World Population Prospects

The United Nations population estimates and projections form a comprehensive set of demographic data to assess population trends at the global, regional and national levels. The 2019 revision of the World Population Prospects is the twenty-sixth edition of the official United Nations population estimates and projections, which have been prepared since 1951 by the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The 2019 revision presents population estimates from 1950 until the present for 235 countries or areas, which have been developed through country-specific analyses of historical demographic trends. It builds on previous revisions by incorporating additional results from the 2010 and 2020 rounds of national population censuses as well as information from vital registration and recent nationally representative household sample surveys. The 2019 revision also presents population projections to the year 2100 that reflect a range of plausible outcomes at the global, regional and country levels. This volume of the 2019 Revision presents the demographic profiles of the official United Nations population estimates and projections. The demographic profiles display key demographic indicators for selected periods or dates between 1950-2100, for the world, development groups, regions, subregions (50 aggregates) and 201 countries or areas with more than 90,000 inhabitants in 2019. In all tables and figures, values for 1950-2020 are estimates and those thereafter are projections (medium variant, and lower and upper 95 per cent prediction intervals for figures). For each country or area, the volume also provides a brief description of the data sources and demographic methods that were used to derive the base-year estimates of population and components of demographic change (fertility, child, adult and overall mortality, international migration).

Drawing on the 2019 revision of World Population Prospects, the World Population Ageing 2019 (Highlights) document global and regional trends in population ageing, including consideration of the implications of these trends for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The report also presents various concepts and indicators related to population ageing and discusses related fiscal and economic implications.

The United Nations population estimates and projections form a comprehensive set of demographic data to assess population trends at the global, regional and national levels. They are used in the calculation of many of the key development indicators commonly used by the United Nations system, including for more than one third of the indicators used to monitor progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The 2019 revision of the World Population Prospects is the twenty-sixth edition of the official United Nations population estimates and projections, which have been prepared since 1951 by the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The 2019 revision presents population estimates from 1950 until the present for 235 countries or areas, which have been developed through country-specific analyses of historical demographic trends. It builds on previous revisions by incorporating additional results from the 2010 and 2020 rounds of national population censuses as well as information from vital registration and recent nationally representative household sample surveys. The 2019 revision also presents population projections to the year 2100 that reflect a range of plausible outcomes at the global, regional and country levels. These Highlights summarise key population trends described by the estimates and projections presented in World Population Prospects 2019.

The report presents findings from the 2018 revision of World Urbanization Prospects, which contains the latest estimates of the urban and rural populations or areas from 1950 to 2018 and projections to 2050, as well as estimates of population size from 1950 to 2018 and projections to 2030 for all urban agglomerations with 300,000 inhabitants or more in 2018. The world urban population is at an all-time high, and the share of urban dwellers, is projected to represent two thirds of the global population in 2050. Continued urbanization will bring new opportunities and challenges for sustainable development.

The 2015 Revision will build on the previous revision by incorporating the findings of new population censuses and specialized demographic surveys, which have been published since the previous revision. This comprehensive review of worldwide demographic trends and future prospects is essential for assessing the degree of progress made in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and to guide policies aimed at achieving the new post-2015 development agenda, which Member States will adopt this fall. The full results of the 2015 revision will be made available in the form of a two volume report.

Based on the 2002 Revision, the Population Division has adopted 2 major innovations for this new set of long-range population projections. For the first time the long-range projections are made at the national level and the time horizon for the projections is extended to 2300.

Condensed into a detailed analysis and a selection of continent-wide datasets, this revised edition of World Population & Human Capital in the Twenty-First Century addresses the role of educational attainment in global population trends and models. Presenting the full chapter text of the original edition alongside a concise selection of data, it summarizes past trends in fertility, mortality, migration, and education, and examines relevant theories to identify key determining factors. Deriving from a global survey of hundreds of experts and five expert meetings on as many continents, World Population & Human Capital in the Twenty-First Century: An Overview emphasizes alternative trends in human capital, new ways of studying ageing and the quantification of alternative population, and education pathways in the context of global sustainable development. It is an ideal companion to the county specific online Wittgenstein Centre Data Explorer.

This data booklet presents key population indicators at the global and regional levels and highlights current and future patterns and trends of fertility, mortality and international migration. Data presented in this booklet are based on the 2019 Revision of the World Population Prospects, the latest global demographic estimates, and projections prepared by the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat. The 2019 Revision provides a comprehensive set of demographic data and indicators to assess population trends at the global, regional and national levels and to calculate many other key indicators commonly used by the United Nations system.