Human Population

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History Summaries

World Population Growth History

Here is a summary of World Population Growth history from 10,000 BC to 2050 AD.





World Population Growth - Historical Chart
Projected World Population Estimates
Time to Reach Each Billion

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World Population Growth History Chart

.
  The total number of humans that have ever lived has been estimated at 110 billion.
  Approximately 6% of all those people are alive today.
.

New
Data
Accord.
to
2011
Nation.
Geogr.
TV
Progr.
Date
Africa
plus
Madagascar
Asia
plus
USSR /
Mideast
Europe
North
America
Canada
US
Mexico
Carrib.
South
America
plus
Central
America
Oceania
plus
Australia
New Zealand
Philippines
Total
(millions)

10,000 B.C.

5,000 year
increments

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

5,000 B.C.

 

 

 

 

 

 

5

2,000 B.C.

1,000 year
increments

 

 

 

 

 

 

27

1,000 B.C.

 

 

 

 

 

 

50

0 A.D.
500 year
increments

 

 

 

 

 

 

200

500 A.D.

 

 

 

 

 

 

300

1000 A.D.

 

 

 

 

 

 

400

1500 A.D.

 

 

 

 

 

 

500

1650 A.D.

 50 year
increments

 

327
103
0.5
12
2
600
500

1750 A.D.

 

475
144
3
11
2
750

1800 A.D.

 

597
192
5.3
19
2
900

1810
10 year
increments
 

 

 

 

7.2

 

 

1,000

1820

 

 

 

9.6

 

 

 

1830

 

 

 

13

 

 

 

1 B
1840

 

 

 

17

 

 

 

1850

 

741
274
23
33
2
1,171

1860

 

 

 

31

 

 

 

1870

 

 

 

39

 

 

 

1880

 

 

 

50

 

 

 

1890

 

 

 

63

 

 

 

1900

 

915
423
76
63
6
1,608

1910

 

 

 

92

 

 

 

1920

 

997
485
105.7
92

1,834

1930

 

1,069
530
122.7
110

2,008
2 B
1940

 

1,173
579
131.7
132

2,216

1950

 

1,272
594
150.7
162
12
2,406

1960

 

1,665
641
178.5
208

2,972

1970

 

 

 

 

 

 

3,700

1980
 470
 2,601
 484*
372
 242
 23
4,400

1990

 

 

 

 

 

5,100

1997
7 years
750
3,477
508*
464
329
29
5,852

2000
3 years
803
3,686
729
487
348
30
6,080

2005
5 years
891
3,913
729
512
371
32
6,450

.
2005 Pop. Distribution

13.8%
60.7%
11.3%
7.9%
5.7%
0.5%
99.0%

*Missing data for Russsia explains the 5% or so difference in the total.
.
.

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Projected Population Estimates

.
Africa
Asia
Europe*
N.A.
S.A.
O.+Aus.
Total
Nat.
Geo.
2005
5 year
increments
891
3,913
729
512
371
32
6.45

2010

 

 

 

 

 

 

 6.8

2011

7 B
2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

 7.2

2020

 

 

 

 

 

 

 7.6

2025
1,327
4,753
711
618
447
39
7.89

2030

 

 

 

 

 

 

 8.2

2035

 

 

 

 

 

 

 8.5

2040

 

 

 

 

 

 

8.8

2045

 

 

 

 

 

 

 9.4
9 B
2050
2,050
6,109
458*
720
475
43
9.85
10.5 B

.
Estimated 2050
Pop. Distribution

20.8%
62.0%
4.6%
7.3%
4.8%
0.4%
99%

-

* The data for Europe includes all of Russsia, except for 2050.
.

120-620

70

60

60

60

60

60

60

60

60

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Time to Get to Each Billion

Billions
of
People
On
Earth
Year
Time Span

1
1830
50,000 years
2
1930
100 years
3
1960
30 years
4
1975
15 years
5
1989
14 years
6
1999
10 years
7
2011
12 years

The recent rate of increase has slowed
due to diminishing birth rates.

8
2025
14 years
9
2045
20 years

.
What could intervene?


1. Starvation - Can the world feed 8 billion people? Some say no.
2. Disease Epidemic
3. Nuclear winter
4. Birth rate change


Read "The Population Bomb" by Paul Erlich in 1968.

120 - 620

70

60

120

300


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Disclaimer: Source: US Department of Commerce, plus other research
There are many estimates of population for various time periods.
The reporting categories change over time, introducing difficult-to-resolve discrepancies.
I have selected the numbers which are the most consistent among experts in the demographics field.







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This Vaughns Summaries World Population Growth Table web page was updated on 2012-01-30.