Most Populous Countries in the World (2026)
See also:
- Largest Countries (ranked by land area)
- Past: most populous countries in 1950
- Future: most populous countries in 2050
| # | Country | Population 2026 | Yearly Change | World Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,476,625,576 | +0.87% | 17.8% | |
| 2 | 1,412,914,089 | −0.22% | 17.0% | |
| 3 | 349,035,494 | +0.51% | 4.2% | |
| 4 | 287,886,782 | +0.76% | 3.5% | |
| 5 | 259,299,792 | +1.60% | 3.1% | |
| 6 | 242,431,832 | +2.06% | 2.9% | |
| 7 | 213,562,666 | +0.35% | 2.6% | |
| 8 | 177,818,044 | +1.21% | 2.1% | |
| 9 | 143,394,458 | −0.42% | 1.7% | |
| 10 | 138,902,185 | +2.53% | 1.7% | |
| 11 | 132,997,658 | +0.80% | 1.6% | |
| 12 | 122,427,731 | −0.55% | 1.5% | |
| 13 | 120,101,175 | +1.47% | 1.4% | |
| 14 | 117,724,472 | +0.80% | 1.4% | |
| 15 | 116,452,162 | +3.21% | 1.4% | |
| 16 | 102,177,431 | +0.57% | 1.2% | |
| 17 | 93,168,497 | +0.81% | 1.1% | |
| 18 | 87,926,082 | +0.27% | 1.1% | |
| 19 | 83,644,258 | −0.51% | 1.0% | |
| 20 | 72,563,780 | +2.86% | 0.87% |
Past: Most Populous Countries in 1950
| # | Country | Population 1950 | World Share | 2026 Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 544,044,358 | 21.8% | (2) | |
| 2 | 346,278,821 | 13.9% | (1) | |
| 3 | 154,202,680 | 6.2% | (3) | |
| 4 | 103,392,360 | 4.1% | (9) | |
| 5 | 86,443,277 | 3.5% | (12) | |
| 6 | 69,847,782 | 2.8% | (19) | |
| 7 | 68,799,025 | 2.8% | (4) | |
| 8 | 53,408,551 | 2.1% | (7) | |
| 9 | 50,121,017 | 2.0% | (22) | |
| 10 | 46,391,673 | 1.9% | (25) | |
| 11 | 41,883,119 | 1.7% | (23) | |
| 12 | 41,206,856 | 1.7% | (8) | |
| 13 | 37,310,887 | 1.5% | (40) | |
| 14 | 37,283,010 | 1.5% | (6) | |
| 15 | 35,849,260 | 1.4% | (5) | |
| 16 | 28,077,049 | 1.1% | (34) | |
| 17 | 27,587,939 | 1.1% | (11) | |
| 18 | 25,100,738 | 1.0% | (16) | |
| 19 | 24,780,161 | 0.99% | (42) | |
| 20 | 21,148,164 | 0.85% | (13) |
Future: Most Populous Countries in 2050
| # | Country | Population 2050 | World Share | 2026 Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,679,589,259 | 17.4% | (1) | |
| 2 | 1,260,289,093 | 13.0% | (2) | |
| 3 | 380,846,910 | 3.9% | (3) | |
| 4 | 371,863,793 | 3.8% | (5) | |
| 5 | 359,185,556 | 3.7% | (6) | |
| 6 | 320,712,949 | 3.3% | (4) | |
| 7 | 225,021,874 | 2.3% | (10) | |
| 8 | 218,246,072 | 2.3% | (15) | |
| 9 | 217,489,300 | 2.3% | (7) | |
| 10 | 214,709,097 | 2.2% | (8) | |
| 11 | 161,630,192 | 1.7% | (13) | |
| 12 | 148,946,274 | 1.5% | (11) | |
| 13 | 136,132,775 | 1.4% | (9) | |
| 14 | 134,373,439 | 1.4% | (14) | |
| 15 | 129,621,102 | 1.3% | (20) | |
| 16 | 110,008,908 | 1.1% | (16) | |
| 17 | 105,123,167 | 1.1% | (12) | |
| 18 | 101,861,993 | 1.1% | (17) | |
| 19 | 91,258,061 | 0.94% | (18) | |
| 20 | 85,431,202 | 0.88% | (30) |