The world in 1998
On 1 January 1998, 5.97 billion people were alive. During the year, 134 million children were born and 51.9 million people died.
Mid-1998 is the first mid-year with more than 6 billion people.
In 2026 the world has 2.29 billion more people, 1.4 times as many.
The median age is 24.7. 31% of the people are under 15 and 6.6% are 65 or older.
Life expectancy at birth is 65.7 years, and women have 2.8 children on average at that year’s rates.
Countries with more than 100 million people: 10.
- Population, 1 January 1998
- 5,966,064,664
- Median age
- 24.7
- Births in 1998
- 133,857,525
- Deaths in 1998
- 51,853,502
- Life expectancy at birth
- 65.7
- Children per woman
- 2.78
- Under 15
- 31.3%
- 65 and over
- 6.6%
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The most populous countries
| Country | Population | Under 15 | 65 and over |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 1,246,067,858 | 26.0% | 6.5% |
| India | 1,008,881,084 | 36.5% | 4.3% |
| United States | 274,761,262 | 21.5% | 12.3% |
| Indonesia | 208,203,012 | 32.0% | 4.7% |
| Brazil | 167,891,396 | 31.3% | 4.9% |
| Russia | 147,738,741 | 19.9% | 12.4% |
| Pakistan | 144,526,050 | 44.0% | 3.5% |
| Bangladesh | 128,395,288 | 38.7% | 3.4% |
| Japan | 126,410,088 | 14.9% | 16.0% |
| Nigeria | 118,271,498 | 44.0% | 3.1% |
Development and urbanisation
| Indicator | Latest value | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Living in cities | 38.4% | 1998 |
| People using the internet | none observed | – |
| Access to electricity | 73.2% | 1998 |
| Adult literacy (ages 15 and over) | 80.5% | 1998 |
| none observed | – | |
| none observed | – | |
| none observed | – | |
| Human Development Index | 0.641 | 1998 |
Values observed in 1998, 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).