Countries by Population 2026

Executive summary

This index ranks 49 of the world's largest economies by population, using World Bank Open Data for cross-country comparability, and goes beyond a single snapshot: it shows the nominal figure, a ten-year history, a regional breakdown and the biggest movers. India leads at 1,463.9 million (2025); Iceland is lowest among those ranked at 392,404. Sweden ranks 37th of 49 at 10.6 million (2025). As reference points, the EU stands at 451.1 million, the OECD at 1,402.2 million and the world at 8,215.4 million. Every figure carries its World Bank series and reference year, and the complete dataset is free to download as CSV and JSON under a CC BY 4.0 licence.

Key findings

Overview

Population sizes a country's domestic market, its labour force and its weight in the world economy. This index ranks countries by total population, the denominator behind every per-capita economic statistic.

The two demographic giants — India and China — each exceed 1.4 billion people, together more than a third of humanity, while the mature economies of Europe and East Asia are ageing and, in several cases, shrinking. Those diverging trajectories, shown in the trend table, are among the most consequential forces in the 21st-century economy.

What drives the ranking

Population change is the sum of births minus deaths (natural change) and net migration. Rich, ageing societies increasingly depend on migration to sustain their workforce, while several emerging economies still have young, growing populations — a potential 'demographic dividend'.

For economics, population interacts with GDP: a large population lifts total GDP (market size) but, on its own, lowers GDP per capita unless matched by productivity.

How it has changed over time

The chart tracks population for India (the current leader) against Sweden over the past decade; the table below shows the top economies year by year.

By region

Median population by world region among the ranked economies. Regional medians reveal patterns the country ranking alone can hide.

Biggest movers

The largest changes in population over the available window — where the action has been.

Full ranking — 49 economies

Complete ranking by population, most recent World Bank data, with world region. Region aggregates (EU, OECD, World) appear in the At-a-glance box as reference points.

Scoreboard (machine-readable data)

Every headline indicator with its value, period, source and confidence. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.

↓ CSV · ↓ JSON

Methodology & verification

Economies are ranked by population using the World Bank Open Data API, which harmonises national statistics for cross-country comparison. Each value is the most recent year available for that economy, shown alongside the figure; the trend table uses each economy's reported history. Economies with no reported value are omitted rather than estimated. Region aggregates (EU, euro area, OECD, World) are reference points, not ranked. Figures are mid-year estimates; definitions of residents and the treatment of migration vary, and the most recent year can be a projection pending census updates. Confidence: High (official multilateral source).

Data dictionary

Frequently asked questions

Glossary

Population

Population — as reported by the World Bank. ↗

World Bank Open Data

A free, authoritative database of harmonised economic indicators for every country. ↗

Purchasing-power parity (PPP)

A conversion that equalises the price of a comparable basket of goods across countries, so output and incomes can be compared in real terms rather than at market exchange rates. ↗

Nominal (current US$)

A value converted at prevailing market exchange rates and not adjusted for differences in price levels. ↗

GNI per capita

Gross national income per person — like GDP per capita but including net income earned abroad; useful where cross-border corporate flows are large. ↗

Reference year

The year a figure applies to; it can differ across countries because national statistics are published on different schedules. ↗

Region aggregate

A World Bank grouping (e.g. European Union, OECD, World) whose value is a weighted regional total or average, shown here for reference rather than ranked. ↗

Sources

• World Bank Open Data — Population
• World Bank Open Data (home)
• IMF World Economic Outlook (comparison)
• OECD Data
• Affärslivet — Sweden Economic Indicators

Related reports & data

• Largest Economies in the World 2026
• Richest Countries in the World 2026
• Fastest-Growing Economies 2026
• Inflation Rate by Country 2026
• Affärslivet Business Climate Index
• Sweden Economic Indicators