Demographics
Animation: The World’s Population in 2100 by Region
It’s a well-known fact that 60% of the world’s population lives in Asia.
Although this information isn’t necessarily new or surprising to anyone, it’s still something that we’ve found interesting ways to look at in the past. For example, last week we showed you a data visualization using bubbles to represent the populations of every country in the world, and it really helped in putting these incredible demographics into perspective.
But here’s another look at population data – and this time we think it’ll provide more surprises. The following animated chart is based on data and projections from the U.N. Population Division, and it shows the evolving population share by region between 1950 and 2100.
Visualizing Population by Region
Today’s visualization comes from German geographer Simon Kuestenmacher, who posted the following animated graph:
By 2100, only 11% of the world’s population will live in Northern America (United States and Canada), Europe, or Oceania.
Meanwhile, the vast majority of population growth will happen in Africa, a continent we noted earlier this week as being ripe in future economic opportunity, especially with its blossoming tech startup ecosystem.
Africa currently holds 16% of the world’s population, but by 2100 it will hold nearly the same percentage as Asia. Specifically, the U.N. Population Division expects Africa to hold 4.4 billion people by 2100, good for 39% of the world’s total.
Here are the projected tallies (in millions of people) by the U.N. for each region in 2015, 2030, 2050, and 2100:
Region | 2015 | 2030 | 2050 | 2100 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Africa | 1,186 | 1,679 | 2,478 | 4,387 |
Asia | 4,393 | 4,923 | 5,267 | 4,889 |
Europe | 738 | 734 | 707 | 646 |
Northern America | 358 | 396 | 433 | 500 |
Latin America / Caribbean | 634 | 721 | 784 | 721 |
Oceania | 39 | 47 | 57 | 71 |
World | 7,349 | 8,501 | 9,725 | 11,213 |
It should be noted that the U.N. classifies Northern America as Canada and the United States, while Mexico is included in the Latin America and Caribbean category. Lastly, the above table is based on revised projections from the U.N., which appears to be slightly different than the data set used in the chart.
Demographics
Mapped: Population Growth by Region (1900-2050F)
In this visualization, we map the populations of major regions at three different points in time: 1900, 2000, and 2050 (forecasted).
Mapping Population Growth by Region
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
In fewer than 50 years, the world population has doubled in size, jumping from 4 to 8 billion.
In this visualization, we map the populations of major regions at three different points in time: 1900, 2000, and 2050 (forecasted). Figures come from Our World in Data as of March 2023, using the United Nations medium-fertility scenario.
Population by Continent (1900-2050F)
Asia was the biggest driver of global population growth over the course of the 20th century. In fact, the continent’s population grew by 2.8 billion people from 1900 to 2000, compared to just 680 million from the second on our list, Africa.
Region | 1900 | 2000 | 2050F |
---|---|---|---|
Asia | 931,021,418 | 3,735,089,775 | 5,291,555,919 |
Africa | 138,752,199 | 818,952,374 | 2,485,135,689 |
Europe | 406,610,221 | 727,917,165 | 704,398,730 |
North America | 104,231,973 | 486,364,446 | 679,488,449 |
South America | 41,330,704 | 349,634,344 | 491,078,697 |
Oceania | 5,936,615 | 31,223,133 | 57,834,753 |
World 🌐 | 1,627,883,130 | 6,149,181,237 | 9,709,492,237 |
China was the main source of Asia’s population expansion, though its population growth has slowed in recent years. That’s why in 2023, India surpassed China to become the world’s most populous country.
Southeast Asian countries like the Philippines and Indonesia have also been big drivers of Asia’s population boom to this point.
The Future: Africa to Hit 2.5 Billion by 2050
Under the UN’s medium-fertility scenario (all countries converge at a birthrate of 1.85 children per woman by 2050), Africa will solidify its place as the world’s second most populous region.
Three countries—Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Egypt—will account for roughly 30% of that 2.5 billion population figure.
Meanwhile, both North America and South America are expected to see a slowdown in population growth, while Europe is the only region that will shrink by 2050.
A century ago, Europe’s population was close to 30% of the world total. Today, that figure stands at less than 10%.
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