According to data provided by Our World in Data, the population growth by region from 1900 to 2050 (forecasted) is mapped below.

The world population has increased from 4 to 8 billion people in less than 50 years.

According to the United Nations Population Division, Asia, particularly countries like South Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong, leads the world in having the oldest populations.

Marcus Lu of Visual Capitalists has created this visualization, which shows the population of the main areas at three distinct times: 1900, 2000, and 2050 (forecasted). The United Nations medium-fertility scenario is used in the figures, which are derived from Our World in Data as of March 2023.

Population by Continent (1900-2050F)

Throughout the 20th century, population growth around the world was mostly driven by Asia. The population of the continent increased by 2.8 billion people between 1900 and 2000, as opposed to barely 680 million in Africa, the second-most populous continent on our list.

Despite its recent slowing population growth, China was the primary driver of Asia’s population rise. For this reason, India overtook China in 2023 to take the top spot in terms of population worldwide.

Asia’s population expansion up to this point has also been significantly fueled by Southeast Asian nations like Indonesia and the Philippines.

The Future: Africa to Hit 2.5 Billion by 2050

Assuming the UN’s medium-fertility scenario, which calls for all nations to reach a birthrate of 1.85 children per woman by 2050, Africa will maintain its position as the second most populous continent in the world.

Three nations will make up almost 30% of that estimated 2.5 billion people: Ethiopia, Egypt, and Nigeria.

In the meantime, population growth is predicted to slow down in both North and South America, except Europe, which is predicted to shrink by 2050.

Almost thirty percent of the world’s population lived in Europe a century ago. That percentage is currently less than 10%.