These are the most populous nations on Earth

On 11 July 1987, the world population passed the five billion mark - since then the figure has risen steadily to 7.7 billion in 2018. According to the International Monetary Fund, the largest share of the world population lives in China with 18.7 percent, followed by India with 17.88 percent. With a population of 83 million, Germany also ranks among the top 20 most populous countries in the world. Last year, people in Germany accounted for 1.11 percent of the world's population. The U.S. is actually the world’s third most populous nation. 4.39 percent of the global population live here.

Since 1989, World Population Day has taken place on 11 July to draw attention to problems caused by the increasing number of people on this Earth. The UN expects the world’s population to grow to 10.9 billion by 2100.

Asia is by far the most populous continent on Earth. The United Nations estimates that the Asian population will peak at 5.27 billion in 2070. Europe and Latin America will reach their population peaks at 689 million and 765 million inhabitants, respectively, around the year 2060, according to the projection. African populations are expected to keep growing, albeit at a slower pace, beyond the current century, which is when their combined size could surpass that of Asian populations.