Over a decade or so, the world population has grown rapidly since the death rate has gone down and the birth rate has gotten to an all-time high. This has progressed at an astounding rate, to the point where the global population now sits at above 7 billion people! But, how does that number stack up in terms of individual countries?
Are you curious to know what the most populated countries in the world are? Continue reading the post for the low-down, complete with facts and figures.
1. China
China has always been heavily populated – all the way since ancient times. Back in the day, when machinery hadn’t replaced labor, a family’s wealth was marked by its size. Plus, the more workers in a family, the more work on the farm. Due to this specific reason, China’s population grew in leaps and bounds. Centuries have passed since then but China is still known to have the largest population in the world.
Current Population: 1,439,323,776
2. India
India is the second most populated country in the world, and according to several reports, India will surpass China in population by 2024. With progress in medical science, the death rate in India is pretty low. However, that’s not why the population is skyrocketing. There’s actually no stopping to the country’s increasing fertility rate, which despite various government measures, has remained quite high. Many other crucial factors, such as early marriages, poverty, illiteracy, illegal migration, and lack of awareness and family planning are also responsible for India’s massive population.
Current Population: 1,380,004,385
3. United States
In the timeframe between 1990 and 2000, approximately 33 million people were added to the United States’ population. This has a lot to do with international migration as a large number of people (including individuals and families) moved to the U.S for better jobs and lifestyles.
Immigration is the number one contributor to the high population in the U.S. because the national population has actually continued to decline over the past couple of years.
Current Population: 331,002,651
4. Indonesia
The next most populated region in the world is Indonesia. Much like China, Indonesia has always been quite populous.
Among Indonesians, it’s a common belief that more children mean more fortune. Since most Indonesian families are poor, their children are forced to work and earn a livelihood from a super young age. Due to the low literacy rate, child marriages are quite prevalent, which has led to an increase in the population.
Current Population: 273,523,615
5. Pakistan
Next on this list of the most populated countries in the world is Pakistan. Pakistan is one of the fastest-growing populations in South Asia. In almost two decades, the population of the country has doubled due to the rapidly growing fertility rate of 3.5 children per couple – according to a world population report.
The birthrate and death rate of the country are poles apart, which is one of the major reasons for this boom in population. The development of the country and access to better facilities has also resulted in people living longer lives.
Current Population: 220,892,340
6. Brazil
Brazil ranks 6th in the most populous regions in the world. Unlike any other country on our list, Brazil is supremely diverse. It is home to many races and ethnic groups, which is mainly because a large number of migrants settled in Brazil in the past and continue to move to the country for its safe and friendly environment.
Current Population: 212,559,417
7. Nigeria
While Nigeria has the seventh-largest population in the world, it’s the third-largest in Africa and continues to grow at 3.2% annually. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, if the population doesn’t come under control, there will be around 402 million people in Nigeria in 2050.
The major contributors to population increase include high birth rates, early marriages, and a lack of family planning.
Current Population: 206,139,589
8. Bangladesh
The population of Bangladesh accounts for 2.11% of the total world population. However, it ranks number 8 in the list of the most populated countries in the world.
It’s worth noting that the majority of Bengalis, including many notable leaders, are against the use of contraception, which has resulted in rapid population growth. Unfortunately, the country has more people than the resources to support them.
Current Population: 164,689,383
9. Russia
Russia’s population is equivalent to 1.87% of the total world population, but it ranks 9 in the list of countries by population. The state witnessed its first demographic growth in the 1990s.
It’s further believed that Russia’s population may spike up to 146 million by 2025, all because of immigration.
Current Population: 145,934,462
10. Mexico
Due to continued high fertility and concurrent dip in mortality, Mexico has seen a jump in its population growth since 1960-75, which lands it at number 10 on our list of the most populated countries in the world.
According to the current projections by the US Census Bureau, the working-age population of the country will continue to increase faster than the overall population.
Current Population: 128,932,753
Some honorable mentions for this list of the most populated countries in the world also include Japan, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Egypt, and Vietnam. All the countries mentioned above suffer from effectively the same problems – lack of awareness, family planning, limits on migration, and poverty. The issue with the continued rise in population numbers is that the Earth might not be able to support the predicted number of people by 2050, so family planning, awareness, and proper resource allocation are of the utmost importance.
