POPULATION FACTS AS HUMANS HIT 8bn
1 The population of the UK is 68.7million, making us the 21st most populated country on the planet. It has been growing steadily, increasing by 0.6% every year since 2002.
2 China is the country with the largest population on Earth, with more than 1.4billion inhabitants, followed by India with more than 1.3billion. Together they make up almost a third of the world’s population. But India is set to outstrip China by 2024 and grow to 1.5billion by 2100.
3 Tokyo in Japan is the city with the most inhabitants – 37million – while Vatican City, home to the Pope, has the least with fewer than 1,000 people.
4 World Cup host venue Qatar has the most men, with three males for every woman, while Nepal has almost 2.5million more women than men.
5 New Zealand has more sheep than people. There’s currently 5.1 sheep for every one person but that’s nothing compared to the 1982 peak of 22 sheep for each human. The drop is mainly down to farmers switching to dairy farming.
6 There are more than four babies born every second worldwide, or about 259 births per minute. Niger in Africa has both the highest birth rate and youngest population globally.
7 The world’s population is ageing due to rising life expectancy. According to the UN, by 2050 one in six people in the world will be aged over 65, an increase from one in 11 in 2019. That rises to one in four in Europe.
8 In the UK, the average life expectancy is 80.9 years, up from 77.74 in 2000. Worldwide it’s 72.98. Baby boys born in the UK in 2020 can expect to live to 87.3 years and girls to 90.2.
9 Africa’s population is booming and by 2050 a quarter of people in the world will be African. That’s down to high fertility and a falling death rate.
10 Tiny Monaco is the world’s most densely populated country. The 39,530 inhabitants pack into an area of 0.81 square miles. Greenland has the least dense population.
11 Around 56% of the world’s population live in cities. And that number is expected to double by 2050 with nearly seven out of 10 people living in urban areas by then.
12 There are 1.8billion millennials – born between 1981 and 1996 – on the planet. You may not have realised but that makes the likes of Beyoncé and... er... Kim Jong-un part of the same group. There are 2.47billion Gen Zers, who were born between 1997 and 2012, such as singer Billie Eilish.