Most Populous Countries in the World (2026)

As of 2026, India is the world's most populous country with 1.45 billion people, followed by China (1.41B) and United States (340M). The top 10 most populous countries account for 56.8% of the world's total population.

#1India flag

India

1,450,935,791

#2China flag

China

1,408,975,000

#3United States flag

United States

340,110,988

Most Populous Countries in the World - 250 countries ranked by Population
RankCountryPopulation
1India flagIndia1,450,935,791
2China flagChina1,408,975,000
3United States flagUnited States340,110,988
4Indonesia flagIndonesia283,487,931
5Pakistan flagPakistan251,269,164
6Nigeria flagNigeria232,679,478
7Brazil flagBrazil211,998,573
8Bangladesh flagBangladesh173,562,364
9Russia flagRussia143,533,851
10Ethiopia flagEthiopia132,059,767
11Mexico flagMexico130,861,007
12Japan flagJapan123,975,371
13Egypt flagEgypt116,538,258
14Philippines flagPhilippines115,843,670
15DR Congo flagDR Congo109,276,265
16Vietnam flagVietnam100,987,686
17Iran flagIran91,567,738
18Turkey flagTurkey85,518,661
19Germany flagGermany83,516,593
20Thailand flagThailand71,668,011
21United Kingdom flagUnited Kingdom69,226,000
22Tanzania flagTanzania68,560,157
23France flagFrance68,551,653
24South Africa flagSouth Africa64,007,187
25Italy flagItaly58,952,704
26Kenya flagKenya56,432,944
27Myanmar flagMyanmar54,500,091
28Colombia flagColombia52,886,363
29South Korea flagSouth Korea51,751,065
30Sudan flagSudan50,448,963
31Uganda flagUganda50,015,092
32Spain flagSpain48,848,840
33Algeria flagAlgeria46,814,308
34Iraq flagIraq46,042,015
35Argentina flagArgentina45,696,159
36Afghanistan flagAfghanistan42,647,492
37Canada flagCanada41,288,599
38Yemen flagYemen40,583,164
39Morocco flagMorocco38,081,173
40Angola flagAngola37,885,849
41Ukraine flagUkraine37,860,221
42Poland flagPoland36,559,233
43Uzbekistan flagUzbekistan36,361,859
44Malaysia flagMalaysia35,557,673
45Saudi Arabia flagSaudi Arabia35,300,280
46Mozambique flagMozambique34,631,766
47Ghana flagGhana34,427,414
48Peru flagPeru34,217,848
49Madagascar flagMadagascar31,964,956
50Ivory Coast flagIvory Coast31,934,230
51Nepal flagNepal29,651,054
52Cameroon flagCameroon29,123,744
53Venezuela flagVenezuela28,405,543
54Australia flagAustralia27,196,812
55Niger flagNiger27,032,412
56North Korea flagNorth Korea26,498,823
57Syria flagSyria24,672,760
58Mali flagMali24,478,595
59Burkina Faso flagBurkina Faso23,548,781
60Taiwan flagTaiwan23,317,031
61Sri Lanka flagSri Lanka21,916,000
62Malawi flagMalawi21,655,286
63Zambia flagZambia21,314,956
64Kazakhstan flagKazakhstan20,592,571
65Chad flagChad20,299,123
66Chile flagChile19,764,771
67Romania flagRomania19,051,804
68Somalia flagSomalia19,009,151
69Senegal flagSenegal18,501,984
70Guatemala flagGuatemala18,406,359
71Ecuador flagEcuador18,135,478
72Netherlands flagNetherlands17,993,485
73Cambodia flagCambodia17,638,801
74Zimbabwe flagZimbabwe16,634,373
75Guinea flagGuinea14,754,785
76Benin flagBenin14,462,724
77Rwanda flagRwanda14,256,567
78Burundi flagBurundi14,047,786
79Bolivia flagBolivia12,413,315
80Tunisia flagTunisia12,277,109
81South Sudan flagSouth Sudan11,943,408
82Belgium flagBelgium11,858,610
83Haiti flagHaiti11,772,557
84Jordan flagJordan11,552,876
85Dominican Republic flagDominican Republic11,427,557
86United Arab Emirates flagUnited Arab Emirates10,986,400
87Cuba flagCuba10,979,783
88Czechia flagCzechia10,905,028
89Honduras flagHonduras10,825,703
90Portugal flagPortugal10,694,681
91Tajikistan flagTajikistan10,590,927
92Papua New Guinea flagPapua New Guinea10,576,502
93Sweden flagSweden10,569,709
94Greece flagGreece10,405,134
95Azerbaijan flagAzerbaijan10,202,830
96Israel flagIsrael9,974,400
97Hungary flagHungary9,562,065
98Togo flagTogo9,515,236
99Austria flagAustria9,177,982
100Belarus flagBelarus9,132,629
101Switzerland flagSwitzerland9,005,582
102Sierra Leone flagSierra Leone8,642,022
103Laos flagLaos7,769,819
104Hong Kong flagHong Kong7,524,100
105Turkmenistan flagTurkmenistan7,494,498
106Libya flagLibya7,381,023
107Kyrgyzstan flagKyrgyzstan7,221,868
108Paraguay flagParaguay6,929,153
109Nicaragua flagNicaragua6,916,140
110Serbia flagSerbia6,586,476
111Bulgaria flagBulgaria6,441,421
112El Salvador flagEl Salvador6,338,193
113Republic of the Congo flagRepublic of the Congo6,332,961
114Singapore flagSingapore6,036,860
115Denmark flagDenmark5,976,992
116Lebanon flagLebanon5,805,962
117Finland flagFinland5,619,911
118Liberia flagLiberia5,612,817
119Norway flagNorway5,572,279
120Slovakia flagSlovakia5,422,069
121Ireland flagIreland5,395,790
122Central African Republic flagCentral African Republic5,330,690
123Palestine flagPalestine5,289,152
124New Zealand flagNew Zealand5,287,500
125Oman flagOman5,281,538
126Mauritania flagMauritania5,169,395
127Costa Rica flagCosta Rica5,129,910
128Kuwait flagKuwait4,897,263
129Panama flagPanama4,515,577
130Croatia flagCroatia3,866,200
131Georgia flagGeorgia3,699,557
132Eritrea flagEritrea3,535,603
133Mongolia flagMongolia3,524,788
134Uruguay flagUruguay3,386,588
135Puerto Rico flagPuerto Rico3,203,295
136Bosnia and Herzegovina flagBosnia and Herzegovina3,164,253
137Armenia flagArmenia3,033,500
138Namibia flagNamibia3,030,131
139Lithuania flagLithuania2,888,278
140Qatar flagQatar2,857,822
141Jamaica flagJamaica2,839,175
142Gambia flagGambia2,759,988
143Gabon flagGabon2,538,952
144Botswana flagBotswana2,521,139
145Moldova flagMoldova2,402,306
146Albania flagAlbania2,377,128
147Lesotho flagLesotho2,337,423
148Guinea-Bissau flagGuinea-Bissau2,201,352
149Slovenia flagSlovenia2,127,400
150Equatorial Guinea flagEquatorial Guinea1,892,516
151Latvia flagLatvia1,866,124
152North Macedonia flagNorth Macedonia1,824,359
153Kosovo flagKosovo1,594,353
154Bahrain flagBahrain1,588,670
155Timor-Leste flagTimor-Leste1,400,638
156Estonia flagEstonia1,372,341
157Trinidad and Tobago flagTrinidad and Tobago1,368,333
158Cyprus flagCyprus1,358,282
159Mauritius flagMauritius1,245,779
160Eswatini flagEswatini1,242,822
161Djibouti flagDjibouti1,168,722
162Fiji flagFiji928,784
163RĂ©union flagRĂ©union896,175
164Comoros flagComoros866,628
165Guyana flagGuyana831,087
166Solomon Islands flagSolomon Islands819,198
167Bhutan flagBhutan791,524
168Macau flagMacau687,000
169Luxembourg flagLuxembourg677,012
170Suriname flagSuriname634,431
171Montenegro flagMontenegro623,525
172Western Sahara flagWestern Sahara600,904
173Malta flagMalta568,847
174Maldives flagMaldives527,799
175Cape Verde flagCape Verde524,877
176Brunei flagBrunei462,721
177Belize flagBelize417,072
178Bahamas flagBahamas401,283
179Iceland flagIceland386,506
180Guadeloupe flagGuadeloupe378,561
181Martinique flagMartinique349,925
182Vanuatu flagVanuatu327,777
183Mayotte flagMayotte320,901
184New Caledonia flagNew Caledonia292,639
185French Guiana flagFrench Guiana292,354
186Barbados flagBarbados282,467
187French Polynesia flagFrench Polynesia281,807
188São Tomé and Príncipe flagSão Tomé and Príncipe235,536
189Samoa flagSamoa218,019
190Saint Lucia flagSaint Lucia179,744
191Guam flagGuam167,777
192Curaçao flagCuraçao155,967
193Kiribati flagKiribati134,518
194Seychelles flagSeychelles121,354
195Grenada flagGrenada117,207
196Micronesia flagMicronesia113,160
197Aruba flagAruba107,995
198United States Virgin Islands flagUnited States Virgin Islands104,377
199Tonga flagTonga104,175
200Jersey flagJersey103,267
201Saint Vincent and the Grenadines flagSaint Vincent and the Grenadines100,616
202Antigua and Barbuda flagAntigua and Barbuda93,772
203Isle of Man flagIsle of Man84,160
204Andorra flagAndorra81,938
205Cayman Islands flagCayman Islands74,457
206Dominica flagDominica66,205
207Guernsey flagGuernsey64,781
208Bermuda flagBermuda64,636
209Greenland flagGreenland56,836
210Faroe Islands flagFaroe Islands54,681
211Saint Kitts and Nevis flagSaint Kitts and Nevis46,843
212American Samoa flagAmerican Samoa46,765
213Turks and Caicos Islands flagTurks and Caicos Islands46,535
214Northern Mariana Islands flagNorthern Mariana Islands44,278
215Sint Maarten flagSint Maarten43,350
216Liechtenstein flagLiechtenstein40,450
217British Virgin Islands flagBritish Virgin Islands39,471
218Gibraltar flagGibraltar39,329
219Monaco flagMonaco38,631
220Marshall Islands flagMarshall Islands37,548
221San Marino flagSan Marino33,977
222Caribbean Netherlands flagCaribbean Netherlands31,980
223Ă…land Islands flagĂ…land Islands30,654
224Saint Martin flagSaint Martin26,129
225Palau flagPalau17,695
226Anguilla flagAnguilla16,010
227Cook Islands flagCook Islands15,040
228Nauru flagNauru11,947
229Wallis and Futuna flagWallis and Futuna11,620
230Saint Barthélemy flagSaint Barthélemy10,562
231Tuvalu flagTuvalu9,646
232Saint Pierre and Miquelon flagSaint Pierre and Miquelon5,819
233Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha flagSaint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha5,651
234Montserrat flagMontserrat4,386
235Falkland Islands flagFalkland Islands3,662
236Tokelau flagTokelau2,608
237Svalbard and Jan Mayen flagSvalbard and Jan Mayen2,530
238Norfolk Island flagNorfolk Island2,188
239Christmas Island flagChristmas Island1,692
240Niue flagNiue1,681
241Antarctica flagAntarctica1,300
242Vatican City flagVatican City882
243Cocos (Keeling) Islands flagCocos (Keeling) Islands593
244French Southern and Antarctic Lands flagFrench Southern and Antarctic Lands400
245Pitcairn Islands flagPitcairn Islands35
246Bouvet Island flagBouvet Island0
247South Georgia flagSouth Georgia0
248United States Minor Outlying Islands flagUnited States Minor Outlying Islands0
249Heard Island and McDonald Islands flagHeard Island and McDonald Islands0
250British Indian Ocean Territory flagBritish Indian Ocean Territory0

How Is the World Population Distributed?

Population has never been evenly distributed. As of 2026, more than half the global population lives in Asia, with India and China alone accounting for over a third of all people on Earth. The top 10 most populous countries contain 56.8% of the world's 8.14 billion people, while dozens of smaller nations have populations under one million.

Asia's combined population of approximately 4.79 billion dwarfs every other continent. Africa, at 1.52 billion, is the second most populous and growing the fastest — several African nations are projected to enter the top 10 in the coming decades.

Population Size vs Population Density

Population size alone doesn't tell the full story. United States, the third most populous country, has roughly 23% of India's population but spread across a much larger land area, resulting in far lower population density.

Among the top 10, growth rates vary significantly. Some of the most populous countries, including China and Russia, are actually experiencing population decline. Understanding how population relates to territory, economic output, and resource availability provides a more complete picture.

Where Does This Data Come From?

The population figures in this ranking come from the World Bank's most recent estimates, which draw on national censuses, civil registration systems, and demographic surveys. While census methodologies and data quality vary between countries, these figures represent the best available estimates for international comparison.

Population counts are always estimates to some degree. Even the most sophisticated censuses have margins of error, and for countries that haven't conducted a recent census, figures rely on demographic models and projections.

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All Rankings

Population

Least Populous Countries in the WorldFastest Growing Countries by Population Growth RateCountries with Declining PopulationMost Densely Populated Countries in the WorldLeast Densely Populated Countries in the World

Geography

Largest Countries in the World by AreaSmallest Countries in the World by Area

Health

Countries with Highest Life ExpectancyCountries with Lowest Life ExpectancyCountries with Highest Infant Mortality RateCountries with Lowest Infant Mortality RateCountries with Highest Healthcare Spending

Demographics

Countries with Highest Fertility RateCountries with Lowest Fertility RateCountries with Highest Birth RateCountries with Highest Death RateCountries with Youngest PopulationCountries with Oldest PopulationMost Urbanized Countries in the WorldLeast Urbanized Countries in the WorldCountries with Highest Net MigrationCountries with Highest Emigration

Economy

Countries with Highest GDP per CapitaPoorest Countries by GDP per CapitaCountries with Highest Unemployment RateCountries with Lowest Unemployment RateCountries with Highest Income Inequality (Gini Index)

Education

Countries with Highest Literacy RateCountries with Lowest Literacy RateCountries with Highest Internet Usage