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Countries Ranked by Population in 1990

Population for each country in 1990, ranked from highest to lowest. Source: The World Bank (CC BY 4.0).

Summary

In 1990, China ranks #1 with 1.14 billion people. India is second with 864.97 million people, 31.2% behind. The top five are China, India, United States, Indonesia and Brazil. Together the top 10 account for 60.2% of the total across the 217 countries listed. The median across all 217 is 4.31 million people; Tuvalu is last at 8,798 people.

#1
China · 1.14 billion people
Median
4.31 million people
Coverage
217 countries
Data year
1990
Last updated
2026-11-14
Top 10: PopulationBar chart of the top 10: 1. China 1.14 billion; 2. India 864.97 million; 3. United States 249.62 million; 4. Indonesia 183.5 million; 5. Brazil 149.14 million; 6. Russian Federation 147.97 million; 7. Japan 123.48 million; 8. Pakistan 116.16 million; 9. Bangladesh 111.63 million; 10. Nigeria 97.12 million.China1.14 billionIndia864.97 millionUnited States249.62 millionIndonesia183.5 millionBrazil149.14 millionRussian Federation147.97 millionJapan123.48 millionPakistan116.16 millionBangladesh111.63 millionNigeria97.12 million
Top 10: Population (people). Bar chart of the top 10: 1. China 1.14 billion; 2. India 864.97 million; 3. United States 249.62 million; 4. Indonesia 183.5 million; 5. Brazil 149.14 million; 6. Russian Federation 147.97 million; 7. Japan 123.48 million; 8. Pakistan 116.16 million; 9. Bangladesh 111.63 million; 10. Nigeria 97.12 million.
Share of the total: PopulationChina 21.5%; India 16.4%; United States 4.7%; Indonesia 3.5%; Brazil 2.8%; All others 51.1%22%16%51%

China 21.5%India 16.4%United States 4.7%Indonesia 3.5%Brazil 2.8%All others 51.1%

Share of the total: Population, as a share of 217 countries. China 21.5%; India 16.4%; United States 4.7%; Indonesia 3.5%; Brazil 2.8%; All others 51.1%.

Full ranking

Countries Ranked by Population in 1990, 1990
RankCountryPopulation (people)
1China1,135,200,000
2India864,970,000
3United States249,620,000
4Indonesia183,500,000
5Brazil149,140,000
6Russian Federation147,970,000
7Japan123,480,000
8Pakistan116,160,000
9Bangladesh111,630,000
10Nigeria97,121,000
11Mexico82,820,000
12Germany79,433,000
13Viet Nam65,505,000
14Philippines62,855,000
15Egypt, Arab Rep.58,397,000
16Iran, Islamic Rep.58,380,000
17France58,261,000
18United Kingdom57,248,000
19Italy56,719,000
20Türkiye56,016,000
21Thailand54,738,000
22Ukraine52,054,000
23Ethiopia47,610,000
24Korea, Rep.42,869,000
25South Africa40,746,000
26Myanmar39,817,000
27Spain38,867,000
28Poland38,111,000
29Congo, Dem. Rep.36,684,000
30Argentina32,756,000
31Colombia32,440,000
32Canada27,691,000
33Tanzania26,110,000
34Algeria25,376,000
35Morocco24,376,000
36Romania23,202,000
37Kenya22,893,000
38Sudan22,021,000
39Peru22,015,000
40Korea, Dem. People's Rep.21,112,000
41Uzbekistan20,465,000
42Venezuela, RB19,827,000
43Nepal19,525,000
44Malaysia17,833,000
45Iraq17,581,000
46Uganda17,570,000
47Kazakhstan17,154,000
48Australia17,065,000
49Sri Lanka16,352,000
50Ghana15,395,000
51Netherlands14,952,000
52Yemen, Rep.13,888,000
53Chile13,437,000
54Mozambique13,095,000
55Syrian Arab Republic12,579,000
56Côte d'Ivoire12,190,000
57Madagascar12,056,000
58Afghanistan12,046,000
59Angola11,626,000
60Cameroon11,332,000
61Saudi Arabia10,641,000
62Cuba10,632,000
63Ecuador10,474,000
64Hungary10,374,000
65Czechia10,333,000
66Greece10,197,000
67Belarus10,189,000
68Zimbabwe10,137,000
69Portugal9,983,200
70Belgium9,967,400
71Malawi9,545,900
72Mali9,178,800
73Burkina Faso9,159,400
74Guatemala9,024,800
75Bulgaria8,718,300
76Sweden8,558,800
77Tunisia8,324,500
78Niger8,286,100
79Serbia7,897,900
80Zambia7,786,200
81Senegal7,720,500
82Austria7,677,900
83Rwanda7,375,300
84Cambodia7,374,800
85Azerbaijan7,175,200
86Dominican Republic7,151,200
87Bolivia7,130,100
88Somalia, Fed. Rep.7,082,800
89Haiti6,854,400
90Switzerland6,715,500
91Guinea6,434,400
92Chad5,982,800
93Hong Kong SAR, China5,704,500
94Burundi5,587,100
95El Salvador5,399,700
96Tajikistan5,398,800
97Slovak Republic5,299,200
98Benin5,281,500
99Denmark5,140,900
100Finland4,986,400

Showing the top 100 of 217. Premium downloads the full list as CSV or JSON.

About the top 10

#3 United States

United States ranks #3 on this list with 249.62 million people.

Capital
Washington, D.C.
Continent
North America
Income group
High income
Population
341.78 million people (2025)
GDP
US$30.77 trillion (2025)
GDP per person
US$90,027 (2025)
Life expectancy
78.9 years (2024)
Urban population
80.2% of population (2025)

Largest cities: New York metropolitan area, New York City, Chicago.

Also ranks #1 in gdp (current us$) · #1 in health expenditure per capita · #1 in imports of goods and services.

Full country profile Weather in New York (Purr Weather)

Profile facts: World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0); weather links go to Purr Weather, another ChowChow Labs site.

Related rankings

Source and method

Population for each country in 1990, ranked from highest to lowest.

Source: The World Bank, indicator SP.POP.TOTL. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Retrieved: 2026-11-14.

The World Bank: Population, total: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN) (via World Development Indicators)

Original data provider, as recorded by the World Bank: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN); Statistical databases and publications from national statistical offices, National Statistical Offices (NSOs); Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, Eurostat (ESTAT).

Values are shown as published. Provider terms: The World Bank. All licences: Sources & licences.