Ranked: The Most Populous Countries in 2025, 2050, and 2100
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Key Takeaways
- India and China will likely remain the most populous countries till 2100.
- However several African countries will climb the ranks over the next few decades.
- These estimates come from the UN World Population Prospects 2024.
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In 2023, India overtook China to lead the list of most populous countries in the world.
By looking at data on trends in fertility, deaths, and migration, the UN is able to project population figures for the world by the year 2100.
China Will Hold #2 Population Rank Despite Dramatic Fall
India is expected to retain it’s #1 ranking as the largest country by the end of this century.
Meanwhile, despite its population halving over the next 75 years, China is still expected to be the second-most populous country in 2100.
| Rank | 2025 | 2050 | 2100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  India (1.46B) |
India (1.68B) |
India (1.51B) |
| 2 |  China (1.41B) |
China (1.26B) |
China (633M) |
| 3 |  U.S. (347M) |
U.S. (381M) |
 Pakistan (511M) |
| 4 |  Indonesia (286M) |
Pakistan (372M) |
 Nigeria (477M) |
| 5 | Pakistan (255M) |
Nigeria (359M) |
 DRC (431M) |
| 6 | Nigeria (238M) |
Indonesia (321M) |
U.S. (421M) |
| 7 |  Brazil (213M) |
 Ethiopia (225M) |
Ethiopia (367M) |
| 8 |  Bangladesh (176M) |
DRC (218M) |
Indonesia (296M) |
| 9 |  Russia (144M) |
Brazil (217M) |
 Tanzania (263M) |
| 10 | Ethiopia (136M) |
Bangladesh (215M) |
Bangladesh (209M) |
| 11 |  Mexico (132M) |
 Egypt (162M) |
Egypt (202M) |
| 12 |  Japan (123M) |
Mexico (149M) |
Brazil (163M) |
| 13 | Egypt (118M) |
Russia (136M) |
 Angola (150M) |
| 14 |  Philippines (117M) |
Philippines (134M) |
 Sudan (137M) |
| 15 | DRC (113M) |
Tanzania (130M) |
Mexico (130M) |
China’s projected population crash has garnered a lot of attention for the last decade. Enough of it for the country to remove it’s One Child Policy in an attempt to boost falling birth rates.
This nosedive will also change the shape of the Chinese population, with older adults outnumbering younger adults and children. This increases old-age dependency ratios that can put pressure on social systems like healthcare.
On the other hand, several African countries—including the DRC, Ethiopia, and Tanzania—are predicted to rapidly climb the most populous countries ranks after 2050.
Finally, based on current estimates, no country will cross the 1 billion mark again.
Learn More on the Voronoi App 
India’s population will gradually decline as well according to current projections. Check out: Visualizing the Peak Population Year of the World’s Largest Countries to see when the shift will happen.
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