Which countries have the highest population in the world? To know follow this list of the top 10 most populous countries in the world by 2021.
The world has a 7.9 billion population as of August 2021 according to UN estimates elaborated by Worldometer. So, as a fact of the matter, over half of the world’s population live in ten countries only. We have shortlisted here such ten countries with the highest population in the world. The source of the population figures has been taken from Wordometer by the UN. Let’s have a look at the list and tell us your opinion in the comment section.
Top 10 Most Populous Countries in the World 2021
10. Mexico
In the last decade, Mexico has experienced a sharp rise of 30.5% in its population. However, a sharp reduction in annual population growth is seen which is 1.06%. As per July 2021 census, it is placed tenth in the world for its population.
The average life expectancy of Mexico is 75.6 years. The United Nation’s Worldometer elaboration data of the current Mexico population on August 5, 2021, is 130,408, 837. One-fourth of the country’s population is localized in Mexico city. People are opting for expensive urban center migration which leads to shrinking of family size or lower birth rate nowadays.
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9. Russia
Russian Federation has currently reached the figure of 146,002,946 in population. The figure roughly amounts to 1.87% of the whole world’s population. 73.7% population is centered in an urban setup.
Ranking ninth in the world’s population chart, Russia stands first in the populace of Europe. In Russia, the employment rate is quite high where only 4.5% of its citizens are workless. The poverty rate is also on a lower scale i.e only 12.6%. Russia is a keen investor in research and development which ranks ninth in the World.
8. Bangladesh
This world’s eighth populous nation has 163 million people accommodated in the area of 148,560 Square Kilometres. This data makes it among the most densely populated nations across the world.
Bangladesh has stepped in the streak of most fastest growing economics. It is ranked for its developing country status in Next Eleven emerging markets. Amidst these achievements, Bangladesh is suffering severely due to the power crisis, poor governance, corruption, and frail public institutions. Also, the Healthcare sector is in poor condition causing high death and infant mortality rate. The population growth will have severe repercussions as deforestation in the Himalayas causing heavy floods and tropical storms. Polygamy and early marriages are huge factors in elevating population growth. This causes a lowering of living standards.
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7. Pakistan
It is reported on Worldometer elaboration that on 5th August 2021 Pakistan’s population has touched the figure of 225,568,591. Population density is 287 per sq. km. 22.8 years is the median age here. Only 35.1% population is located in urban areas.
High fertility rate, low prevalence of contraception, wanting male child, early marriages, lack of women empowerment, illiteracy, and decline in death rate are the major reasons for population explosion here.
Pakistan occupies only 0.59% of space on earth and inhabits 2.83% of the world’s population. Sixty percent of Pakistan’s population is under 30 years of age. Thus, it needs more resources to raise the young population. Social and cultural superstition is a big obstacle in population control here. Also, it has around 2 million refugees. Food security is the biggest challenge for the country today.
6. Nigeria
Nigeria ranks sixth in the population ranking of the world due to high fertility and low mortality rates.
Nigerians believe in extended families due to family labor for farming. The more working members, more are the more security is their reason for large families. Male child preference and illiteracy is the root cause of the steep rise in population.
As of August 6, 2021, the population led 211,702,933 as per the Worldometer elaboration of United Nations data. This figure is a synonym for 2.64% of the world’s population. Population density is 226 Sq. Km.
Several policies have been sketched for population control but they failed because of limited political will and delayed or non-release of funds for it.
5. Brazil
Due to the high immigration rate from European and African nations, the population of Brazil has hiked rapidly. Half of Brazil’s citizens remain under twenty years of age. Although the birthrate has significantly dropped in Brazil, elderly citizens have a high life expectancy.
Currently, Brazil comes at 5th spot among the topmost populous countries with a population of 214,211,100 as per the Worldometer elaboration of data from the UN. Brazilian citizens are 2.73% of the total people in the world. Most of the population resides along the Atlantic coast lying in its eastern part.
51% of the population are female while 49% are male. Sao Paulo is its most expensive city and homes nearly 90% of the population. The population density is very low in Brazil.
4. Indonesia
From the projections of the United Nations, the population of Indonesia is around 276,361,783 in July 2021. Indonesia ranks four among the top 10 most populous countries in 2021. Thus, the 4th place among the top 10 countries with the highest population in the world goes to Indonesia.
Half of its population resides in Java Island. The capital city Jakarta is ranked as the world’s second-most populous urban region. Indonesian marks 3.51% of the world’s population. The sex ratio is 0.994 which is quite low. The concentration of people in certain regions makes it densely populated.
Lack of awareness on family planning norms, underage marriages, lack of education, conservative mentality, poverty, and the high birth rate is the key to population hike here. Besides, unemployment indirectly contributes to population growth where many unemployed youths chose to marry and reproduce. However, the government is zeroing on norms to combat the population graph here.
3. United States of America
The nation contributes to 4.5% of the world’s population, making it the third-most populous nation in the world. Its population is 333,111,358 as per the projections of the latest data from the UN. Due to its high land occupation, the country is not densely populated. The population density is 94 people per sq. miles and urban residents are 82.8%. The growth rate of the population is 0.61%.
High fertility rates and huge immigration are the key factors of the increasing population in the USA. Nearly 10,903 births and 8159 deaths take place per day. New York is the most populated city in the USA.
2. India
India comes at 2nd place among the most populous countries in the world as of 2021. As per the United Nation’s Worldometer elaboration, India has reached 1,394,827,667 in numbers. This amounts to 17.7% of the total world’s population. The population density is 1202 people per mi2.
In the past few decades, a fall in population growth has been seen due to increasing urban migration, elevation in education, and downfall in poverty. The steep rise in population attributes to a huge difference in death and birth rates. Other major reasons are illiteracy, early marriages, poverty, illegal migrations, son preferences, and low awareness rate.
The usual drawbacks of overpopulation are unemployment, manpower utilization, limited infrastructure, limited resource, and unequal income distribution to list a few.
1. China
China’s population is approximately 18.47% of the total world’s people. As per the Worldometer elaboration data by the United Nations is 1,445,403,092. So, with this data, China remains the most populous country in the world in 2021.
With the rapid industrialization and advance agricultural practices, people here opted for big families. This was simply due to their capability to sustain them. The population density of China is 153 Sq. Km.
Due to the dense population in certain parts of China, there is a fear of land and resources degradation. Better policies, quality education, and urbanization can let China achieve its target of population control. The one-child policy of China ended and since 2015, the population has risen by 0.46%.
