The world in 1960
On 1 January 1960, 2.99 billion people were alive. During the year, 102 million children were born and 54.6 million people died.
Mid-1960 is the first mid-year with more than 3 billion people.
In 2026 the world has 5.29 billion more people, 2.8 times as many.
The median age is 21.5. 37% of the people are under 15 and 5% are 65 or older.
Life expectancy at birth is 47.8 years, and women have 4.7 children on average at that year’s rates.
Countries with more than 100 million people: 4.
- Population, 1 January 1960
- 2,991,588,081
- Median age
- 21.5
- Births in 1960
- 102,378,083
- Deaths in 1960
- 54,612,440
- Life expectancy at birth
- 47.8
- Children per woman
- 4.70
- Under 15
- 37.3%
- 65 and over
- 5.0%
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The most populous countries
| Country | Population | Under 15 | 65 and over |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 654,908,211 | 40.5% | 4.0% |
| India | 430,798,000 | 40.4% | 3.3% |
| United States | 178,709,721 | 31.1% | 8.8% |
| Russia | 119,069,875 | 30.1% | 5.9% |
| Japan | 96,009,537 | 30.0% | 5.7% |
| Indonesia | 87,069,757 | 39.6% | 2.4% |
| Germany | 72,504,038 | 21.0% | 11.4% |
| Brazil | 71,290,929 | 44.1% | 2.5% |
| United Kingdom | 52,373,797 | 23.3% | 11.7% |
| Bangladesh | 51,112,478 | 42.0% | 2.9% |
Development and urbanisation
| Indicator | Latest value | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Living in cities | 24.0% | 1960 |
| People using the internet | none observed | – |
| Access to electricity | none observed | – |
| Adult literacy (ages 15 and over) | none observed | – |
| none observed | – | |
| none observed | – | |
| none observed | – | |
| Human Development Index | none observed | – |
Values observed in 1960, or in the closest earlier year within five years, shown with that year. The share in cities is a UN estimate to 2025 and a projection after. Sources: World Bank WDI, UNDP HDR, UN WUP 2025.
Sources: World Population Prospects 2024, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).