Not surprisingly, the largest countries in the world in terms of population are China and India, with both countries now having populations of well over a billion. The United States comes in third with just under 325 million residents. The BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China), generally regarded as the four major emerging economies expected to dominate in the 21st century, are all in the top ten most populous countries, indicating how important the sheer size of their populations are to their economic expansion.






However, a number of countries considered by the International Monetary Fund to be developing countries (that is, having not achieved a high degree of industrialization relative to their populations, and where the population typically has a medium to low standard of living) also have sizeable populations, including Nigeria (over 190 million), Bangladesh (almost 165 million) and Mexico (around 129 million), demonstrating that the issues affecting developing nations span multiple continents.


It is notable that a number of the largest economies in the world have smaller populations, particularly in Europe. The United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Italy are all among the top ten largest economies and all have populations of under 100 million. Their numbers range from 82 million (Germany) to just under 60 million (Italy).



1 China -1,410.9 M -9,562,900 km²


2 India -1,380.0 M -3,287,300 km²


3 United States -329.5 M -9,831,500 km²


4 Indonesia -273.5 M -1,913,600 km²


5 Pakistan -220.9 M -796,100 km²


6 Brazil -212.6 M -8,515,800 km²


7 Nigeria -206.1 M -923,800 km²


8 Bangladesh -164.7 M -147,600 km²


9 Russia -144.1 M -17,098,300 km²


10 Mexico -128.9 M -1,964,400 km²


India and China are by far the most populous countries and the only ones with more than 1 billion inhabitants. Together they account for about 36% of the total population and occupy 9% of the habitable earth's surface. It is assumed that the population in India will continue to grow in the coming years and will be larger than that of China in 2025.


Russia, on the other hand, is by far the largest country on earth in terms of surface area and extends over a length of more than 9000 km. At 17,098,250 km² it occupies only slightly more space (11%) than China and India combined. The share of the world population, on the other hand, is only 2%. Large parts of Russia consist of deserts and permafrost areas. Only 23% of the area lies west of the Urals (the border between Europe and Asia), but 85% of the inhabitants live here. Only 27% of the population lives outside cities.


Bangladesh is the only country on the list with a population of 164.69 m on a relatively small area of only 147,630 km². For comparison: Iowa has about the same size, but just 3.1 million people. Illinois is slightly bigger than Bangladesh, and has a population of about 12.8 million. With 1,116 inhabitants per km² (2,889.3 per mi²), Bangladesh is the only territorial state in the world to occupy a top position in population density.


* Greenland is not an independent and sovereign country, but territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. Further information on the definition of a country can be found in our article.



1 China                  -1,410.9 M             9,562,900 km²

2 India                   -1,380.0 M             3,287,300 km²

3 United States    -329.5 M                9,831,500 km²

4 Indonesia          -273.5 M                1,913,600 km²

5 Pakistan            -220.9 M                796,100 km²

6 Brazil                 -212.6 M                8,515,800 km²

7 Nigeria              -206.1 M                923,800 km²

8 Bangladesh      -164.7 M                147,600 km²

9 Russia               -144.1 M                17,098,300 km²

10 Mexico           -128.9 M                 1,964,400 km²