Population scale
The world grew from 2.49B people in 1950 to a projected 8.3B in 2026. The medium scenario reaches 9.66B in 2050.
World population pyramids by country, age, and sex
Explore population pyramids for 237 countries and areas. Move through history, compare 2050 projections, and understand what every change in shape means.
Source: UN World Population Prospects 2024Estimates 1950–2023Medium projections 2024–2100Five-year age groups by sex
World population pyramid
2026 · Share of total by five-year age group and sex
Medium projection
World population pyramid for 2026: males on the left and females on the right
100+
95–99
90–94
85–89
80–84
75–79
70–74
65–69
60–64
55–59
50–54
45–49
40–44
35–39
30–34
25–29
20–24
15–19
10–14
5–9
0–4
Hover over or tap a bar to see exact values.
- 2026 population
- 8.3Bmedium projection
- Median age
- 31.1 years
- Under age 15
- 24.1%
- Age 65+
- 10.6%
Four countries, four different age structures
Nigeria has a large child population; Japan has a much larger older share. India’s population is concentrated in working ages, while Qatar combines a large adult share with an uneven male–female balance. These contrasts show why a population total alone cannot describe a country.
| Country | Under 15 | Ages 15–64 | Age 65+ | Median age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | 40.0% | 56.9% | 3.1% | 18.3 years |
| India | 23.8% | 68.6% | 7.6% | 29.2 years |
| Japan | 11.0% | 58.8% | 30.2% | 50.2 years |
| Qatar | 15.0% | 83.3% | 1.7% | 33.4 years |
Nigeria and Japan illustrate a useful distinction: both have many people outside ages 15–64 relative to those within that range, but the balance between children and older people is very different. An age dependency ratio needs that context.
Read the worked country examples, or compare Nigeria and Japan on the same chart scale. For a particular age range, use the age-group calculator.
How the world’s age structure is changing
A changing age balance
In 2026, 24.1% of people are under 15 and 10.6% are 65 or older. The chart shows where those shares sit across five-year cohorts.
Projection, not certainty
Future bars depend on fertility, mortality, and migration assumptions. Use 2050 and 2100 to examine a scenario, not to state an inevitable outcome.
Population pyramids by world region
Regional profiles reveal contrasts that a global average conceals.
Africa
38.4% under 15 · 3.8% age 65+
Asia
21.8% under 15 · 10.5% age 65+
Europe
14.8% under 15 · 21.4% age 65+
Latin America and the Caribbean
21.8% under 15 · 10.5% age 65+
Northern America
16.7% under 15 · 19.0% age 65+
Oceania
22.0% under 15 · 14.1% age 65+
World population from 1950 to 2100
The UN medium scenario projects 132,503,469 births and 63,637,314 deaths worldwide in 2026. World population is projected to peak at about 10.29B in 2084, around the time deaths are projected to outnumber births for the first time (2084). In 2026, deaths already exceed births in 57 countries and areas.
Mid-year population for every year. Estimates through 2023; the dashed line is the UN medium projection.
Every country profile breaks the same change into births, deaths, and migration, shows when deaths first exceed births, and lists the countries with the most similar age structure.
Population rankings by country
Every ranking includes definitions, limits, a complete downloadable table, and links to the underlying profiles.
Popular country profiles
Population and age-structure guides
Clear explanations connected to the charts, calculations, and country examples.
How to Read a Population Pyramid
Read any age-sex pyramid in five steps, from axes and cohort widths to migration signals, dependency, and projection uncertainty.
Baby Booms and Echo Cohorts: Reading Bulges and Notches in a Pyramid
Learn how baby booms, birth deficits, and their echoes create bulges and notches in a population pyramid, how to date them, and how to use the Distinctive cohorts table.
How Migration Shapes Population Pyramids
Learn how immigration, emigration, refugee flows, and return migration reshape a population pyramid, and how to tell a migration effect from a birth effect.
The Demographic Dividend: When a Population Pyramid Opens an Economic Window
Learn what the demographic dividend is, how the first and second dividends differ, why the window is an opportunity rather than a guarantee, and how to see it in a pyramid.
Population Pyramid Examples and How to Interpret Them
Work through youthful, transitional, ageing, migration-shaped, and disrupted population pyramid examples without relying on simplistic labels.
Population Pyramid Classroom Activities with Answers
Ready-to-use population pyramid activities for KS3, GCSE and AP Human Geography, using real UN data, with answer guidance, a printable task list and assessment tips.
What a population pyramid tells you
A population pyramid shows the number or share of males and females in each age group. Its outline records decades of births, deaths, and migration: wide child cohorts, working-age bulges, and growing older-age groups are visible before they become abstract ratios.
But shape is not destiny. A narrowing base can coexist with growth because of migration or population momentum. That is why each profile pairs its chart with exact counts, fertility, life expectancy, growth, and a clear projection label.
World population questions
What is the world population in 2026?
Under the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium scenario, the world population in 2026 is projected at approximately 8,300,678,396.
What is the median age of the world population?
The projected global median age in 2026 is 31.1 years. Half the population is younger and half is older.
Is 2026 population data an exact count?
No. The UN WPP 2024 series provides historical estimates through 2023 and medium-scenario projections from 2024 onward.