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Global population dynamics

Approximate population from ancient times to the beginning of the 20th century

List format: date | range of estimates of the world population in millions of people

• 10'000 BC 1...10
• 5000 BC 5...20
• 3000 BC 14...100
• 1000 BC 50...100
• 500 BC150...200
• 1 AD 170...300
• 100 AD 195...256
• 500 190...210
• 1000 254...400
• 1200 360...500
• 1400 350...500
• 1500 425...600
• 1600 545...579
• 1700 603...1079
• 1750 700...814
• 1800 900...1000
• 1850 1200...1278
• 1900 1600...1710

Source: Estimates of historical world population

Population change from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day

The period from 1950 to 2015 – according to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

List format: date | world population in millions

• 1910 1750
• 1920 1860
• 1930 2070
• 1940 2300
• 1950 2525
• 1960 3026
• 1970 3691
• 1980 4449
• 1985 4863
• 1990 5320
• 1995 5741
• 2000 6127
• 2005 6514
• 2010 6916
• 2015 7349
• 2020 7887

Milestones for global population growth

List format: year of reaching the milestone | population

• ~1650 500 million
• ~1804 1 billion
• 1927 2 billion
• 1960 3 billion
• 1974 4 billion
• 1987 5 billion
• 1999 6 billion
• 2011 7 billion
• 2023 8 billion
• ~2037 9 billion (estimated)

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