Source ledger · formulas · limitations
This page explains exactly where Population Intelligence figures come from, what “right now” means and how the site prevents a moving number from becoming a claim of fake precision.
World and country figures come from United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division — World Population Prospects 2024. The 2026 and later rows use the medium projection variant; historical rows are demographic estimates assembled from national evidence.
The browser interpolates between consecutive January and July values from the original UN workbook, using their exact UTC dates:
population = earlier anchor + (later anchor − earlier anchor) × elapsed time ÷ interval duration
This creates readable motion. It does not mean births, deaths and migration occur evenly or are reported instantly.
Population includes all ages and both sexes. World share divides the country estimate by the world total. Density is the UN 2026 density indicator; the separate land-area context is World Bank 2023 and may use a different area convention. Urban share is World Bank 2024 and follows national definitions, which are not perfectly harmonised across countries.
Dates change only after a source or page is materially reviewed. A new deployment alone never changes the public review date. Corrections should update the dataset, affected pages and changelog together.
Primary evidence
Figures use the Medium variant of the 2024 Revision. The UN series covers 237 countries or areas; estimates and projections from 1950 to 2100 and is built from 1,910 population censuses and 3,189 nationally representative sample surveys, alongside vital-registration and other demographic systems.
These are demographic estimates and projections for world and country population, not a live register of identifiable people. Mid-year values refer to 1 July; moving counters interpolate between the original January and July population anchors. Demographic indicators use the original 2026 workbook rows. Urban share uses World Bank 2024 and land area uses World Bank 2023 indicators, not 2026 projections.
Review log
Launched the Population Intelligence hub, 15 country profiles, world timeline, growth comparison, downloads and widget. Aligned the live clock to the UN 2026 mid-year anchor.