World population is the total number of humans currently living on Earth. According to the latest United Nations estimates, the world population is about 8.1 billion as of January 2024. The world population has grown rapidly in the past two centuries, reaching one billion in 1804 and seven billion in 2011. The growth rate, however, has slowed down in recent decades, due to declining fertility rates, aging populations, and increased life expectancy.
The world population is unevenly distributed across different regions and countries, with Asia accounting for nearly 60% of the total population, followed by Africa (17%), Europe (9%), Latin America and the Caribbean (8%), and North America (5%). China and India are the two most populous countries in the world, each with more than 1.4 billion people, or about 18% of the global population. The United States, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Brazil are the next five most populous countries, each with more than 200 million people.
The world population is also diverse in terms of demographic characteristics, such as age structure, sex ratio, population density, urbanization, and religion. The median age of the world population is 31 years, with Africa having the youngest population (19 years) and Europe having the oldest population (43 years). The sex ratio of the world population is 101 males per 100 females, with more males than females in Asia and more females than males in Europe. The population density of the world is 59 people per square kilometer, with the highest density in Asia (150 people per square kilometer) and the lowest density in Oceania (5 people per square kilometer). The urbanization rate of the world is 57%, with the highest urbanization in North America (83%) and the lowest urbanization in Africa (41%). The most practiced religions
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