Check yourself
Can you name the five countries with the largest populations? Total population, not density; any order.
India is first and China second, both far ahead of the rest. The United States is third, Indonesia fourth and Pakistan fifth. Nigeria is sixth and Brazil seventh.
These five countries have the largest populations
| Rank | Country | Million people | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 1,464 | 2025 |
| 2 | China | 1,407 | 2025 |
| 3 | United States | 342 | 2025 |
| 4 | Indonesia | 286 | 2025 |
| 5 | Pakistan | 255 | 2025 |
Total population of the country, not people per square kilometre
Data: World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0).
India has overtaken China as the most populous country
China had the largest population in every year of the United Nations estimates until India passed it earlier this decade. The gap is widening: China's population is now falling, while India's is still growing. Further down the table, Pakistan is fifth, ahead of both Nigeria and Brazil.
Nigeria's population is an estimate built on an old census
Population figures are estimates carried forward from each country's last census, and some censuses are far older than others. Nigeria's last national census was twenty years ago, so its figure rests on projections from a count taken long ago. Pakistan held a census much more recently, so its figure is the firmer of the two.
A large population raises totals but not living standards
When you compare countries, check whether a figure is a total or per person. A large population lifts total output, total energy use and total emissions, so the most populous countries sit near the top of many rankings; divide by population and several fall a long way. State which measure you are using before you draw a conclusion about how well off people are.