What did the world look like when you were born?
Enter your birth year to compare humanity then and now: how many people there were, how many babies were born, how long people could expect to live and how old the population was.
Since 1950, the world population has gone from 2,493,092,848 to 8,300,678,396.
Population on 1 July, UN estimate for 1950 and projection for 2026.
See the numbers
| Indicator | 1950 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population on 1 July | 2,493,092,848 | 8,300,678,396 | +5,807,585,548 (+232.9%) |
| Births | 91,823,936 | 132,503,469 | +40,679,533 (+44.3%) |
| Deaths | 48,486,892 | 63,637,314 | +15,150,422 (+31.2%) |
| Life expectancy at birth | 46.4 | 73.8 | +27.4 |
| Median age | 22.2 | 31.1 | +8.9 |
| Total fertility rate | 4.85 | 2.23 | -2.62 |
| Aged 0 to 14 | 34.7 % | 24.2 % | -10.5 pp |
| Aged 15 to 64 | 60.2 % | 65.2 % | +5.1 pp |
| Aged 65 and over | 5.1 % | 10.5 % | +5.4 pp |
Only the year is needed. It stays in this browser.
Enter a birth year to see the world in that year.
How to use this tool
- 1Enter your birth year.
- 2Choose a country, or keep the world.
- 3Move the second year to compare with any year from 1950 to 2100.
How it works
All values come from the United Nations World Population Prospects 2024. Population and median age refer to 1 July, births, deaths and life expectancy to the whole calendar year, and the age structure to 1 January.
For counts, the table shows the change in people and the change in percent. For shares of the population, it shows the change in percentage points, because a percentage change of a percentage is easy to misread.
Life expectancy at birth is a period measure: how long a newborn would live if the death rates of that year stayed the same all life long. It is not a forecast for anyone born that year.
The UN series start in 1950. For an earlier birth year the comparison starts in 1950 and says so. Values from 2024 on are projections.
Frequently asked questions
Why does life expectancy in my birth year seem low?
It is a period measure: it reflects the death rates of that single year, including deaths in childhood. People born that year usually live longer, because death rates fall during their lives.
What is the total fertility rate?
The average number of children a woman would have if she lived through her childbearing years with the birth rates of that year. Around 2.1 keeps a population stable without migration.
Can I compare with a year in the future?
Yes, up to 2100. Those values are the UN medium projection, one possible future, and are marked as projections.
