Population, rate of increase, birth and death rates, surface area
and density for the world, macro regions and regions: selected
years
Population
Mid-year estimates Annual Birth Death Surface Density1
rate rate rate area
of (km2)
Macro regions and regions increase
1950 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1989 1985- 1985- 1985- 1989 1989
90 90 90
World Total 2 515 3 019 3 336 3 698 4 079 4 450 4 854 5 201 1.7 27 10 135818 38
Africa 224 281 318 363 415 481 557 628 3.0 45 15 30305 21
Eastern Africa 65 82 94 108 124 144 167 189 3.1 48 17 6 354 30
Middle Africa 27 33 36 39 45 52 60 68 2.9 45 16 6 613 10
Northern Africa 52 65 73 83 94 108 124 139 2.7 38 11 8 525 16
Southern Africa 16 20 23 26 29 32 36 40 2.3 33 10 2 675 15
Western Africa 65 81 92 106 124 144 169 193 3.3 49 17 6 138 31
Northern America 166 199 214 226 239 252 265 274 0.8 15 9 21525 13
Latin America 165 218 250 285 322 362 404 439 2.1 29 8 20535 21
Caribbean 17 20 23 25 27 29 31 33 1.5 25 8 235 141
Central America 37 50 59 70 81 93 105 115 2.3 31 6 2 481 46
South America 111 147 168 191 214 240 268 291 2.1 29 8 17819 16
Asia 1 375 1 667 1 860 2 101 2 353 2 583 2 834 3 052 1.9 28 9 27582 111
Eastern Asia 671 791 874 988 1 096 1 176 1 249 1 317 1.3 20 7 11763 112
Southern Asia 479 595 669 754 849 948 1 070 1 175 2.3 35 12 6 781 1 73
South Eastern Asia 182 225 253 287 324 360 401 433 1.9 29 10 4 493 96
Western Asia 42 56 64 74 85 98 114 127 2.8 35 8 4 545 28
Europe 393 425 445 460 474 484 492 497 0.2 13 11 4 933 101
Eastern Europe 89 97 100 103 106 109 112 113 0.3 15 11 990 114
Northern Europe 72 76 78 80 82 82 83 84 0.2 13 12 1 628 51
Southern Europe 109 118 123 128 133 139 142 144 0.3 13 10 1 316 110
Western Europe 123 135 143 148 152 154 155 156 0.1 12 11 999 156
Oceania 12.6 15.8 17.5 19.3 21.1 22.8 24.6 26.1 1.4 20 8 8 536 3
Australia and 10.1 12.7 14.0 15.4 16.7 17.8 19.0 19.9 1.1 15 8 7 985 2
New Zealand
Melanesia 2.1 2.6 2.9 3.3 3.7 4.2 4.8 5.3 2.6 37 10 541 10
Micronesia 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 1.7 32 6 3 124
Polynesia 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.5 1.6 34 5 7 78
USSR 180 214 231 243 255 266 277 286 0.8 18 11 22402 13
General Notes
Unless otherwise specified all figures are estimates of the order of
magnitude and are subject to a substantial margin of error; all data
except for surface area are therefore set in italics. For composition
of macro regions and regions and for method of construction of
estimates, see Technical Notes, page 30.
Footnotes
1. Population per square l=kilometer of surface area. Figures are
merely the quotients of population divided by surface area and are not
to be considered as either reflecting density in the urban sense or as
indicating the supporting power of a territory's land and resources.
2. Hawaii, a state of the United States of America, is included in Northern America rather than Oceania.
3. Excluding the USSR, shown separately.
4. The European portion of Turkey is included in Western Asia rather
than Europe.