Demographics

Animated Map: The Comparative Might of Continents

Published

4 months ago

September 11, 2020

Animated Map: The Comparative Might of Continents

We’ve come quite a long way since the time of Pangea. Today, the world’s continents are home to over 7.8 billion people, and each one is unique in its own way.

This video from the data visualization tool Vizzu compares the surface area, population, and GDP of the continents—all in terms of their contribution to the world’s total. Let’s dive further into the results of each category.

Click through to source to see the country breakdowns. Antarctica has been excluded from these calculations.

Surface Area: Does Size Matter?

When it comes to sheer land mass, Asia emerges on top with over one-third of the global surface area. On that front, it certainly has a little help from the combined forces of Russia and China, even as the former overlaps Eastern Europe as well.

Rank	Region	Share of Global Surface Area	Largest Country
#1	Asia	36.5%	🇷🇺 Russia
#2	Africa	22.3%	🇩🇿 Algeria
#3	North America	17.1%	🇨🇦 Canada
#4	South America	13.2%	🇧🇷 Brazil
#5	Oceania	6.4%	🇦🇺 Australia
#6	Europe	4.6%	🇷🇺 Russia

Africa comes in second, but doesn’t lag behind by much. A stone’s throw from Europe, Algeria is the largest country on the continent—and the 10th largest in the world.

Failing to grasp the true size of Africa is a common mental mistake, as many maps systematically underestimate its scale. The continent could easily fit the entirety of China, India, the U.S., and multiple European countries within its borders.

Population: Packing People Together

Another way to look at things is in terms of the number of inhabitants in each region. Asia is once again on top, with almost two-thirds of the world squeezed onto the continent.

Rank	Region	Share of Global Population	Most Populous Country
#1	Asia	61.8%	🇨🇳 China
#2	Africa	16.1%	🇳🇬 Nigeria
#3	Europe	8.2%	🇷🇺 Russia
#4	North America	7.7%	🇺🇸 U.S.
#5	South America	5.6%	🇧🇷 Brazil
#6	Oceania	0.5%	🇦🇺 Australia

Asia’s lead in population is impressive, but it’s a margin that is unlikely to last forever.

By the year 2100—new estimates show the populations India and China could start to dip. Meanwhile Nigeria, which is already Africa’s most populous country with near 196 million people, could potentially quadruple in numbers in the same time frame.

In this metric, Europe also rises to third place. This is thanks again to the approximately 146 million people within Russia. However, if only the countries located completely within the continent are considered, Germany’s population of nearly 84 million would win out.

GDP: Emerging Wealth Overtakes

Finally, economic output—measured in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)—is the most common way to assess the relative prosperity of countries and continents.

At this, the U.S. dominates with $21.4T according to the World Bank, though it swaps places with China which boasts $23.5T when adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP).

Rank	Region	Share of Global GDP	Richest Country (both nominal and PPP)
#1	Asia	36.9%	🇨🇳 China
#2	North America	28.9%	🇺🇸 U.S.
#3	Europe	23.9%	🇩🇪 Germany
#4	South America	5.1%	🇧🇷 Brazil
#5	Africa	3.1%	🇳🇬 Nigeria
#6	Oceania	2.1%	🇦🇺 Australia

Source: World Bank for both GDP Nominal and PPP, 2019.

Global wealth share drops sharply between Europe and South America, though it’s worth noting that rising inequality is also hidden under the surface within many high-income regions.

In terms of overall GDP, the Asian continent makes up the lion’s share. Asia is also home to many of the world’s emerging markets—which means there may be an even more pronounced shift of wealth towards the East in coming decades.

Related Topics:china africa Russia Brazil GDP maps geography population nigeria asia u.s.continents north america land mass most populous south america size of continents

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Demographics

Ranked: The Most Populous Cities in the World

Where are the world’s largest cities in terms of population? This graphic looks at the top 20 most populous cities in the world.

Published

2 days ago

January 19, 2021

Avery Koop

Ranked: The Most Populous Cities in the World

More than half of the world’s population currently lives in cities—and as time goes on, it’s clear that more urban dwellers will find themselves living in megacities.

Megacities are defined as urban areas with a population of more than 10 million people. This means that the world’s top 20 most populous cities are all megacities.

This visualization, using data from Macrotrends, shows the 20 most populous cities in the world.

Rapid Urbanization

Today, more than 80% of people in higher income countries find themselves living in urban areas, and in upper-middle income countries the number lies between 50-80%.

Rural-to-urban migration is an increasingly relevant trend in the 21st century. Prospects of better job opportunities and higher wages, along with shifts from agrarian to industrial and service-based economies, are causing mass movement to cities.

How much have the world’s five most populous cities grown in just the last decade?

Rank	City	2010 Population	2020 Population	Percentage Change
#1	🇯🇵 Tokyo	36,834,000	37,393,000	+1.5%
#2	🇮🇳 Delhi	21,935,000	30,291,000	+38.1%
#3	🇨🇳 Shanghai	19,980,000	27,058,000	+35.4%
#4	🇧🇷 São Paulo	19,660,000	22,043,000	+12.1%
#5	🇲🇽 Mexico City	20,132,000	21,782,000	+8.2%

While Tokyo only gained 559,000 people between 2010 and 2020, Delhi gained over 8 million people in the same time frame.

Shanghai grew by over 7 million people. Meanwhile, São Paulo grew by more than 2 million, and Mexico City gained just over 1.6 million people.

Interestingly, Mexico City placed third on the top largest cities list in 2010, but has since experienced slower growth compared to its competitors, Shanghai and São Paulo.

The Most Populous Cities Today

While Tokyo is the world’s most populous city with 37,393,000 people, this number is leveling out due to declining birth rates and an aging population.

Indian and Chinese cities, on the other hand, will continue to grow rapidly in the coming years. In fact, it’s expected that Delhi’s population could surpass Tokyo’s by 2028.

Here’s a closer look at the top 20 most populous cities.

Rank	City	Population
1	🇯🇵 Tokyo	37,393,000
2	🇮🇳 Delhi	30,291,000
3	🇨🇳 Shanghai	27,058,000
4	🇧🇷 São Paulo	22,043,000
5	🇲🇽 Mexico City	21,782,000
6	🇧🇩 Dhaka	21,006,000
7	🇪🇬 Cairo	20,901,000
8	🇨🇳 Beijing	20,463,000
9	🇮🇳 Mumbai	20,411,000
10	🇯🇵 Osaka	19,165,000
11	🇺🇸 New York City	18,804,000
12	🇵🇰 Karachi	16,094,000
13	🇨🇳 Chongqing	15,872,000
14	🇹🇷 Istanbul	15,190,000
15	🇦🇷 Buenos Aires	15,154,000
16	🇮🇳 Calcutta	14,850,000
17	🇳🇬 Lagos	14,368,000
18	🇨🇩 Kinshasa	14,342,000
19	🇵🇭 Manila	13,923,000
20	🇨🇳 Tianjin	13,580,000

By 2035, two new cities are expected to crack the top 20 list. Specifically, it’s projected that Bangalore (India) and Lahore (Pakistan) will boot out Tianjin and Buenos Aires. In addition, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Chennai are all expected to meet the megacity definition by 2035.

Urban growth will continue mainly in Asia and Africa, as some cities in regions such as Europe actually begin to shrink in population due to aging citizens and declining birth rates. Since 2012, deaths in the EU have actually been outpacing births—and in 2019, there were 4.7 million deaths compared to 4.2 million births, though net migration kept population numbers from falling.

Life in the City

While there are certainly downsides to mass urbanization, like pollution and overcrowding, the upsides clearly outweigh the negatives for most people. Convenience, better jobs, easier access to social services, and higher wages are among the many reasons people are likely to continue to move to cities, even in the post-COVID era.

With the emergence of smart and green cities, the quality of life for many urban dwellers will likely continue to improve, and more large urban areas will morph into megacities.

Misc

Visualizing the U.S. Population by Race

America is a cultural mosaic—nearly 40% identify as a visible minority today. Here we break down the U.S. population by race by state.

Published

3 weeks ago

December 28, 2020

Iman Ghosh

Visualizing the U.S. Population by Race

The American population is a unique mosaic of cultures—and almost 40% of people identify as racial or ethnic minorities today.

In this treemap, we use data for 2019 from the Kaiser Family Foundation, which bases its analysis on the latest American Community Survey (ACS) data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Then we break down the same data on a state-by-state basis.

Growing Diversity in America

As of 2019, here is the current distribution of the U.S. population by race and ethnicity:

White: 60.1% (Non-Hispanic)
Hispanic: 18.5%
Black: 12.2%
Asian: 5.6%
Multiple Races: 2.8%
American Indian/Alaska Native: 0.7%
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: 0.2%

Note that the U.S. totals do not include Puerto Rico.

However, these race and ethnicity projections are expected to change over the coming years. By the year 2060, it’s expected that the distribution of Non-Hispanic Whites as a percentage of total population will fall from 60.1% to 44.3% of Americans.

Year	White*	Black	Hispanic	Asian	Multiple Races	Other**
2020	59.7%	12.5%	18.7%	5.8%	2.3%	0.9%
2025	57.7%	12.7%	19.9%	6.3%	2.6%	0.9%
2030	55.8%	12.8%	21.1%	6.7%	2.8%	0.9%
2035	53.8%	12.9%	22.3%	7.1%	3.1%	0.9%
2040	51.7%	13.0%	23.5%	7.5%	3.4%	0.9%
2045	49.7%	13.1%	24.6%	7.9%	3.8%	0.9%
2050	47.8%	13.3%	25.7%	8.2%	4.1%	0.9%
2055	46.0%	13.4%	26.6%	8.5%	4.5%	0.9%
2060	44.3%	13.6%	27.5%	8.9%	4.9%	0.9%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau. *Excludes Hispanics **Other includes American Indian/Alaska Native (0.7%) and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (0.2%). Both proportions remain unchanged in these projections.

Interestingly, the proportion of those from multiple racial and ethnic backgrounds will more than double, from 2.3% to 4.9% alongside rising patterns of interracial marriage.

Over time, the U.S. Census has been vastly expanded to reflect the true diversity that the country holds. In fact, it was only from 1960 onwards that people could select their own race—and only from 2020 can those who chose White or Black provide further information on their roots.

A State-by-State Breakdown

Of course, racial diversity in the United States differs widely from region to region.

In the Northeast—particularly the states Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire—the Non-Hispanic White population accounts for 90% or more of the total. In contrast, Black populations are highest in the District of Columbia (45%) and several Southern states.

Location	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	Multiple Races	American Indian /Alaska Native	Native Hawaiian /Other Pacific Islander
Alabama	65%	27%	4%	1%	2%	0%	-
Alaska	60%	2%	7%	6%	8%	15%	2%
Arizona	54%	4%	32%	3%	2%	4%	0%
Arkansas	72%	15%	8%	2%	2%	1%	0%
California	36%	5%	40%	15%	3%	0%	0%
Colorado	68%	4%	22%	3%	3%	1%	0%
Connecticut	66%	10%	17%	5%	3%	0%	-
Delaware	61%	22%	10%	4%	3%	0%	-
District of Columbia	37%	45%	11%	4%	3%	0%	-
Florida	53%	15%	27%	3%	2%	0%	0%
Georgia	52%	31%	10%	4%	3%	0%	0%
Hawaii	20%	1%	10%	39%	18%	0%	10%
Idaho	82%	1%	13%	1%	3%	1%	-
Illinois	61%	14%	18%	6%	2%	0%	<.01
Indiana	79%	9%	7%	2%	2%	0%	-
Iowa	85%	4%	6%	2%	2%	0%	<.01
Kansas	76%	6%	12%	3%	3%	1%	-
Kentucky	85%	8%	4%	2%	2%	0%	-
Louisiana	59%	32%	5%	2%	2%	1%	-
Maine	93%	1%	2%	1%	2%	1%	-
Maryland	50%	30%	11%	6%	3%	0%	-
Massachusetts	71%	7%	12%	7%	3%	0%	<.01
Michigan	75%	13%	5%	3%	3%	1%	-
Minnesota	79%	6%	6%	5%	3%	1%	-
Mississippi	57%	38%	3%	1%	1%	0%	-
Missouri	79%	11%	4%	2%	3%	0%	0%
Montana	86%	1%	4%	1%	3%	6%	-
Nebraska	79%	5%	11%	2%	2%	1%	-
Nevada	48%	9%	29%	9%	4%	1%	1%
New Hampshire	90%	1%	4%	3%	2%	-	-
New Jersey	55%	12%	21%	10%	2%	0%	-
New Mexico	37%	2%	50%	2%	2%	9%	-
New York	55%	14%	19%	9%	3%	0%	-
North Carolina	63%	21%	10%	3%	3%	1%	<.01
North Dakota	84%	2%	4%	1%	3%	5%	-
Ohio	79%	12%	4%	2%	3%	0%	-
Oklahoma	65%	7%	11%	2%	7%	8%	0%
Oregon	75%	2%	13%	5%	4%	1%	0%
Pennsylvania	76%	10%	8%	4%	2%	0%	<.01
Puerto Rico	1%	0%	98%	-	0%	-	-
Rhode Island	71%	6%	17%	3%	3%	0%	-
South Carolina	64%	26%	6%	2%	2%	0%	-
South Dakota	82%	2%	4%	1%	2%	8%	-
Tennessee	74%	16%	6%	2%	2%	0%	-
Texas	41%	12%	40%	5%	2%	0%	0%
Utah	78%	1%	14%	2%	3%	1%	1%
Vermont	93%	1%	2%	2%	2%	1%	-
Virginia	61%	19%	10%	7%	3%	0%	<.01
Washington	68%	4%	13%	9%	5%	1%	1%
West Virginia	93%	3%	1%	1%	2%	0%	-
Wisconsin	81%	6%	7%	3%	2%	1%	-
Wyoming	84%	1%	10%	1%	2%	2%	-
U.S.	60.1%	12.2%	18.5%	5.6%	2.8%	0.7%	0.2%

Note: A dash (-) indicates estimates with relative standard errors greater than 30%, which were not included in the data

Of all the 50 states, Hawaii is home to the largest share of Asian populations at 39%. It also has one of the most diverse racial breakdowns in the nation overall, including the highest proportion of mixed race individuals.

Looking to another island, an overwhelming majority (98%) of Puerto Ricans are of Hispanic origins. While it’s not a state, its inhabitants are all considered U.S. citizens.

Charting the U.S. population by race is crucial for a number of reasons. This information can be used to better understand existing income and wealth gaps, track public health outcomes, and to aid in policy decision-making at higher levels.