023 was India, which is presently barely ahead of China.

While India’s population is anticipated to increase, China’s population is currently anticipated to continue to slightly decline.

With 171 million people living in a relatively compact 147,630 km2 on the list, Bangladesh is the only nation with this many people.