What are the 10 countries with the largest population : the top ten countries in population, topped by India and China, will comprise over half of the world population. India, China, the United States, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Brazil, Bangladesh, Russia, and Ethiopia are the top ten. India became the most populated country in the world in the year 2023, overtaking China.
Top 10 most populated Countries
- India: around 1.47billion.
- China: about 1.41 billion.
- United States: around 349m.
- Indonesia: about 287 million.
- Pakistan: about 251 million.
- Nigeria: about 232.5 million.
- Brazil: about 211 million.
- Bangladesh: about 173 7 million.
- Russia: about 144 million.
- Ethiopia: about 132 2 million.
**Key Population Trends**
India: It is still on the first place, and has approximately 17.79 percent of the world population.
Growth: India and China have large populations, but their growth patterns are different with India population constantly growing and China population declining according to a respective Wikipedia entry.
Future Projections: Nigeria is on the path of very high growth whereas Ethiopia has recently fallen into top ten replacing such countries as Mexico.
Top 10 Most Populous Countries (2026 Estimates)
| Rank | Country | Estimated Population | World Share |
| 1 | India | 1.477 Billion | 17.8% |
| 2 | China | 1.413 Billion | 17.0% |
| 3 | United States | 349 Million | 4.2% |
| 4 | Indonesia | 288 Million | 3.5% |
| 5 | Pakistan | 259 Million | 3.1% |
| 6 | Nigeria | 242 Million | 2.9% |
| 7 | Brazil | 213 Million | 2.6% |
| 8 | Bangladesh | 178 Million | 2.1% |
| 9 | Russia | 143 Million | 1.7% |
| 10 | Ethiopia | 139 Million | 1.6% |
The most crucial demographic insights include the following:
The Billion Club: India and China are the only two countries to have more than one billion people, and they combined to make up an estimated 35 per cent of all humans.
Highest Growth: Ethiopia (2.53 ) and Nigeria (2.06 ) have the highest growth rates per year (top ten). On the other hand, Russia and China are recording some slight population losses.
Youth vs Age: Most of the top countries particularly in Africa and South Asia have very young median ages (e.g. the median age in Nigeria is around 18 years years) meaning that the population is expected to continue to increase over the next few decades.
