World Population by Country in 1981

In 1981, the world reached a total population of 4,524,627,658 and ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณChina was the most populous country that year, with a total of 997,259,502 people. Followed by ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณIndia, with the second largest population globally of 712,869,298 people in total. The country with the lowest population count for the year was ๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ฆHoly See with only 733 people.

The geographic region with the largest population in 1981 was Asia with a total population of 2,688,480,006 people, closely followed by Africa with a population of 495,655,336, and Latin America and the Caribbean with a population of 370,214,132 people recorded for the year.

When devided into sub-subregions we can see that Southern Asia had the largest populous of 966,692,797 people on record. Followed by Eastern Asia with a population of 1,198,078,546, and South-Eastern Asia with 363,078,580 people in the sub-region.

If we devide the global population into income groups we can see that Middle-income countries had the largest population with a total of 3,307,745,504 people. While the lowest population for 1981 was found in No income group available with a population of 15,837,998 people in that segment.

Countries with the Largest Population in 1981

Country Population Overall Population Change +/-
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณChina 997,259,502 15,343,930
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณIndia 712,869,298 16,174,364
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธUnited States of America 225,654,008 2,322,808
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฉIndonesia 151,686,337 3,516,234
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บRussian Federation 139,002,880 763,561
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ทBrazil 125,168,060 2,889,075
๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ตJapan 118,385,723 716,337
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฉBangladesh 86,154,836 2,340,076
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฐPakistan 84,270,202 3,696,320
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ชGermany 77,684,489 -91,811
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฌNigeria 75,175,387 2,200,740
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฝMexico 69,233,769 1,427,053
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡นItaly 56,532,910 64,949
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡งUnited Kingdom 56,395,846 60,571
๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ณViet Nam 54,280,394 1,334,056
๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ทFrance 54,016,749 302,082
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆUkraine 50,188,922 200,812
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ญPhilippines 49,679,330 1,253,055
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ญThailand 46,727,292 978,668
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ทTรผrkiye 44,981,877 869,290
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ฌEgypt 44,899,573 1,156,923
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ทIran (Islamic Republic of) 40,476,252 2,558,991
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ทRepublic of Korea 38,731,905 672,944
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธSpain 37,758,649 235,353
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑPoland 35,851,094 335,581
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡นEthiopia 35,818,844 1,646,633
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฒMyanmar 34,110,098 638,953
๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ฆSouth Africa 30,232,561 764,589
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ทArgentina 28,471,285 452,194
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฉDemocratic Republic of the Congo 27,457,783 750,665
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ดColombia 26,785,982 610,766
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆCanada 24,815,786 298,047
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ดRomania 22,237,470 102,471
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฆMorocco 20,208,260 534,401
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฟUnited Republic of Tanzania 19,890,930 600,527
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฟAlgeria 19,351,357 630,517
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ผChina, Taiwan Province of China 18,400,556 296,494
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ตDem. People's Republic of Korea 18,235,202 266,033
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ชPeru 17,932,344 438,319
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฉSudan 17,404,336 742,202
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ชKenya 16,785,962 611,858
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฟUzbekistan 16,335,642 392,862
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ตNepal 15,969,792 370,287
๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ชVenezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 15,638,426 431,473
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ฐSri Lanka 15,198,918 252,282
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บAustralia 14,930,052 243,781
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฟKazakhstan 14,397,391 230,148
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑNetherlands 14,217,318 83,722
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ถIraq 14,067,260 393,804
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡พMalaysia 13,564,594 350,743
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฌUganda 13,563,558 296,119
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ญGhana 12,212,960 356,073
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฟMozambique 11,640,016 267,661
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฑChile 11,637,613 169,644
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ซAfghanistan 11,155,195 -1,801,426
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡บHungary 10,680,620 -20,614
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฆSaudi Arabia 10,678,211 513,006
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฟCzechia 10,283,836 11,023
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡พBelarus 9,877,121 59,407
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡นPortugal 9,856,752 50,140
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡บCuba 9,848,560 48,929
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ชBelgium 9,843,592 15,229
๐Ÿ‡พ๐Ÿ‡ชYemen 9,529,105 333,674
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ทGreece 9,418,994 110,674
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฌMadagascar 9,207,310 260,612
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡พSyrian Arab Republic 9,203,635 307,006
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฌBulgaria 8,978,412 -4,090
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฒCameroon 8,829,048 295,172
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ดAngola 8,631,456 307,355
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฎCรดte d'Ivoire 8,621,622 322,635
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡จEcuador 8,352,602 218,476
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ชSweden 8,326,687 13,786
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ธSerbia 7,814,389 28,448
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡นAustria 7,566,316 29,761
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฑMali 7,532,864 161,174
๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ผZimbabwe 7,506,526 282,944
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡นGuatemala 7,165,502 178,385
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ซBurkina Faso 7,123,730 192,949
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ณTunisia 6,744,050 169,352
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ผMalawi 6,519,891 258,902
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฟAzerbaijan 6,472,524 92,194
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ชNiger 6,366,262 196,388
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ญCambodia 6,364,472 267,991
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ญSwitzerland 6,353,698 37,749
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ดSomalia 5,934,938 -151,056
๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ฒZambia 5,897,482 184,351
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ดDominican Republic 5,885,244 129,108
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ดBolivia (Plurinational State of) 5,862,990 127,447
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ณSenegal 5,852,028 152,425
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡นHaiti 5,760,196 115,751
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ผRwanda 5,441,966 205,914
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ชGeorgia 5,181,893 36,914
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐDenmark 5,126,981 -678
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ฐChina, Hong Kong SAR 5,077,742 91,810
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ณGuinea 5,067,427 98,752
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฐSlovakia 5,011,718 37,225
๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฎFinland 4,799,866 24,387
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ทCroatia 4,703,980 24,996
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ปEl Salvador 4,549,174 13,237
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฎBurundi 4,490,743 83,201
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฉChad 4,409,224 94,711
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ธSouth Sudan 4,293,866 103,104
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฆBosnia and Herzegovina 4,235,970 37,369
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฏTajikistan 4,160,745 116,306
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฉRepublic of Moldova 4,139,685 37,030
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ดNorway 4,099,854 14,711
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฏBenin 3,941,569 110,494
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ณHonduras 3,895,736 118,931
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฑIsrael 3,816,746 74,073
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฌKyrgyzstan 3,764,502 74,359
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡นLithuania 3,550,539 29,773
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฑSierra Leone 3,437,108 70,199
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ชIreland 3,424,827 28,773
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฎNicaragua 3,397,658 94,169
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ฆLao People's Democratic Republic 3,370,993 78,276
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ทPuerto Rico 3,259,445 43,026
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฌPapua New Guinea 3,169,074 65,218
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฒArmenia 3,167,876 33,399
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡พParaguay 3,163,299 86,894
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟNew Zealand 3,160,622 17,903
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡พLibya 3,112,016 151,039
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡งLebanon 3,027,222 62,572
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฑAlbania 2,992,388 49,577
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡พUruguay 2,966,076 12,572
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฒTurkmenistan 2,932,934 71,477
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฌTogo 2,925,866 93,369
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ปLatvia 2,588,051 15,934
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ทCosta Rica 2,481,334 68,217
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฌSingapore 2,451,722 54,799
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ซCentral African Republic 2,441,010 26,242
๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ดJordan 2,306,655 94,797
๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ฒJamaica 2,166,657 32,272
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฆPanama 2,003,092 46,635
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ทLiberia 1,989,690 57,512
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฐNorth Macedonia 1,935,200 28,671
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฎSlovenia 1,916,320 12,909
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฌCongo 1,870,540 41,438
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ณMongolia 1,739,221 41,992
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ทEritrea 1,703,789 46,618
๐Ÿ‡ฝ๐Ÿ‡ฐKosovo (under UNSC res. 1244) 1,627,819 36,580
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ผKuwait 1,573,026 78,291
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ทMauritania 1,551,687 45,940
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ธState of Palestine 1,497,547 45,460
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ชEstonia 1,485,768 9,307
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธLesotho 1,447,501 40,411
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡นTrinidad and Tobago 1,142,695 14,603
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ชUnited Arab Emirates 1,100,180 66,448
๐Ÿ‡ด๐Ÿ‡ฒOman 1,075,624 60,542
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฆNamibia 987,394 9,369
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ผBotswana 982,747 43,036
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡บMauritius 969,806 14,853
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ผGuinea-Bissau 844,957 13,612
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡พGuyana 779,686 586
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ฆGabon 768,904 20,307
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ฒGambia 742,846 24,498
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡พCyprus 687,170 7,932
๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฏFiji 660,630 16,207
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฑTimor-Leste 649,250 5,143
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฟEswatini 616,210 15,501
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ชMontenegro 594,062 3,399
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ชRรฉunion 559,217 7,718
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡นBhutan 428,641 13,466
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ญBahrain 377,430 13,745
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ทSuriname 375,859 1,128
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡บLuxembourg 364,473 624
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฏDjibouti 341,316 15,120
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฒComoros 337,986 9,249
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡นMalta 336,617 2,992
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ตGuadeloupe 335,651 1,964
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ถMartinique 334,709 1,358
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ปCabo Verde 321,634 4,651
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ถEquatorial Guinea 296,950 17,020
๐Ÿ‡ถ๐Ÿ‡ฆQatar 294,886 17,615
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡งBarbados 254,684 1,020
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ดChina, Macao SAR 248,695 6,818
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡งSolomon Islands 241,827 8,290
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ธIceland 230,882 2,850
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ธBahamas 227,956 4,129
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ณBrunei Darussalam 194,098 6,291
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ปMaldives 169,663 4,836
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ซFrench Polynesia 168,892 5,440
๐Ÿ‡ผ๐Ÿ‡ธSamoa 166,190 1,186
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ผCuraรงao 157,024 91
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡จNew Caledonia 150,228 1,623
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฟBelize 148,764 3,656
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ญWestern Sahara 126,048 8,219
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡จSaint Lucia 123,908 2,295
๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡บVanuatu 120,887 2,798
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡บGuam 113,220 3,013
๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡จSaint Vincent and the Grenadines 108,190 819
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡นSao Tome and Principe 99,170 1,834
๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ฎUnited States Virgin Islands 98,151 1,312
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ดTonga 96,846 109
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ฉGrenada 95,222 981
๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฒMicronesia (Fed. States of) 78,531 2,258
๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ชJersey 75,588 671
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฒDominica 72,932 -246
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ซFrench Guiana 69,683 3,053
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡จSeychelles 65,930 624
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฌAntigua and Barbuda 65,075 159
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฒIsle of Man 64,558 221
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ผAruba 62,614 437
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฎKiribati 61,875 1,080
๐Ÿ‡พ๐Ÿ‡นMayotte 55,036 2,893
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฒBermuda 53,907 434
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ฌGuernsey 52,922 259
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ฑGreenland 50,719 601
๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ดFaroe Islands 43,613 566
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ณSaint Kitts and Nevis 42,953 -146
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฉAndorra 36,987 1,347
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ธAmerican Samoa 34,060 1,283
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ญMarshall Islands 33,219 1,312
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ฎGibraltar 28,819 62
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡จMonaco 27,284 188
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ฎLiechtenstein 25,346 324
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฒSan Marino 21,596 245
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ตNorthern Mariana Islands 19,902 2,645
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡พCayman Islands 17,904 812
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฐCook Islands 17,560 -103
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฝSint Maarten (Dutch part) 13,134 1,079
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ผPalau 12,386 269
๐Ÿ‡ผ๐Ÿ‡ซWallis and Futuna Islands 11,743 436
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ถBonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba 11,694 111
๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ฌBritish Virgin Islands 11,472 412
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ธMontserrat 11,369 -74
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ซSaint Martin (French part) 7,963 175
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡จTurks and Caicos Islands 7,956 397
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ปTuvalu 7,874 126
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ทNauru 7,691 61
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฎAnguilla 6,571 4
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ญSaint Helena 6,454 57
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฒSaint Pierre and Miquelon 6,091 -46
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡บNiue 3,533 -113
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฑSaint Barthรฉlemy 3,035 45
๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฐFalkland Islands (Malvinas) 2,229 -5
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฐTokelau 1,641 -5
๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ฆHoly See 733 -1

What was the world population in 1981?

In 1981, the world population was 4,524,627,658 according to data collected by individual countries and compiled by The United Nations.

Data Information

Data found on this page is based on the medium fertility variant of the United Nations Revision of World Population Prospects 2022.

Data Sources

The United Nations - Department of Economic and Social Affairs (Population Division)

UN Revision of World Population Prospects 2022

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