Data released by the United States Census Bureau on December 30 indicates that the world population increased by over 71 million in 2024, reaching 8.09 billion on New Year’s Day 2025. Meanwhile, the U.S. population is expected to reach 341 million. In addition, the two most populous countries in the world remain India and China.
The data shows that the global population growth rate in 2024 was 0.9%, slightly slowing from 1.0% in 2023 when the world population grew by 75 million. Although the annual population growth rate is slightly lower than that of 2023, this still indicates that the global population continues to grow rapidly. It is estimated that in January 2025, there will be approximately 4.2 births and 2 deaths globally every second.
The data indicates that the U.S. population increased by 2.6 million in 2024, reaching 341 million on New Year’s Day 2025. It is expected that by January 2025, in the U.S., one person will be born every 9 seconds, and one person will die every 9.4 seconds. The sum of births, deaths, and net international migration will increase the U.S. population by one person every 21.2 seconds.
So far in the 2020s, the U.S. population has increased by nearly 9.7 million, with a growth rate of 2.9%. The U.S. population growth rate in the 2010s was 7.4%, the lowest level since the 1930s.
Meanwhile, as of mid-2024, India is the most populous country in the world, with approximately 1.409 billion people, while China’s population is 1.407 billion. India continues to lead in population size, while China’s growth rate has significantly slowed, partly due to an aging population and declining birth rate. In the coming years, India is expected to firmly maintain its position as the "most populous country," also due to its relatively young population and high birth rate. The domestic population in India is expected to continue its rapid growth.
Recent analysis suggests that the global population is expected to peak around 2040 at about 8.5 billion, but as education, healthcare, and clean energy become more widespread, the population is expected to decrease to around 6 billion by 2100.
Stoknes, head of the Earth4All project conducting this study, stated: “We know that the rapid economic development of low-income countries has a huge impact on fertility rates. As girls receive education, women gain economic power, and better healthcare becomes available, fertility rates will decline.”