Most Populated Country in the World 2024 (Updated)

World’s Most Populated Country in the World 2024: India has overthrown China as the most populated country in the world with 1,428 million people, which makes India 17.76% of the world’s Population.

Population increase has been a major concern for nations like India with limited land area and resources. More population can be beneficial but also cause social issues like poverty, unemployment, malnutrition, etc.

In this article, we will discuss the Most Populated country and what this means for a nation.

List of Most Populated Country in the World 2024

Here is the updated list of countries and their population. India, China, Most and the United States are the most populated countries in 2023 in the world- worth almost 39% of the global population.

On the other hand countries like Holy See, Tokelau and Niue are some of the least populated countries in the world with populations of a couple hundred or thousands.

Rank	Country	Population (2024)	Population (2023)	Population Growth	Area (sq km)	Density (sq km)	Growth Rate	Percentage of World Population
1	India	1,435,579,517	1,428,627,663	3.3M	3M	485	0.92%	18.01%
2	China	1,425,475,799	1,425,671,352	9.7M	9.4M	151	-0.03%	17.8%
3	United States	340,962,176	339,996,563	9.4M	9.1M	37	0.53%	4.27%
4	Indonesia	278,742,819	277,534,122	1.9M	1.9M	149	0.82%	3.5%
5	Pakistan	242,972,488	240,485,658	881.9K	770.9K	318	1.96%	3.06%
6	Nigeria	226,601,456	223,804,632	923.8K	910.8K	252	2.39%	2.86%
7	Brazil	217,074,607	216,422,446	8.5M	8.4M	26	0.56%	2.72%
8	Bangladesh	173,880,311	172,954,319	147.6K	130.2K	1,342	1.01%	2.18%
9	Russia	144,182,453	144,444,359	17.1M	16.4M	9	-0.34%	1.8%
10	Ethiopia	128,203,292	126,527,060	1.1M	1.1M	115	2.52%	1.62%
11	Mexico	129,439,153	128,932,753	506.4K	1.9M	69	0.39%	1.63%
12	Japan	125,983,091	126,050,804	-67.7K	377.9K	334	-0.05%	1.58%
13	Philippines	116,423,162	115,896,270	526.9K	300K	388	0.45%	1.46%
14	Egypt	106,489,730	104,956,591	1.5M	1M	105	1.45%	1.34%
15	Vietnam	101,545,789	101,716,557	-170.8K	331.2K	306	-0.17%	1.27%
16	DR Congo	100,804,735	98,604,445	2.2M	2.3M	43	2.23%	1.26%
17	Turkey	90,032,965	87,844,369	2.2M	783.4K	115	2.49%	1.13%
18	Iran	84,164,252	83,903,359	260.9K	1.6M	52	0.31%	1.06%
19	Germany	83,276,088	83,190,556	85.5K	357.3K	233	0.1%	1.05%
20	Thailand	69,951,234	69,625582	325.7K	513.1K	136	0.47%	0.88%
21	United Kingdom	67,081,601	66,959,016	122.6K	243.6K	275	0.18%	0.85%
22	France	65,361,978	65,073,482	288.5K	551.7K	118	0.44%	0.82%
23	Italy	60,431,283	60,301,303	129.9K	301.3K	201	0.22%	0.76%
24	Tanzania	59,734,602	58,552,845	1.2M	947.3K	63	2.05%	0.75%
25	South Africa	59,308,690	58,772,568	536.1K	1.2M	49	0.91%	0.74%
26	Myanmar (Burma)	54,426,000	54,339,766	86.2K	676.6K	80	0.16%	0.69%
27	South Korea	51,545,804	51,376,205	169.6K	100.4K	512	0.33%	0.65%
28	Colombia	51,049,498	50,372,424	677.1K	1.1M	46	1.35%	0.64%
29	Kenya	50,950,879	49,699,862	1.3M	580.4K	88	2.57%	0.64%
30	Spain	50,015,792	47,549,048	2.5M	505.9K	99	5.22%	0.63%
31	Argentina	48,725,763	45,376,763	3.35M	2.8M	17	7.39%	0.62%
32	Algeria	44,022,136	43,796,919	225.2K	2.4M	18	0.51%	0.56%
33	Sudan	42,785,104	41,801,533	983.6K	1.9M	23	2.36%	0.54%
34	Ukraine	41,958,239	41,212,859	745.4K	603.5K	70	1.81%	0.53%
35	Uganda	41,732,699	40,666,266	1.07M	241.6K	173	2.65%	0.53%
36	Iraq	41,146,847	40,222,493	924.4K	437.4K	94	2.30%	0.52%
37	Poland	38,422,346	38,394,389	27.9K	312.7K	123	0.07%	0.49%
38	Canada	38,138,369	37,972,784	165.6K	9.9M	4	0.44%	0.48%
39	Morocco	36,910,560	36,692,681	217.9K	446.6K	82	0.59%	0.47%
40	Afghanistan	36,593,354	36,373,173	220.2K	652.9K	56	0.60%	0.46%
41	Saudi Arabia	35,893,879	35,520,916	372.0K	2.1M	16	1.05%	0.46%
42	Peru	35,841,108	35,475,110	365.0K	1.3M	26	1.03%	0.46%
43	Malaysia	35,371,347	35,170,376	200.0K	329.8K	107	0.57%	0.45%
44	Uzbekistan	34,918,848	34,565,381	353.5K	448.9K	78	1.02%	0.45%
45	Venezuela	34,596,335	34,352,855	243.5K	916.4K	38	0.71%	0.44%
46	Mozambique	34,529,315	33,808,579	720.7K	799.4K	43	2.13%	0.44%
47	Ghana	34,496,013	33,694,997	801.0K	238.5K	145	2.38%	0.44%
48	Yemen	34,193,497	33,901,849	291.6K	527.9K	65	0.86%	0.44%
49	Nepal	33,973,411	33,609,198	364.2K	147.5K	230	1.08%	0.43%
50	Madagascar	27,076,107	26,969,307	106.8K	587.0K	46	0.40%	0.35%
51	North Korea	25,038,023	24,994,611	43.4K	120.4K	208	0.17%	0.32%
52	Côte d’Ivoire	24,695,889	24,295,000	400.0K	322.5K	77	1.64%	0.32%
53	Australia	24,608,445	24,365,298	243.1K	7.7M	3	0.99%	0.32%
54	Cameroon	24,147,232	23,439,189	708.0K	475.4K	51	2.97%	0.31%
55	Taiwan	23,633,464	23,567,231	66.2K	36.2K	653	0.28%	0.31%
56	Niger	23,310,715	22,442,629	868.1K	1.3M	18	3.87%	0.30%
57	Sri Lanka	22,976,031	22,888,865	87.2K	65.6K	350	0.38%	0.30%
58	Burkina Faso	22,827,161	22,352,784	474.4K	273.6K	83	2.12%	0.29%
59	Malawi	22,516,345	22,290,307	226.0K	118.5K	190	1.01%	0.29%
60	Mali	22,404,070	21,993,372	410.7K	1.2K	18	1.87%	0.29%
61	Chile	22,242,861	22,180,098	62.8K	756.1K	29	0.28%	0.29%
62	Romania	21,729,871	21,831,345	-101.5K	238.4K	91	-0.47%	0.28%
63	Kazakhstan	19,955,284	19,906,134	49.1K	2.7M	7	0.25%	0.26%
64	Niger	19,886,463	19,814,894	71.6K	126.7K	157	0.36%	0.26%
65	Burundi	19,321,919	18,810,632	511.3K	27.8K	696	2.71%	0.25%
66	Tunisia	17,922,709	17,664,800	257.9K	163.6K	110	1.45%	0.23%
67	Belgium	17,372,194	17,214,590	157.6K	30.5K	570	0.92%	0.23%
68	Bolivia	17,306,718	17,177,163	129.6K	1.1M	16	0.76%	0.22%
69	Cuba	11,517,154	11,398,674	118.5K	110.9K	104	1.04%	0.15%
70	Djibouti	1,079,890	1,086,614	-6.7K	23K	47	-0.63%	0.01%
71	Paraguay	7,354,676	7,272,185	82.5K	406.8K	18	1.13%	0.10%
72	Sierra Leone	8,074,538	7,976,983	97.6K	71.6K	113	1.22%	0.10%
73	El Salvador	6,578,962	6,516,418	62.5K	21.4K	308	0.96%	0.09%
74	Lebanon	6,800,366	6,825,445	-25.1K	10.4K	654	-0.37%	0.09%
75	Kyrgyzstan	6,497,365	6,452,534	44.8K	199.9K	33	0.70%	0.08%
76	Turkmenistan	6,007,762	5,974,148	33.6K	469.9K	13	0.56%	0.08%
77	Singapore	6,243,222	6,209,660	33.6K	728.6K	8	0.54%	0.08%
78	Denmark	5,862,990	5,818,550	44.4K	42.9K	137	0.76%	0.07%
79	Finland	5,566,486	5,529,276	37.2K	338.4K	16	0.67%	0.07%
80	Central African Republic	5,548,647	5,486,542	62.1K	622.9K	9	1.13%	0.07%
81	Norway	5,478,801	5,432,580	46.2K	323.8K	17	0.85%	0.07%
82	Oman	5,341,314	5,307,987	33.3K	309.5K	17	0.63%	0.07%
83	State of Palestine	5,216,572	5,180,710	35.9K	6.0K	870	0.69%	0.07%
84	Costa Rica	5,127,147	5,070,482	56.7K	51.1K	100	1.12%	0.07%
85	Ireland	5,045,989	5,011,216	34.8K	70.3K	72	0.69%	0.07%
86	Liberia	5,011,694	4,941,087	70.6K	111.4K	45	1.43%	0.06%
87	New Zealand	4,984,516	4,952,389	32.1K	270.5K	18	0.65%	0.06%
88	Mauritania	4,933,621	4,887,554	46.1K	1.0M	4	0.94%	0.06%
89	Croatia	4,079,936	4,061,083	18.9K	56.6K	72	0.46%	0.05%
90	Kuwait	4,272,043	4,231,473	40.6K	17.8K	240	0.96%	0.05%
91	Panama	4,284,611	4,245,136	39.5K	75.4K	57	0.92%	0.05%
92	Georgia	4,011,245	3,986,207	25.0K	69.7K	58	0.63%	0.05%
93	Eritrea	3,952,169	3,912,303	39.9K	117.6K	34	1.02%	0.05%
94	Uruguay	3,475,003	3,449,285	25.7K	176.2K	20	0.74%	0.04%
95	Mongolia	3,415,353	3,392,141	23.2K	1.5M	2	0.68%	0.04%
96	Lithuania	2,795,891	2,787,170	8.7K	65.3K	43	0.31%	0.04%
97	Jamaica	2,811,901	2,781,205	30.7K	10.9K	258	1.10%	0.04%
98	Namibia	2,665,807	2,633,307	32.5K	824.3K	3	1.23%	0.03%
99	Botswana	2,390,878	2,366,008	24.9K	582.0K	4	1.05%	0.03%
100	Gabon	2,269,096	2,249,125	19.0K	267.7K	8	0.84%	0.03%
101	Lesotho	2,249,170	2,225,268	23.9K	30.4K	74	1.07%	0.03%
102	North Macedonia	2,083,374	2,079,679	3.7K	25.7K	81	0.18%	0.03%
103	Slovenia	2,081,579	2,081,091	0.5K	20.3K	103	0.02%	0.03%
104	Guinea-Bissau	2,008,974	1,991,022	17.0K	36.1K	56	0.85%	0.03%
105	Latvia	1,872,743	1,872,499	0.2K	64.6K	29	0.01%	0.02%
106	Bahrain	1,729,843	1,723,123	6.7K	778	2,221	0.39%	0.02%
107	Timor-Leste	1,706,081	1,689,755	16.3K	14.9K	115	0.96%	0.02%
108	Trinidad and Tobago	1,394,940	1,387,574	7.4K	5.1K	272	0.53%	0.02%
109	Equatorial Guinea	1,402,985	1,389,028	13.0K	28.1K	50	0.94%	0.02%
110	Estonia	1,317,497	1,317,497	0.0K	45.2K	29	0.00%	0.02%
Source- WorldPopulation

Top 5 Most Populated Countries 2024

1. India

India surpassed China to become worlds most populous country in mid 2024 with estimated population of 1.428 billion. According to statistics India has a high birth rate of 16.1 births per 1,000 people which is significantly less than birth rate of 29.5 births per 1,000 people in 1990’s but still India overthrew China to become no.1 most populated country.

2. China

China has stayed as the most populated country since 3rd century BC that is for 2000 years. The reason behind China’s high population can be given to it’s high fertility rate, high population base and high life expectancy. India have surpassed China as China strictly monitored it’s population growth with One-Child policy in 1980’s.

3. USA

USA is 3rd most populated country in the world. It has a land area of 3,897,492 square miles which also makes it 3rd biggest country in the world. United States is very developed country which led to high life expectancy and immigration, due to which US has a very high population.

4. Indonesia

Indonesia is a small country in Asia, which has very high population density of 153 people per square kilometer. Indonesia have fertility rate of 2.01, it faced rapid population growth due to it’s high population base. Most of the population in Indonesia are Muslims, making it country with highest Muslim population of 231,067,880 people (86.7% of total population).

5. Pakistan

Pakistan is neighboring country of India, and is approximately 4 times smaller than India in total land area. It has estimated population of 240,485,658 people which is mostly Muslim population approx. 96% making it country with second highest Muslim population.

Some Key Statistics from Countries Population

UN releases World Population Report every year which can be used to derive various insights about countries. Some of the interesting Statistics are discussed below which shows the impact of a country’s population on the world.

1. Youngest Country

A country can be considered youngest country if median age of the country population is least compared to other nations. Some of the youngest countries are Niger (median age -15.3 years), Chad (median age – 15.9 years) and South Sudan (median age – 16.1 years).

These countries may have high number of young individual but they are not very useful for the nation, countries like India with median age of 28.2 years can benefit from it’s high population as majority of it’s population are working young adult population.

2. Oldest Country

Oldest country in the world is Japan with median age of 49.2 years, this means most of it’s population is old adults. Japan might witness a drastic population drop in coming years as it has low fertility rate and most of it’s population is Old.

Some other oldest country in the world are Monaco (median age-48 years), Italy (median age-49.5 years )and Germany (median age-44.4 years).

3. Most Educated Country

Most educated country in the world is South Korea with tertiary education attainment rate of 69.29%. South Korea might not be seen in most populated country list, but most of it’s population has good educational qualifications which can be useful for county growth.

Countries after South Korea that makes in the list of Most educated country are Canada-66.36%, Japan-65.46% and Luxembourg-63.14%.

Why is India Populated?

In the list of most populated country in the world 2023 India was second most populated country until mid 2023, but now India has surpassed China in as most populous country in the world. There are many reasons associated for India becoming most populated country, we have discussed some below:

1. High fertility Rate

India always had a good fertility rate which is primary reason for it’s high population base, although the fertility rate of India have seen a decline in recent years, India still became most populated country in the world due to it’s high fertility rate.

Fertility rate of India is 2.01 in 2023, which means a women on avg gives birth to 2 children in India.

Fact: India had fertility rate of 2.7 in 1980, declined to 1.8 in 2015 and increased back to 2.01 in 2023

2. Majority of Young People

Most of India’s population is young adults, around 30 years which increases birth rate and fertility rate of the country.

Median age of India is 28.2 according to World Population Report, age suitable for family building. Most people go into marriage and make families around this age in India.

Recommended read:

• Why counting Birth and Death rates is important?
• Difference Between Birth Rate and Death Rate

3. Culture

The culture of India has always promoted family relations, and most people in India prefer to marry and raise their children in families. This maintains the fertility rates and birth rates for the nation.

If people avoid marriages or relationships, they might not form a family or bear children. This has been a concerning issue for most developed nations.

Recommended read: Uniqueness of Indian Society in Sustaining its Culture

4. Healthcare

Healthcare in India is developed and cheap, which has increased the average life expectancy of a Indian citizen. Avg life expectancy of India is 71.1 years.

Fact- Life expectancy of India was 35.6 years in 1950’s which has consistently improved to be 71.1 years in 2023

Benefits & Drawbacks of High Population

Benefits:

Here are some quick pointers to why a country would want high population:

1. More labor force
2. High consumer market
3. More source for taxes
4. Military strength
5. Global influence

Drawbacks:

Here are some of the common issues faced by most populated countries:

1. Strain on resources
2. Unemployment
3. Overcrowding
4. Strain on infrastructure
5. Social problems

How to Control Population?

In the article of most populated country in the world 2024, the solutions to control population is very important. So, here are some of the measures that a country can use to bring it’s population under control:

1. Government Policies

Government can issue policies to regulate population in a nation. China’s “One Child Policy” is a example which China implemented to control the population growth of it’s country. It later turned out to be bad decision and was revoked in 2016.

Govt. can also make laws on abortion which can help in reducing birth rates.

2. Family Planning

People should educate themselves about family planning so that they can maintain a happy family life. Using contraceptive to avoid accidental pregnancy, or educating about importance of small families can help in reducing children births.

3. Urbanization

Urbanization can reduce the population growth as it increases the cost of living and makes it difficult to afford having a baby. It is difficult to get good education, healthcare, residence or even food for cheap in some of the big cities.

Fact-Hong Kong has highest cost of living in the world with avg cost of living – US$2,520, which might vary according to your lifestyle.

Conclusion

India has surpassed China to become the most populated country in the world 2024. India can use this high population with median age of 28 years for it’s development. With most of it’s people falling into educated working population, India is emerging to become a product and service hub for the world.

Countries should maintain their population policies so that they don’t face a rapid growth like Indonesia or face a sudden decline in future like Japan. People should also understand importance of family planning to maintain county’s population.

Most Populated Country in the World 2024- FAQs

Q1. What is no.1 most populated country in the world 2024?

India has become most populated country in the world with population of 1,428,627,663 people.

Q2. What are 10 countries with largest population?

Top 10 countries with largest population are:

1. India
2. China
3. United States
4. Indonesia
5. Pakistan
6. Nigeria
7. Brazil
8. Bangladesh
9. Russia
10. Mexico

Q3. What is rank of India in population?

India is now rank 1 in most populated country 2024.

Q4. What is second most Populated country in the world?

China has become second most populated country in the world, falling from it’s no. 1 position after 2000 years.