Historical population data in World
World: Historical population data was 8.23 billion Persons in 2025. β² Rising
Historical population data in World, 1950β2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Persons.
Analysis
World recorded 8.23 billion Persons for historical population data in 2025. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.
The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, historical population data in World peaked at 8.23 billion Persons in 2025 and was at its lowest, 2.49 billion Persons, in 1950.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 76 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.72 billion Persons | 2.49 billion Persons | 2.97 billion Persons | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.30 billion Persons | 3.02 billion Persons | 3.62 billion Persons | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.03 billion Persons | 3.69 billion Persons | 4.37 billion Persons | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.83 billion Persons | 4.45 billion Persons | 5.23 billion Persons | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.71 billion Persons | 5.33 billion Persons | 6.09 billion Persons | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.55 billion Persons | 6.17 billion Persons | 6.93 billion Persons | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.42 billion Persons | 7.02 billion Persons | 7.81 billion Persons | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.06 billion Persons | 7.89 billion Persons | 8.23 billion Persons | 6 |
Countries ranked near World
More population data for World
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.8197 Percent per annum (2030)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 9.66 million Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 0.8196 % change on previous year (2030)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 0.001 Persons per person (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 0 Persons per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 0.0616 Persons per square kilometre (2023)
- Population projections 10.19 billion Persons (2070)
Frequently asked questions
- What is historical population data in World?
- Historical population data in World was 8.23 billion Persons in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest historical population data recorded in World?
- The highest recorded value was 8.23 billion Persons in 2025.
- What is the lowest historical population data recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.49 billion Persons in 1950.
- How does World rank for historical population data?
- World ranks 1st out of 4 groups with data for 2025.
- Is historical population data rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this World data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Historical population data. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 76 observations, free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
About this data
This dataset presents annual population data from 1961 by sex and five year age groups as well as the share of children, youth, the elderly, old-age and total dependency ratios. The data is available for all member countries as well as for the EU27 and G20 countries, Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa and the World total. The data refer to mid-year estimates of the population. See country details in Historical population metadata.