World Population: Past and Present
In 1960, human population hit third billion and the next billion (fourth) in 15 years (1975), and the fifth billion in only 13 years (1987).
NB: It took 30 years for world population to hit the third billion and 130 years to hit the second
- During the 20th century, the population in the world grew from 1.65 billion to 6 billion.
- In 1970, there weren't half as many people in the world as there are now.
Growth Rate
Population in the world is currently (2021) growing at a rate of 1.03% (likely to fall to 1.01% by December 2021) per year, down from (1.03% in 2020, 1.08% in 2019, and 1.09% in 2018). The current average population increase is estimated at 81 million people per year.
The annual growth rate reached its peak in the late 1960s, when it was at around 2%. The rate of increase has almost halved since then, and will continue to decline in the coming years.
Due to the decreasing growth rate, world population will continue to grow in this 21st century, but at a much slower rate compared to the 20th century. World population has doubled (100% increase) in 40 years from 1959 (3 billion) to 1999 (6 billion).
Our world population projections indicate that world population will reach 9 billion persons in the year 2050.
World Population Density (people/km²)
Population density map of the world showing countries.
