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List of continents by population facts for kids

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This is a list of continents and continental subregions by population.

Distribution of populations by the United Nations geoscheme



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World population by continent, 2010      Asia (60.47%)     Africa (16.05%)     Europe (9.75%)     North America (7.64%)     South America (5.58%)     Oceania (0.50%)

Rank Continent Population
2010
±% p.a.
2010–2010
% of world pop.
World 7,576,600,516 1.17% 100%
1 Asia 4,581,757,408 1.04% 60.47%
2 Africa 1,216,130,000 2.57% 16.05%
3 Europe 738,849,000 0.08% 9.75%
4 North America 579,024,000 0.96% 7.64%
5 South America 422,535,000 1.04% 5.58%
6 Oceania 38,304,000 1.47% 0.50%
7 Antarctica 1,106 N/A N/A
Rank Supercontinent Population
2013
±% p.a.
2010–2013
% of world pop.
World 7,123,815,000 1.17% 100%
1 Afro-Eurasia 6,151,810,000 1.21% 85.90%
2 Americas 972,005,000 1.03% 13.57%
Rank Subregion Population
2013
±% p.a.
2010–2013
% of world pop.
World 7,632,819,325 1.17% 100%
1 Southern Asia^ 1,749,046,000 1.32% 22.91%
2 Eastern Asia 1,620,807,000 0.57% 21.23%
3 South-eastern Asia 618,793,000 1.20% 8.11%
4 South America 406,740,000 1.06% 5.33%
5 Eastern Africa 373,202,000 2.89% 4.89%
6 Northern America 355,361,000 0.85% 4.66%
7 Western Africa 331,255,000 2.78% 4.34%
8 Eastern Europe# 294,162,000 0.23% 3.85%
9 Western Asia+ 245,707,000 1.98% 3.22%
10 Northern Africa 210,002,000 1.70% 2.75%
11 Western Europe 192,060,000 0.25% 2.52%
12 Central America 167,387,000 1.40% 2.19%
13 Southern Europe& 155,827,000 0.24% 2.04%
14 Middle Africa 135,750,000 2.79% 1.78%
15 Northern Europe* 100,404,000 0.54% 1.32%
16 Central Asia 64,370,000 1.43% 0.84%
17 Southern Africa 60,425,000 0.91% 0.79%
18 Caribbean~ 42,517,000 0.71% 0.56%
19 Oceania 38,304,000 1.47% 0.50%

Notes: ^ The United Nations geoscheme includes Afghanistan and Iran in Southern Asia.

# The United Nations geoscheme includes the Balkan countries of Bulgaria and Romania; as well as Siberia (Northern Asia) in Eastern Europe.

The United Nations geoscheme includes Mexico in Central America.

* The United Nations geoscheme includes the Baltic states, the British Isles, and the Channel Islands in Northern Europe.

~ The United Nations geoscheme includes The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean.

+ The United Nations geoscheme includes the South Caucasian countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia; as well as Cyprus and Turkey in Western Asia.

& The United Nations geoscheme includes the Balkan countries of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia; as well as Malta in Southern Europe.

Global, continental, and subregional totals from 1950 to 2018

Africa

Eastern Africa
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1950 66,923,000 —    
1960 84,305,000 +2.34%
1970 110,428,000 +2.74%
1980 147,512,000 +2.94%
1990 198,232,000 +3.00%
2000 259,373,000 +2.72%
2010 342,743,000 +2.83%
2018 422,563,363 +2.65%
Middle Africa
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1950 26,401,000 —    
1960 32,216,000 +2.01%
1970 40,846,000 +2.40%
1980 53,135,000 +2.67%
1990 70,886,000 +2.92%
2000 96,113,000 +3.09%
2010 130,598,000 +3.11%
2018 169,121,879 +3.28%
Northern Africa
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1950 49,222,000 —    
1960 63,697,000 +2.61%
1970 82,883,000 +2.67%
1980 106,908,000 +2.58%
1990 140,117,000 +2.74%
2000 171,891,000 +2.06%
2010 203,717,000 +1.71%
2018 237,293,794 +1.93%
Southern Africa
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1950 15,588,000 —    
1960 19,724,000 +2.38%
1970 25,454,000 +2.58%
1980 32,997,000 +2.63%
1990 42,049,000 +2.45%
2000 51,451,000 +2.04%
2010 59,067,000 +1.39%
2018 65,739,496 +1.35%
Western Africa
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1950 70,769,000 —    
1960 84,946,000 +1.84%
1970 106,015,000 +2.24%
1980 137,414,000 +2.63%
1990 180,331,000 +2.76%
2000 235,235,000 +2.69%
2010 307,982,000 +2.73%
2018 381,202,440 +2.70%
Total Africa
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1950 228,902,000 —    
1960 284,887,000 +2.21%
1970 365,626,000 +2.53%
1980 477,965,000 +2.72%
1990 631,614,000 +2.83%
2000 814,063,000 +2.57%
2010 1,044,107,000 +2.52%
2018 1,275,920,972 +2.54%

Americas

Total Americas
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1950 340,459,000 —    
1960 425,357,000 +2.25%
1970 519,522,000 +2.02%
1980 619,252,000 +1.77%
1990 727,522,000 +1.62%
2000 840,614,000 +1.46%
2010 943,952,000 +1.17%
2018 1,006,512,678 +0.81%

North America

Caribbean
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1950 17,076,000 —    
1960 20,724,000 +1.96%
1970 25,306,000 +2.02%
1980 29,748,000 +1.63%
1990 34,198,000 +1.40%
2000 38,314,000 +1.14%
2010 41,621,000 +0.83%
2018 43,163,817 +0.46%
Central America
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1950 38,029,000 —    
1960 51,400,000 +3.06%
1970 69,702,000 +3.09%
1980 92,425,000 +2.86%
1990 114,823,000 +2.19%
2000 138,780,000 +1.91%
2010 161,117,000 +1.50%
2018 175,471,787 +1.07%
Northern America
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1950 171,615,000 —    
1960 204,167,000 +1.75%
1970 231,029,000 +1.24%
1980 254,217,000 +0.96%
1990 280,633,000 +0.99%
2000 313,724,000 +1.12%
2010 344,129,000 +0.93%
2018 364,295,996 +0.71%
Total North America
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1950 226,719,000 —    
1960 276,291,000 +2.00%
1970 326,036,000 +1.67%
1980 376,390,000 +1.45%
1990 429,653,000 +1.33%
2000 490,818,000 +1.34%
2010 546,867,000 +1.09%
2018 582,931,600 +0.80%

South America

Total South America
Year Pop. ±%
1950 113,739,000 —    
1960 149,066,000 +31.1%
1970 193,486,000 +29.8%
1980 242,862,000 +25.5%
1990 297,869,000 +22.6%
2000 349,796,000 +17.4%
2010 397,085,000 +13.5%
2018 423,581,078 +6.7%

Asia

Central Asia
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1950 18,131,000 —    
1960 24,616,000 +3.10%
1970 33,156,000 +3.02%
1980 41,277,000 +2.21%
1990 50,407,929 +2.02%
2000 55,117,000 +0.90%
2010 62,139,000 +1.21%
2018 72,051,628 +1.87%
Eastern Asia
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1950 666,586,000 —    
1960 788,145,000 +1.69%
1970 978,113,000 +2.18%
1980 1,173,372,000 +1.84%
1990 1,368,592,000 +1.55%
2000 1,496,284,000 +0.90%
2010 1,575,320,000 +0.52%
2018 1,666,471,330 +0.71%
South-eastern Asia
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1950 164,900,000 —    
1960 213,838,000 +2.63%
1970 281,521,000 +2.79%
1980 358,106,000 +2.44%
1990 445,665,000 +2.21%
2000 526,179,000 +1.67%
2010 596,708,000 +1.27%
2018 655,298,044 +1.18%
Southern Asia
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1950 493,443,000 —    
1960 593,943,000 +1.87%
1970 741,603,000 +2.25%
1980 939,043,000 +2.39%
1990 1,189,261,000 +2.39%
2000 1,451,933,000 +2.02%
2010 1,702,991,000 +1.61%
2018 1,895,813,944 +1.35%
Western Asia
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1950 50,957,000 —    
1960 66,156,000 +2.64%
1970 86,037,000 +2.66%
1980 113,786,000 +2.83%
1990 148,552,000 +2.70%
2000 184,957,000 +2.22%
2010 232,703,000 +2.32%
2018 271,031,766 +1.92%
Total Asia
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1950 1,394,018,000 —    
1960 1,686,698,000 +1.92%
1970 2,120,430,000 +2.31%
1980 2,625,584,000 +2.16%
1990 3,202,475,000 +2.01%
2000 3,714,470,000 +1.49%
2010 4,169,850,000 +1.16%
2018 4,560,667,108 +1.13%

Europe

Eastern Europe
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1950 220,171,000 —    
1960 253,630,000 +1.42%
1970 276,396,000 +0.86%
1980 295,042,000 +0.65%
1990 310,027,000 +0.50%
2000 303,789,000 −0.20%
2010 294,591,000 −0.31%
2018 293,790,259 −0.03%
Northern Europe
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1950 78,030,000 —    
1960 81,790,000 +0.47%
1970 87,305,000 +0.65%
1980 89,833,000 +0.29%
1990 92,040,000 +0.24%
2000 94,397,000 +0.25%
2010 99,682,000 +0.55%
2018 105,237,105 +0.68%
Southern Europe
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1950 108,633,000 —    
1960 117,879,000 +0.82%
1970 127,617,000 +0.80%
1980 138,495,000 +0.82%
1990 143,404,000 +0.35%
2000 145,058,000 +0.11%
2010 153,360,000 +0.56%
2018 152,637,573 −0.06%
Western Europe
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1950 142,256,000 —    
1960 152,320,000 +0.69%
1970 165,903,000 +0.86%
1980 170,489,000 +0.27%
1990 175,615,000 +0.30%
2000 183,163,000 +0.42%
2010 187,762,000 +0.25%
2018 194,754,503 +0.46%
Total Europe
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1950 549,089,000 —    
1960 605,619,000 +0.98%
1970 657,221,000 +0.82%
1980 693,859,000 +0.54%
1990 721,086,000 +0.39%
2000 726,407,000 +0.07%
2010 735,395,000 +0.12%
2018 746,419,440 +0.19%

Oceania

Total Oceania
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1950 12,682,000 —    
1960 15,784,000 +2.21%
1970 19,688,000 +2.23%
1980 22,972,000 +1.55%
1990 26,971,000 +1.62%
2000 31,068,000 +1.42%
2010 36,411,000 +1.60%
2016 39,901,000 +1.54%
2018 41,570,842 +2.07%

World

Total World
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1950 2,525,149,000 —    
1960 3,018,344,000 +1.80%
1970 3,682,488,000 +2.01%
1980 4,439,632,000 +1.89%
1990 5,309,668,000 +1.81%
2000 6,126,622,000 +1.44%
2010 6,929,725,000 +1.24%
2018 7,631,091,040 +1.21%
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