More than half of the world's population lives in seven countries: India, China, the US, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria and Brazil

Half of humanity lives in seven countries

More than half of the world's population is concentrated in just seven countries. According to the DataReportal Digital 2026 Global Overview Report, prepared on the basis of UN estimates, India, China, the United States, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria and Brazil account for about 51.2% of the Earth's inhabitants — more than 4 billion people. This is reported by Daryo.uz citing DataReportal's calculations.

Distribution by country

First place is held by India with a population of about 1.48 billion people, followed by China with 1.41 billion. These two Asian countries account for almost 35% of the planet's population. The top three is rounded out by the United States with approximately 349 million residents. Next come Indonesia (288 million), Pakistan (260 million), Nigeria — the most populous country in Africa (243 million) — and Brazil (213 million). Thus, more people live in these seven states than in all the other countries of the world combined.

Different demographic trajectories

The report estimates the world's population in October 2025 at approximately 8.25 billion people and notes that India has overtaken China to become the world's most populous country. The dynamics within the seven are diverging: the populations of India, Pakistan and Nigeria continue to grow, while China's is shrinking. According to DataReportal's estimates, in the 12 months leading up to October 2025, China's population decreased by about 3.25 million people, while India's grew by almost 12.9 million — meaning the gap between the two largest countries continues to widen.