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Most populous countries in the world

Ranking of the 197 countries by population, with each country's share of the world population

The Earth has about 8.2 billion inhabitants, very unevenly distributed: India and China each exceed 1.4 billion inhabitants, and the ten most populous countries alone account for more than half of humanity. At the other extreme, Vatican City has fewer than a thousand inhabitants. This ranking presents the 197 countries of the world in descending order of population, with each country's share of the world population.

# Country Capital Population % of world % of world Capital
1 India IndiaNew Delhi 1,450,935,79117.8 % 17.8 % New Delhi
2 China ChinaBeijing 1,408,975,00017.3 % 17.3 % Beijing
3 United States United StatesWashington D.C. 340,110,9884.2 % 4.2 % Washington D.C.
4 Indonesia IndonesiaJakarta 283,487,9313.5 % 3.5 % Jakarta
5 Pakistan PakistanIslamabad 251,269,1643.1 % 3.1 % Islamabad
6 Nigeria NigeriaAbuja 232,679,4782.9 % 2.9 % Abuja
7 Brazil BrazilBrasilia 211,998,5732.6 % 2.6 % Brasilia
8 Bangladesh BangladeshDhaka 173,562,3642.1 % 2.1 % Dhaka
9 Russia RussiaMoscow 143,533,8511.8 % 1.8 % Moscow
10 Ethiopia EthiopiaAddis Ababa 132,059,7671.6 % 1.6 % Addis Ababa
11 Mexico MexicoMexico City 130,861,0071.6 % 1.6 % Mexico City
12 Japan JapanTokyo 123,975,3711.5 % 1.5 % Tokyo
13 Egypt EgyptCairo 116,538,2581.4 % 1.4 % Cairo
14 Philippines PhilippinesManila 115,843,6701.4 % 1.4 % Manila
15 Democratic Republic of Congo Democratic Republic of CongoKinshasa 109,276,2651.3 % 1.3 % Kinshasa
16 Vietnam VietnamHanoi 100,987,6861.2 % 1.2 % Hanoi
17 Iran IranTehran 91,567,7381.1 % 1.1 % Tehran
18 Turkey TurkeyAnkara 85,518,6611.1 % 1.1 % Ankara
19 Germany GermanyBerlin 83,510,9501.0 % 1.0 % Berlin
20 Thailand ThailandBangkok 71,668,0110.9 % 0.9 % Bangkok
21 United Kingdom United KingdomLondon 69,226,0000.9 % 0.9 % London
22 Tanzania TanzaniaDodoma 68,560,1570.8 % 0.8 % Dodoma
23 France FranceParis 68,516,6990.8 % 0.8 % Paris
24 South Africa South AfricaPretoria 64,007,1870.8 % 0.8 % Pretoria
25 Italy ItalyRome 58,986,0230.7 % 0.7 % Rome
26 Kenya KenyaNairobi 56,432,9440.7 % 0.7 % Nairobi
27 Myanmar MyanmarNaypyidaw 54,500,0910.7 % 0.7 % Naypyidaw
28 Colombia ColombiaBogota 52,886,3630.7 % 0.7 % Bogota
29 Korea, South Korea, SouthSeoul 51,751,0650.6 % 0.6 % Seoul
30 Sudan SudanKhartoum 50,448,9630.6 % 0.6 % Khartoum
31 Uganda UgandaKampala 50,015,0920.6 % 0.6 % Kampala
32 Spain SpainMadrid 48,807,1370.6 % 0.6 % Madrid
33 Algeria AlgeriaAlgiers 46,814,3080.6 % 0.6 % Algiers
34 Iraq IraqBaghdad 46,042,0150.6 % 0.6 % Baghdad
35 Argentina ArgentinaBuenos Aires 45,696,1590.6 % 0.6 % Buenos Aires
36 Afghanistan AfghanistanKabul 42,647,4920.5 % 0.5 % Kabul
37 Canada CanadaOttawa 41,288,5990.5 % 0.5 % Ottawa
38 Yemen YemenSana'a 40,583,1640.5 % 0.5 % Sana'a
39 Morocco MoroccoRabat 38,081,1730.5 % 0.5 % Rabat
40 Angola AngolaLuanda 37,885,8490.5 % 0.5 % Luanda
41 Ukraine UkraineKiev 37,860,2210.5 % 0.5 % Kiev
42 Poland PolandWarsaw 36,554,7070.4 % 0.4 % Warsaw
43 Uzbekistan UzbekistanTashkent 36,361,8590.4 % 0.4 % Tashkent
44 Malaysia MalaysiaKuala Lumpur 35,557,6730.4 % 0.4 % Kuala Lumpur
45 Saudi Arabia Saudi ArabiaRiyadh 35,300,2800.4 % 0.4 % Riyadh
46 Mozambique MozambiqueMaputo 34,631,7660.4 % 0.4 % Maputo
47 Ghana GhanaAccra 34,427,4140.4 % 0.4 % Accra
48 Peru PeruLima 34,217,8480.4 % 0.4 % Lima
49 Madagascar MadagascarAntananarivo 31,964,9560.4 % 0.4 % Antananarivo
50 Ivory Coast Ivory CoastYamoussoukro 31,934,2300.4 % 0.4 % Yamoussoukro
51 Nepal NepalKathmandu 29,651,0540.4 % 0.4 % Kathmandu
52 Cameroon CameroonYaoundé 29,123,7440.4 % 0.4 % Yaoundé
53 Venezuela VenezuelaCaracas 28,405,5430.3 % 0.3 % Caracas
54 Australia AustraliaCanberra 27,204,8090.3 % 0.3 % Canberra
55 Niger NigerNiamey 27,032,4120.3 % 0.3 % Niamey
56 Korea, North Korea, NorthPyongyang 26,498,8230.3 % 0.3 % Pyongyang
57 Syria SyriaDamascus 24,672,7600.3 % 0.3 % Damascus
58 Mali MaliBamako 24,478,5950.3 % 0.3 % Bamako
59 Burkina Faso Burkina FasoOuagadougou 23,548,7810.3 % 0.3 % Ouagadougou
60 Taiwan TaiwanTaipei 23,519,5180.3 % 0.3 % Taipei
61 Sri Lanka Sri LankaSri Jayawardenapura Kotte 21,916,0000.3 % 0.3 % Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte
62 Malawi MalawiLilongwe 21,655,2860.3 % 0.3 % Lilongwe
63 Zambia ZambiaLusaka 21,314,9560.3 % 0.3 % Lusaka
64 Kazakhstan KazakhstanAstana 20,592,5710.3 % 0.3 % Astana
65 Chad ChadN'Djamena 20,299,1230.2 % 0.2 % N'Djamena
66 Chile ChileSantiago 19,764,7710.2 % 0.2 % Santiago
67 Romania RomaniaBucharest 19,069,3400.2 % 0.2 % Bucharest
68 Somalia SomaliaMogadishu 19,009,1510.2 % 0.2 % Mogadishu
69 Senegal SenegalDakar 18,501,9840.2 % 0.2 % Dakar
70 Guatemala GuatemalaGuatemala City 18,406,3590.2 % 0.2 % Guatemala City
71 Ecuador EcuadorQuito 18,135,4780.2 % 0.2 % Quito
72 Netherlands NetherlandsAmsterdam 17,994,2370.2 % 0.2 % Amsterdam
73 Cambodia CambodiaPhnom Penh 17,638,8010.2 % 0.2 % Phnom Penh
74 Zimbabwe ZimbabweHarare 16,634,3730.2 % 0.2 % Harare
75 Guinea GuineaConakry 14,754,7850.2 % 0.2 % Conakry
76 Benin BeninPorto Novo 14,462,7240.2 % 0.2 % Porto Novo
77 Rwanda RwandaKigali 14,256,5670.2 % 0.2 % Kigali
78 Burundi BurundiBujumbura 14,047,7860.2 % 0.2 % Bujumbura
79 Bolivia BoliviaSucre 12,413,3150.2 % 0.2 % Sucre
80 Tunisia TunisiaTunis 12,277,1090.2 % 0.2 % Tunis
81 South Sudan South SudanJuba 11,943,4080.1 % 0.1 % Juba
82 Belgium BelgiumBrussels 11,876,8440.1 % 0.1 % Brussels
83 Haiti HaitiPort-au-Prince 11,772,5570.1 % 0.1 % Port-au-Prince
84 Jordan JordanAmman 11,552,8760.1 % 0.1 % Amman
85 Dominican Republic Dominican RepublicSanto Domingo 11,427,5570.1 % 0.1 % Santo Domingo
86 Cuba CubaHavana 10,979,7830.1 % 0.1 % Havana
87 Czech Republic Czech RepublicPrague 10,882,1640.1 % 0.1 % Prague
88 United Arab Emirates United Arab EmiratesAbu Dhabi 10,876,9810.1 % 0.1 % Abu Dhabi
89 Honduras HondurasTegucigalpa 10,825,7030.1 % 0.1 % Tegucigalpa
90 Portugal PortugalLisbon 10,701,6360.1 % 0.1 % Lisbon
91 Tajikistan TajikistanDushanbe 10,590,9270.1 % 0.1 % Dushanbe
92 Papua New Guinea Papua New GuineaPort Moresby 10,576,5020.1 % 0.1 % Port Moresby
93 Sweden SwedenStockholm 10,569,7090.1 % 0.1 % Stockholm
94 Greece GreeceAthens 10,388,8050.1 % 0.1 % Athens
95 Azerbaijan AzerbaijanBaku 10,202,8500.1 % 0.1 % Baku
96 Israel IsraelJerusalem 9,974,4000.1 % 0.1 % Jerusalem
97 Hungary HungaryBudapest 9,562,3140.1 % 0.1 % Budapest
98 Togo TogoLomé 9,515,2360.1 % 0.1 % Lomé
99 Austria AustriaVienna 9,178,4820.1 % 0.1 % Vienna
100 Belarus BelarusMinsk 9,133,7120.1 % 0.1 % Minsk
101 Switzerland SwitzerlandBern 9,034,1020.1 % 0.1 % Bern
102 Sierra Leone Sierra LeoneFreetown 8,642,0220.1 % 0.1 % Freetown
103 Laos LaosVientiane 7,769,819< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Vientiane
104 Turkmenistan TurkmenistanAshgabat 7,494,498< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Ashgabat
105 Libya LibyaTripoli 7,381,023< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Tripoli
106 Kyrgyzstan KyrgyzstanBishkek 7,224,614< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Bishkek
107 Paraguay ParaguayAsunción 6,929,153< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Asunción
108 Nicaragua NicaraguaManagua 6,916,140< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Managua
109 Serbia SerbiaBelgrade 6,587,202< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Belgrade
110 Bulgaria BulgariaSofia 6,444,366< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Sofia
111 El Salvador El SalvadorSan Salvador 6,338,193< 0.1 % < 0.1 % San Salvador
112 Republic of the Congo Republic of the CongoBrazzaville 6,332,961< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Brazzaville
113 Singapore SingaporeSingapore 6,036,860< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Singapore
114 Denmark DenmarkCopenagen 5,976,992< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Copenagen
115 Lebanon LebanonBeirut 5,805,962< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Beirut
116 Finland FinlandHelsinki 5,637,214< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Helsinki
117 Liberia LiberiaMonrovia 5,612,817< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Monrovia
118 Norway NorwayOslo 5,572,272< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Oslo
119 Slovakia SlovakiaBratislava 5,422,069< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Bratislava
120 Ireland IrelandDublin 5,380,257< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Dublin
121 New Zealand New ZealandWellington 5,338,500< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Wellington
122 Central African Republic Central African RepublicBangui 5,330,690< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Bangui
123 Palestine PalestineEast Jerusalem 5,289,152< 0.1 % < 0.1 % East Jerusalem
124 Oman OmanMuscat 5,281,538< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Muscat
125 Mauritania MauritaniaNouakchott 5,169,395< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Nouakchott
126 Costa Rica Costa RicaSan José 5,129,910< 0.1 % < 0.1 % San José
127 Kuwait KuwaitKuwait City 4,973,861< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Kuwait City
128 Panama PanamaPanama City 4,515,577< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Panama City
129 Croatia CroatiaZagreb 3,866,300< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Zagreb
130 Georgia GeorgiaTbilisi 3,673,850< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Tbilisi
131 Eritrea EritreaAsmara 3,535,603< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Asmara
132 Mongolia MongoliaUlaanbaatar 3,524,788< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Ulaanbaatar
133 Uruguay UruguayMontevideo 3,386,588< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Montevideo
134 Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and HerzegovinaSarajevo 3,164,253< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Sarajevo
135 Armenia ArmeniaYerevan 3,033,500< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Yerevan
136 Namibia NamibiaWindhoek 3,030,131< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Windhoek
137 Lithuania LithuaniaVilnius 2,888,055< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Vilnius
138 Qatar QatarDoha 2,857,822< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Doha
139 Jamaica JamaicaKingston 2,839,175< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Kingston
140 Gambia GambiaBanjul 2,759,988< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Banjul
141 Albania AlbaniaTirana 2,714,617< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Tirana
142 Gabon GabonLibreville 2,538,952< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Libreville
143 Botswana BotswanaGaborone 2,521,139< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Gaborone
144 Moldova MoldovaChisinau 2,389,275< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Chisinau
145 Lesotho LesothoMaseru 2,337,423< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Maseru
146 Guinea-Bissau Guinea-BissauBissau 2,201,352< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Bissau
147 Slovenia SloveniaLjubljana 2,126,324< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Ljubljana
148 Equatorial Guinea Equatorial GuineaMalabo 1,892,516< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Malabo
149 Latvia LatviaRiga 1,862,441< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Riga
150 North Macedonia North MacedoniaSkopje 1,792,179< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Skopje
151 Bahrain BahrainManama 1,588,670< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Manama
152 Kosovo KosovoPristina 1,527,324< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Pristina
153 East Timor East TimorDili 1,400,638< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Dili
154 Estonia EstoniaTallinn 1,371,986< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Tallinn
155 Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and TobagoPort of Spain 1,368,333< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Port of Spain
156 Cyprus CyprusNicosia 1,358,282< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Nicosia
157 Mauritius MauritiusPort Louis 1,259,509< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Port Louis
158 Eswatini EswatiniMbabane 1,242,822< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Mbabane
159 Djibouti DjiboutiDjibouti 1,168,722< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Djibouti
160 Fiji FijiSuva 928,784< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Suva
161 Comoros ComorosMoroni 866,628< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Moroni
162 Guyana GuyanaGeorgetown 831,087< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Georgetown
163 Solomon Islands Solomon IslandsHoniara 819,198< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Honiara
164 Bhutan BhutanThimphu 791,524< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Thimphu
165 Luxembourg LuxembourgLuxembourg 677,717< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Luxembourg
166 Suriname SurinameParamaribo 634,431< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Paramaribo
167 Montenegro MontenegroPodgorica 623,831< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Podgorica
168 Malta MaltaValletta 574,346< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Valletta
169 Maldives MaldivesMalé 527,799< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Malé
170 Cape Verde Cape VerdePraia 524,877< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Praia
171 Brunei BruneiBandar Seri Begawan 462,721< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Bandar Seri Begawan
172 Belize BelizeBelmopan 417,072< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Belmopan
173 Iceland IcelandReykjavík 404,610< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Reykjavík
174 Bahamas BahamasNassau 401,283< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Nassau
175 Vanuatu VanuatuPort Vila 327,777< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Port Vila
176 Barbados BarbadosBridgetown 282,467< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Bridgetown
177 São Tomé and Príncipe São Tomé and PríncipeSão Tomé 235,536< 0.1 % < 0.1 % São Tomé
178 Samoa SamoaApia 218,019< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Apia
179 Saint Lucia Saint LuciaCastries 179,744< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Castries
180 Kiribati KiribatiTarawa 134,518< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Tarawa
181 Seychelles SeychellesVictoria 121,354< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Victoria
182 Grenada GrenadaSt. George's 117,207< 0.1 % < 0.1 % St. George's
183 Micronesia MicronesiaPalikir 113,160< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Palikir
184 Tonga TongaNukualofa 104,175< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Nukualofa
185 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesKingstown 100,616< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Kingstown
186 Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and BarbudaSt. John's 93,772< 0.1 % < 0.1 % St. John's
187 Andorra AndorraAndorra la Vella 81,938< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Andorra la Vella
188 Dominica DominicaRoseau 66,205< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Roseau
189 Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and NevisBasseterre 46,843< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Basseterre
190 Liechtenstein LiechtensteinVaduz 40,197< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Vaduz
191 Monaco MonacoMonaco 38,631< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Monaco
192 Marshall Islands Marshall IslandsMajuro 37,548< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Majuro
193 San Marino San MarinoSan Marino 33,977< 0.1 % < 0.1 % San Marino
194 Palau PalauMelekeok 17,695< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Melekeok
195 Nauru NauruYaren 11,947< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Yaren
196 Tuvalu TuvaluFunafuti 9,646< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Funafuti
197 Vatican City Vatican CityVatican City 882< 0.1 % < 0.1 % Vatican City

Frequently asked questions

What is the most populous country in the world?

India is the most populous country in the world with over 1.45 billion inhabitants. It overtook China (about 1.41 billion) in 2023. The United States completes the podium with about 340 million inhabitants.

What are the 5 most populous countries in the world?

The five most populous countries in the world are India, China, the United States, Indonesia (about 280 million inhabitants) and Pakistan (about 240 million). Together, these five are home to nearly half of humanity.

What is the world population?

The world population is estimated at about 8.2 billion inhabitants in 2026. It continues to grow, driven mainly by Africa and South Asia, and is expected to approach 10 billion by 2050 according to the UN.

What is the least populous country in the world?

Vatican City is the least populous country in the world, with fewer than a thousand inhabitants. Among the least populous sovereign states are also Nauru, Tuvalu and Palau, each under 20,000 inhabitants.