Revealed: The World’s Largest Countries by Population (2024 Report)

The global population has surged from 7.95 billion in 2022 to 8.02 billion (8,024,997,030) in 2023. India, the world’s most populous country, continues to see its population climb, while China, the second-largest country, experienced its first population decline in decades. Three out of four people worldwide live in the 25 most populous nations.

The populations of African countries on the list experienced significant growth from 2013 to 2023, with growth rates ranging from 12 percent in South Africa to nearly 40 percent in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The global population is projected to continue rising steadily, reaching an estimated 9.7 billion by 2050 and peaking at nearly 10.4 billion in the mid-2080s. This represents an increase of almost 2 billion individuals within the next 30 years.

India has an estimated population of 1.4286 billion, slightly surpassing China’s 1.4107 billion, making it the world’s most populous country. India and China are the world’s most populous countries, each having over 1 billion people and constituting nearly 18% of the global population. It’s interesting to note that there are also less populated countries in the world.

Tuvalu is a Pacific island with nine small atolls with only 11,478 people. It has a small area of land of 26 square kilometers and is far from important trade routes and economic centers. This makes it the least populated country in the world. Nauru is the world’s smallest republic. It has a total land area of just 21 square kilometers and is in Micronesia. It has about 12,884 people. The country’s economic challenges and lack of natural resources also hinder population growth, making Nauru the second least populated country globally.

World's Largest Countries by Population