For the first time in modern history China is not the world’s most populous country. India holds that title now, and the rankings below are shifting fast.
Source: World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0), total population, latest available year. Retrieved June 2026.
The top 10
| Rank | Country | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 1.45 billion |
| 2 | China | 1.41 billion |
| 3 | United States | 340 million |
| 4 | Indonesia | 283 million |
| 5 | Pakistan | 251 million |
| 6 | Nigeria | 233 million |
| 7 | Brazil | 212 million |
| 8 | Bangladesh | 174 million |
| 9 | Russian Federation | 144 million |
| 10 | Ethiopia | 132 million |
Full list: most populous countries. Compare the top two directly in India vs China.
The divergence story
The headline isn’t just the order — it’s the direction:
- Still growing fast: Nigeria, Ethiopia, Pakistan, India. Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia drive almost all future growth.
- Peaked or shrinking: China, Japan, Russia and much of Europe, where low fertility and ageing populations mean decline.
You can see this on each country profile, which shows population growth (annual %) alongside the total.
Why it matters
Population shapes the size of an economy (it’s why India is a top-5 economy despite a low GDP per capita), the labour force, pension systems and political weight. Fast-growing young populations can power growth — or strain jobs and services if the economy can’t keep up.
Bottom line
India leads, China is now second and falling, and the future belongs demographically to Africa and South Asia. Track any country’s population and growth rate on its profile, or compare two nations head to head on the comparison pages.