The world’s 15 biggest populations in 2026 and 2050.
The world’s largest countries are on different paths. India and China remain the world’s two population giants, but their trajectories are diverging. India is projected to continue growing through 2050, while China’s population declines—widening the gap between them.
Africa and South Asia are reshaping the top 15. By 2050, Nigeria is projected to become the world’s third-largest country, while Pakistan overtakes the United States, whose population is expected to grow only modestly. Ethiopia climbs from tenth to seventh, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo breaks into the top 10, jumping from thirteenth to ninth. Meanwhile, Tanzania enters the top 15 outright, and Japan—whose population is projected to shrink—drops out of it, underscoring how much global population growth is concentrating in Africa and South Asia.