In 1985, the world’s population was approximately 4.85 billion people. Asia was by far the most populous continent, home to over 2.6 billion people, with China (about 1.05 billion) and India (around 780 million) leading as the world’s most populous countries. Africa’s population was nearing 550 million, with Nigeria and Egypt as its largest countries. Europe had about 690 million residents, with the Soviet Union, then still intact, and Germany among its most populous nations. North America’s population was roughly 400 million, dominated by the United States (around 240 million) and Mexico. Latin America and the Caribbean together had about 390 million people, with Brazil (nearly 135 million) as the regional giant. Oceania, including Australia and the Pacific islands, had a much smaller population, about 25 million. The global demographic landscape in 1985 reflected rapid growth in developing regions, particularly Asia and Africa, while Europe and North America experienced slower increases.
Rank | Country | Population | Population Density Per Square KM |
---|---|---|---|
1 | China | 1,061,875,848 | 113.9 |
2 | India | 770,152,274 | 259 |
3 | United States | 237,923,795 | 26 |
4 | Indonesia | 166,069,317 | 91.7 |
5 | Russia | 143,937,997 | 8.8 |
6 | Brazil | 136,363,558 | 16.3 |
7 | Japan | 120,754,335 | 331.3 |
8 | Pakistan | 101,421,542 | 131.6 |
9 | Bangladesh | 94,584,305 | 726.6 |
10 | Nigeria | 85,379,308 | 93.7 |
11 | Germany | 77,684,907 | 222.8 |
12 | Mexico | 76,600,787 | 39.4 |
13 | Vietnam | 60,093,068 | 193.8 |
14 | Italy | 56,718,115 | 192.8 |
15 | United Kingdom | 56,584,077 | 233.9 |
16 | France | 56,560,972 | 88.3 |
17 | Philippines | 54,570,180 | 183 |
18 | Thailand | 51,758,689 | 101.3 |
19 | Turkey | 50,988,566 | 66.3 |
20 | Ukraine | 50,944,248 | 87.9 |
21 | Egypt | 50,052,381 | 50.3 |
22 | Iran | 48,618,977 | 31.7 |
23 | South Korea | 40,806,000 | 421 |
24 | Ethiopia | 40,684,471 | 37.1 |
25 | Spain | 38,534,853 | 77.2 |
26 | Poland | 37,225,792 | 122.4 |
27 | Burma | 36,733,456 | 56.2 |
28 | South Africa | 34,254,092 | 28.2 |
29 | Congo Kinshasa | 33,347,628 | 14.7 |
30 | Argentina | 30,671,759 | 11.2 |
31 | Colombia | 30,494,674 | 29.4 |
32 | Canada | 25,941,600 | 2.9 |
33 | Romania | 22,521,195 | 98 |
34 | Algeria | 22,008,450 | 9.2 |
35 | Morocco | 21,948,629 | 30.6 |
36 | Tanzania | 21,501,733 | 24.3 |
37 | Peru | 21,118,480 | 16.5 |
38 | Kenya | 19,754,036 | 34.7 |
39 | Taiwan | 19,337,363 | 599.4 |
40 | North Korea | 18,830,679 | 156.4 |
41 | Uzbekistan | 18,215,415 | 42.8 |
42 | Sudan | 17,506,721 | 9.4 |
43 | Venezuela | 17,197,072 | 19.5 |
44 | Nepal | 16,438,782 | 114.7 |
45 | Kazakhstan | 15,998,854 | 5.9 |
46 | Sri Lanka | 15,847,023 | 245.2 |
47 | Iraq | 15,693,620 | 35.9 |
48 | Malaysia | 15,685,144 | 47.7 |
49 | Australia | 15,499,863 | 2 |
50 | Netherlands | 14,504,372 | 427.9 |
51 | Uganda | 13,930,262 | 70.7 |
52 | Mozambique | 13,731,838 | 17.5 |
53 | Saudi Arabia | 13,330,067 | 6.2 |
54 | Afghanistan | 13,119,943 | 20.1 |
55 | Ghana | 12,888,548 | 56.6 |
56 | Chile | 11,952,148 | 16.1 |
57 | Hungary | 10,648,713 | 118.8 |
58 | Yemen | 10,539,928 | 20 |
59 | Syria | 10,478,546 | 56.4 |
60 | Czechia | 10,310,162 | 133.5 |
61 | Cameroon | 10,099,516 | 21.4 |
62 | Cuba | 10,084,201 | 91.8 |
63 | Madagascar | 10,014,533 | 17.2 |
64 | Belarus | 9,981,744 | 49.2 |
65 | Greece | 9,961,128 | 76.2 |
66 | Portugal | 9,897,192 | 108.2 |
67 | Belgium | 9,858,200 | 325.6 |
68 | Côte d'Ivoire | 9,652,845 | 30.4 |
69 | Angola | 9,472,346 | 7.6 |
70 | Ecuador | 9,061,664 | 32.7 |
71 | Bulgaria | 8,943,573 | 82.4 |
72 | Zimbabwe | 8,548,242 | 22.1 |
73 | Sweden | 8,356,337 | 20.4 |
74 | Cambodia | 7,912,778 | 44.8 |
75 | Serbia | 7,719,700 | 99.6 |
76 | Mali | 7,625,898 | 6.2 |
77 | Austria | 7,559,776 | 91.7 |
78 | Guatemala | 7,513,581 | 70.1 |
79 | Tunisia | 7,368,354 | 47.4 |
80 | Burkina Faso | 7,170,932 | 26.2 |
81 | Malawi | 6,969,603 | 74.1 |
82 | Niger | 6,866,536 | 5.4 |
83 | Azerbaijan | 6,845,030 | 82.8 |
84 | Switzerland | 6,567,071 | 164.2 |
85 | Zambia | 6,546,694 | 8.8 |
86 | Somalia | 6,458,539 | 10.3 |
87 | Senegal | 6,378,233 | 33.1 |
88 | Dominican Republic | 6,366,148 | 131.7 |
89 | Haiti | 6,076,064 | 220.5 |
90 | Rwanda | 6,025,284 | 244.3 |
91 | Bolivia | 5,934,935 | 5.5 |
92 | Hong Kong | 5,456,200 | 5,085 |
93 | South Sudan | 5,319,695 | 8.3 |
94 | Chad | 5,234,276 | 4.2 |
95 | Georgia | 5,192,957 | 74.5 |
96 | Slovakia | 5,144,632 | 106.9 |
97 | Denmark | 5,113,691 | 120.5 |
98 | Guinea | 5,015,682 | 20.4 |
99 | Finland | 4,901,783 | 16.1 |
100 | Burundi | 4,848,529 | 188.8 |
101 | El Salvador | 4,671,054 | 225.4 |
102 | Tajikistan | 4,568,802 | 32.3 |
103 | Croatia | 4,457,874 | 79.6 |
104 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 4,226,764 | 82.6 |
105 | Norway | 4,152,419 | 13.6 |
106 | Moldova | 4,148,172 | 126.1 |
107 | Benin | 4,107,498 | 37.1 |
108 | Honduras | 4,079,440 | 36.5 |
109 | Kyrgyzstan | 4,061,575 | 21.2 |
110 | Israel | 4,048,540 | 188.3 |
111 | Sierra Leone | 3,787,642 | 52.9 |
112 | Libya | 3,660,030 | 2.1 |
113 | Laos | 3,657,169 | 15.8 |
114 | Paraguay | 3,633,464 | 9.1 |
115 | Lithuania | 3,587,032 | 57.2 |
116 | Ireland | 3,540,000 | 51.4 |
117 | Armenia | 3,464,297 | 122.8 |
118 | Papua New Guinea | 3,462,897 | 7.6 |
119 | Puerto Rico | 3,382,106 | 381.3 |
120 | New Zealand | 3,323,811 | 12.6 |
121 | Turkmenistan | 3,240,472 | 6.9 |
122 | Nicaragua | 3,180,138 | 26.5 |
123 | Lebanon | 3,176,885 | 310.5 |
124 | Togo | 3,061,353 | 56.3 |
125 | Uruguay | 3,018,871 | 17.2 |
126 | Albania | 2,956,697 | 107.9 |
127 | Eritrea | 2,941,211 | 29.1 |
128 | Singapore | 2,749,897 | 3,878.6 |
129 | Central African Republic | 2,704,525 | 4.3 |
130 | Jordan | 2,668,563 | 30.1 |
131 | Costa Rica | 2,644,306 | 51.8 |
132 | Latvia | 2,606,405 | 41.9 |
133 | Jamaica | 2,358,892 | 217.8 |
134 | Panama | 2,174,472 | 29.3 |
135 | Liberia | 2,163,053 | 22.5 |
136 | Congo Brazzaville | 1,926,210 | 5.6 |
137 | Slovenia | 1,914,220 | 95 |
138 | Mongolia | 1,859,256 | 1.2 |
139 | North Macedonia | 1,844,740 | 72.5 |
140 | Kuwait | 1,732,824 | 97.3 |
141 | Mauritania | 1,723,466 | 1.7 |
142 | Kosovo | 1,682,293 | 154.5 |
143 | Lesotho | 1,559,057 | 51.4 |
144 | Estonia | 1,538,224 | 36.3 |
145 | Oman | 1,497,225 | 4.8 |
146 | United Arab Emirates | 1,363,482 | 16.3 |
147 | Namibia | 1,199,651 | 1.5 |
148 | Trinidad and Tobago | 1,162,423 | 226.7 |
149 | Botswana | 1,077,420 | 1.9 |
150 | West Bank | 1,044,073 | 185.1 |
151 | Mauritius | 1,020,544 | 502.7 |
152 | Guinea-Bissau | 885,606 | 31.5 |
153 | Gabon | 843,920 | 3.3 |
154 | The Gambia | 773,544 | 76.4 |
155 | Guyana | 760,713 | 3.9 |
156 | Eswatini | 721,807 | 42 |
157 | Fiji | 698,942 | 38.2 |
158 | Cyprus | 679,224 | 73.5 |
159 | Timor-Leste | 648,798 | 43.6 |
160 | Montenegro | 560,562 | 41.7 |
161 | Bhutan | 551,993 | 14.4 |
162 | Gaza Strip | 531,778 | 1,477.2 |
163 | Bahrain | 423,224 | 556.9 |
164 | Suriname | 396,225 | 2.5 |
165 | Comoros | 382,817 | 171.3 |
166 | Djibouti | 380,049 | 16.4 |
167 | Luxembourg | 367,169 | 142 |
168 | Malta | 347,039 | 1,098.2 |
169 | Qatar | 342,378 | 29.6 |
170 | Equatorial Guinea | 325,213 | 11.6 |
171 | Cabo Verde | 316,887 | 78.6 |
172 | Macau | 305,843 | 10,923 |
173 | Solomon Islands | 272,773 | 9.7 |
174 | Barbados | 257,344 | 598.5 |
175 | Iceland | 241,403 | 2.4 |
176 | The Bahamas | 228,218 | 22.8 |
177 | Brunei | 217,836 | 41.4 |
178 | Maldives | 177,297 | 595 |
179 | French Polynesia | 175,409 | 45.8 |
180 | Belize | 168,796 | 7.4 |
181 | Samoa | 160,737 | 57 |
182 | Curaçao | 153,684 | 346.1 |
183 | New Caledonia | 152,587 | 8.3 |
184 | Vanuatu | 134,730 | 11.1 |
185 | Saint Lucia | 131,006 | 216.2 |
186 | Guam | 120,615 | 221.7 |
187 | Sao Tome and Principe | 104,186 | 108.1 |
188 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 103,853 | 267 |
189 | U.S. Virgin Islands | 100,760 | 289.5 |
190 | Tonga | 94,380 | 131.6 |
191 | Grenada | 93,059 | 270.5 |
192 | Federated States of Micronesia | 90,631 | 129.1 |
193 | Jersey | 79,589 | 686.1 |
194 | Dominica | 73,109 | 97.3 |
195 | Seychelles | 67,175 | 147.6 |
196 | Antigua and Barbuda | 64,398 | 145.4 |
197 | Isle of Man | 64,342 | 112.5 |
198 | Kiribati | 62,034 | 76.5 |
199 | Aruba | 61,511 | 341.7 |
200 | Bermuda | 56,181 | 1,040.4 |
201 | Guernsey | 55,159 | 707.2 |
202 | Greenland | 53,150 | 0 |
203 | Faroe Islands | 45,574 | 32.7 |
204 | Andorra | 44,596 | 95.3 |
205 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 42,928 | 164.5 |
206 | American Samoa | 38,633 | 195.1 |
207 | Marshall Islands | 38,240 | 211.3 |
208 | Gibraltar | 28,646 | 4,092.3 |
209 | Monaco | 28,181 | 14,090.5 |
210 | Liechtenstein | 26,879 | 168 |
211 | San Marino | 22,589 | 370.3 |
212 | Northern Mariana Islands | 21,386 | 45.3 |
213 | Cayman Islands | 20,846 | 79 |
214 | Sint Maarten | 19,315 | 568.1 |
215 | Cook Islands | 17,493 | 74.1 |
216 | Saint Martin | 15,392 | 285 |
217 | Palau | 13,804 | 30.1 |
218 | British Virgin Islands | 13,183 | 87.3 |
219 | Wallis and Futuna | 13,001 | 91.6 |
220 | Montserrat | 11,323 | 111 |
221 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 9,316 | 9.8 |
222 | Nauru | 8,517 | 405.6 |
223 | Tuvalu | 8,156 | 313.7 |
224 | Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha | 7,941 | 20.2 |
225 | Anguilla | 6,967 | 76.6 |
226 | Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 6,158 | 25.4 |
227 | Saint Barthelemy | 3,933 | 157.3 |
Data from US Census International Database