In 1979, the world’s population was estimated at around 4.4 billion people. Asia was by far the most populous continent, home to over 2.4 billion people, with China (approximately 970 million) and India (around 670 million) as the two most populous countries globally. Europe had about 680 million inhabitants, while Africa’s population was roughly 460 million, with Nigeria and Egypt among its most populous nations. North America’s population was nearing 340 million, dominated by the United States (around 225 million) and Mexico. Latin America and the Caribbean had a combined population of about 320 million, with Brazil leading the region. Oceania, including Australia and the Pacific Islands, had a much smaller population, totaling around 20 million. This period marked the continuation of rapid population growth, particularly in developing regions, setting the stage for significant demographic changes in the decades to follow.
Rank | Country | Population | Population Density Per Square KM |
---|---|---|---|
1 | China | 975,080,848 | 104.6 |
2 | India | 671,259,115 | 225.8 |
3 | United States | 224,567,000 | 24.5 |
4 | Indonesia | 147,254,299 | 81.3 |
5 | Russia | 138,163,680 | 8.4 |
6 | Brazil | 118,526,327 | 14.2 |
7 | Japan | 115,890,431 | 318 |
8 | Pakistan | 85,219,117 | 110.5 |
9 | Bangladesh | 79,837,662 | 613.3 |
10 | Germany | 78,081,292 | 223.9 |
11 | Nigeria | 72,839,815 | 80 |
12 | Mexico | 66,825,878 | 34.4 |
13 | Italy | 56,367,710 | 191.6 |
14 | United Kingdom | 56,228,000 | 232.4 |
15 | France | 54,885,793 | 85.7 |
16 | Vietnam | 52,668,447 | 169.9 |
17 | Ukraine | 49,835,012 | 86 |
18 | Philippines | 47,043,145 | 157.8 |
19 | Thailand | 46,003,776 | 90 |
20 | Turkey | 44,165,463 | 57.4 |
21 | Egypt | 41,257,718 | 41.4 |
22 | Iran | 38,104,787 | 24.9 |
23 | South Korea | 37,534,000 | 387.3 |
24 | Spain | 37,200,014 | 74.6 |
25 | Ethiopia | 35,664,267 | 32.5 |
26 | Poland | 35,256,645 | 115.9 |
27 | Burma | 32,629,456 | 49.9 |
28 | South Africa | 28,505,816 | 23.5 |
29 | Congo Kinshasa | 28,202,122 | 12.4 |
30 | Argentina | 27,901,971 | 10.2 |
31 | Colombia | 26,398,259 | 25.4 |
32 | Canada | 24,276,900 | 2.7 |
33 | Romania | 22,001,388 | 95.7 |
34 | Morocco | 19,235,370 | 26.8 |
35 | Algeria | 18,229,932 | 7.7 |
36 | Tanzania | 18,140,841 | 20.5 |
37 | Taiwan | 17,450,136 | 540.9 |
38 | North Korea | 17,103,555 | 142 |
39 | Peru | 16,848,699 | 13.2 |
40 | Kenya | 15,690,251 | 27.6 |
41 | Uzbekistan | 15,605,490 | 36.7 |
42 | Afghanistan | 15,555,612 | 23.8 |
43 | Kazakhstan | 14,803,694 | 5.5 |
44 | Sri Lanka | 14,796,646 | 228.9 |
45 | Australia | 14,361,808 | 1.9 |
46 | Venezuela | 14,355,117 | 16.3 |
47 | Sudan | 14,342,936 | 7.7 |
48 | Nepal | 14,297,577 | 99.7 |
49 | Netherlands | 14,040,749 | 414.3 |
50 | Malaysia | 13,176,086 | 40.1 |
51 | Iraq | 12,768,376 | 29.2 |
52 | Uganda | 11,866,013 | 60.2 |
53 | Mozambique | 11,828,029 | 15 |
54 | Chile | 10,838,422 | 14.6 |
55 | Hungary | 10,698,234 | 119.4 |
56 | Ghana | 10,658,084 | 46.8 |
57 | Czechia | 10,259,670 | 132.8 |
58 | Belgium | 9,837,200 | 324.9 |
59 | Portugal | 9,724,560 | 106.3 |
60 | Cuba | 9,705,238 | 88.4 |
61 | Belarus | 9,581,518 | 47.2 |
62 | Greece | 9,548,258 | 73.1 |
63 | Saudi Arabia | 9,363,537 | 4.4 |
64 | Yemen | 8,883,381 | 16.8 |
65 | Bulgaria | 8,811,589 | 81.2 |
66 | Syria | 8,453,581 | 45.5 |
67 | Madagascar | 8,448,196 | 14.5 |
68 | Cameroon | 8,406,123 | 17.8 |
69 | Sweden | 8,293,723 | 20.2 |
70 | Côte d'Ivoire | 8,027,062 | 25.2 |
71 | Angola | 7,774,454 | 6.2 |
72 | Ecuador | 7,703,577 | 27.8 |
73 | Serbia | 7,556,223 | 97.5 |
74 | Austria | 7,549,425 | 91.6 |
75 | Zimbabwe | 6,887,132 | 17.8 |
76 | Cambodia | 6,785,220 | 38.4 |
77 | Mali | 6,729,028 | 5.5 |
78 | Guatemala | 6,495,749 | 60.6 |
79 | Switzerland | 6,350,840 | 158.8 |
80 | Tunisia | 6,280,477 | 40.4 |
81 | Burkina Faso | 6,168,269 | 22.5 |
82 | Azerbaijan | 6,082,087 | 73.6 |
83 | Malawi | 5,983,427 | 63.6 |
84 | Niger | 5,952,272 | 4.7 |
85 | Dominican Republic | 5,562,270 | 115.1 |
86 | Senegal | 5,474,440 | 28.4 |
87 | Zambia | 5,391,149 | 7.3 |
88 | Haiti | 5,374,772 | 195 |
89 | Bolivia | 5,326,981 | 4.9 |
90 | Somalia | 5,310,962 | 8.5 |
91 | Denmark | 5,116,800 | 120.6 |
92 | Georgia | 5,018,606 | 72 |
93 | Rwanda | 4,975,045 | 201.7 |
94 | Hong Kong | 4,929,700 | 4,594.3 |
95 | Slovakia | 4,922,558 | 102.3 |
96 | Finland | 4,764,690 | 15.7 |
97 | Chad | 4,648,550 | 3.7 |
98 | El Salvador | 4,511,750 | 217.7 |
99 | Croatia | 4,379,909 | 78.2 |
100 | South Sudan | 4,379,493 | 6.8 |
101 | Guinea | 4,231,470 | 17.2 |
102 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 4,181,000 | 81.7 |
103 | Burundi | 4,119,789 | 160.4 |
104 | Norway | 4,072,517 | 13.4 |
105 | Moldova | 3,969,989 | 120.7 |
106 | Tajikistan | 3,862,932 | 27.3 |
107 | Israel | 3,637,370 | 169.2 |
108 | Kyrgyzstan | 3,559,457 | 18.6 |
109 | Lithuania | 3,410,869 | 54.4 |
110 | Benin | 3,402,968 | 30.8 |
111 | Ireland | 3,368,200 | 48.9 |
112 | Sierra Leone | 3,304,675 | 46.1 |
113 | Honduras | 3,280,016 | 29.3 |
114 | Laos | 3,268,021 | 14.2 |
115 | Puerto Rico | 3,168,446 | 357.2 |
116 | New Zealand | 3,164,550 | 12 |
117 | Paraguay | 3,101,728 | 7.8 |
118 | Armenia | 3,072,452 | 108.9 |
119 | Libya | 2,924,513 | 1.7 |
120 | Papua New Guinea | 2,921,561 | 6.5 |
121 | Uruguay | 2,913,946 | 16.6 |
122 | Lebanon | 2,848,715 | 278.5 |
123 | Turkmenistan | 2,804,142 | 6 |
124 | Nicaragua | 2,687,394 | 22.4 |
125 | Albania | 2,617,679 | 95.5 |
126 | Eritrea | 2,556,806 | 25.3 |
127 | Togo | 2,546,933 | 46.8 |
128 | Latvia | 2,514,167 | 40.4 |
129 | Singapore | 2,383,500 | 3,361.8 |
130 | Central African Republic | 2,284,664 | 3.7 |
131 | Costa Rica | 2,259,714 | 44.3 |
132 | Jamaica | 2,207,245 | 203.8 |
133 | Jordan | 2,102,355 | 23.7 |
134 | Panama | 1,917,594 | 25.8 |
135 | Liberia | 1,804,474 | 18.7 |
136 | Slovenia | 1,772,854 | 88 |
137 | North Macedonia | 1,768,203 | 69.5 |
138 | Congo Brazzaville | 1,628,788 | 4.8 |
139 | Mongolia | 1,617,200 | 1 |
140 | Mauritania | 1,513,703 | 1.5 |
141 | Kosovo | 1,490,930 | 136.9 |
142 | Estonia | 1,472,244 | 34.7 |
143 | Lesotho | 1,322,653 | 43.6 |
144 | Kuwait | 1,291,514 | 72.5 |
145 | Oman | 1,125,262 | 3.6 |
146 | Trinidad and Tobago | 1,073,027 | 209.2 |
147 | Namibia | 1,027,780 | 1.2 |
148 | Mauritius | 946,640 | 466.3 |
149 | West Bank | 885,722 | 157 |
150 | United Arab Emirates | 884,040 | 10.6 |
151 | Botswana | 862,602 | 1.5 |
152 | Guinea-Bissau | 771,376 | 27.4 |
153 | Guyana | 757,400 | 3.8 |
154 | Gabon | 728,800 | 2.8 |
155 | The Gambia | 634,079 | 62.7 |
156 | Cyprus | 623,537 | 67.5 |
157 | Fiji | 622,328 | 34.1 |
158 | Eswatini | 588,290 | 34.2 |
159 | Timor-Leste | 581,046 | 39.1 |
160 | Montenegro | 571,018 | 42.4 |
161 | Bhutan | 444,090 | 11.6 |
162 | Gaza Strip | 443,480 | 1,231.9 |
163 | Luxembourg | 363,000 | 140.4 |
164 | Suriname | 362,861 | 2.3 |
165 | Malta | 346,876 | 1,097.7 |
166 | Bahrain | 336,070 | 442.2 |
167 | Comoros | 329,105 | 147.3 |
168 | Djibouti | 297,203 | 12.8 |
169 | Cabo Verde | 292,635 | 72.6 |
170 | Macau | 251,368 | 8,977.4 |
171 | Barbados | 251,145 | 584.1 |
172 | Iceland | 225,749 | 2.3 |
173 | Solomon Islands | 222,899 | 8 |
174 | Equatorial Guinea | 221,299 | 7.9 |
175 | Qatar | 214,409 | 18.5 |
176 | The Bahamas | 206,150 | 20.6 |
177 | Brunei | 178,899 | 34 |
178 | Samoa | 157,213 | 55.7 |
179 | Maldives | 148,752 | 499.2 |
180 | Curaçao | 147,851 | 333 |
181 | French Polynesia | 146,463 | 38.3 |
182 | Belize | 145,205 | 6.4 |
183 | New Caledonia | 138,800 | 7.6 |
184 | Saint Lucia | 120,396 | 198.7 |
185 | Vanuatu | 113,399 | 9.3 |
186 | Guam | 103,941 | 191.1 |
187 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 97,012 | 249.4 |
188 | U.S. Virgin Islands | 96,183 | 276.4 |
189 | Sao Tome and Principe | 91,804 | 95.2 |
190 | Tonga | 91,686 | 127.9 |
191 | Grenada | 91,354 | 265.6 |
192 | Jersey | 74,852 | 645.3 |
193 | Federated States of Micronesia | 74,774 | 106.5 |
194 | Dominica | 74,238 | 98.9 |
195 | Antigua and Barbuda | 68,519 | 154.7 |
196 | Seychelles | 63,191 | 138.9 |
197 | Isle of Man | 63,170 | 110.4 |
198 | Aruba | 59,420 | 330.1 |
199 | Kiribati | 56,625 | 69.8 |
200 | Bermuda | 54,516 | 1,009.6 |
201 | Guernsey | 53,422 | 684.9 |
202 | Greenland | 49,555 | 0 |
203 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 43,817 | 167.9 |
204 | Faroe Islands | 43,045 | 30.9 |
205 | American Samoa | 31,964 | 161.4 |
206 | Andorra | 31,274 | 66.8 |
207 | Marshall Islands | 29,778 | 164.5 |
208 | Gibraltar | 28,870 | 4,124.3 |
209 | Monaco | 26,260 | 13,130 |
210 | Liechtenstein | 24,741 | 154.6 |
211 | San Marino | 21,170 | 347 |
212 | Cook Islands | 18,442 | 78.1 |
213 | Northern Mariana Islands | 16,497 | 35 |
214 | Cayman Islands | 16,163 | 61.2 |
215 | Palau | 13,215 | 28.8 |
216 | Montserrat | 11,592 | 113.6 |
217 | Sint Maarten | 10,932 | 321.5 |
218 | British Virgin Islands | 10,903 | 72.2 |
219 | Wallis and Futuna | 10,200 | 71.8 |
220 | Nauru | 7,571 | 360.5 |
221 | Tuvalu | 7,366 | 283.3 |
222 | Saint Martin | 7,303 | 135.2 |
223 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 7,254 | 7.7 |
224 | Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha | 6,948 | 17.6 |
225 | Anguilla | 6,473 | 71.1 |
226 | Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 5,967 | 24.7 |
227 | Saint Barthelemy | 2,833 | 113.3 |
Data from US Census International Database