Global Health

Population Boom: Charting how we got to nearly 8 billion people

image of a globe

"The human population has always moved around, seeking out new opportunity and freedoms." Image: USPLASH/Juliana Kozoski

Jeff Desjardins
Editor-in-Chief, Visual Capitalist
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maps showing the distribution of the world's population over the last 5000 years
The great evolution of the population from 3000 BC to 2000 AD. Image: Our World in Data

a chart showing the drastic change in the population over the last 12,000 years.
This exponential growth started in the 17th century due to new technologies and farming. Image: Our World in Data

a chart showing the time it took for the world population to increase by 1 billion
The first billion in population occurred in1803. Image: Our World in Data

a chart showing how the annual world population growth rate is shrinking
The annual population growth rate has started to slow. Image: Our World in Data
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a chart showing the world population by region
Asia has the largest share of the global population. Image: Our World in Data

a chart showing the present and future of population growth
Projections suggest that the population will peak in 2100. Image: Our World in Data
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