Population by continent
How the world’s six regions compare today and out to 2100. Asia is still the most populous by far, but Africa is the engine of this century’s growth, set to roughly double while Europe shrinks. Tap any region for its full profile.
| Continent | Today | 2100 | % of world now | % of world 2100 | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asia | 4.85 billion | 4.62 billion | 59% | 45% | 2054 |
| Africa | 1.57 billion | 3.81 billion | 19% | 37% | 2100 |
| Europe | 744 million | 593 million | 9% | 6% | Past peak |
| Latin America & the Caribbean | 670 million | 615 million | 8% | 6% | 2053 |
| Northern America | 389 million | 475 million | 5% | 5% | 2100 |
| Oceania | 46.9 million | 72.8 million | 1% | 1% | 2100 |
How does the balance between continents shift?
Two moves dominate the rest of the century. Africa roughly doubles, rising from under a fifth of humanity today toward two-fifths by 2100, driven by young populations and fertility still above the replacement level. Asia, home to a clear majority of people for all of recorded history, peaks mid-century and then declines as China’s contraction outweighs India’s slowing growth. By 2100 the two continents are projected to hold roughly equal shares of the world.
Everywhere else the direction is flat or down. Europe is already shrinking and continues to; Latin America peaks around mid-century; Northern America keeps growing slowly, mostly through migration; and Oceania grows fastest in percentage terms but stays the smallest region in absolute numbers. Each region’s page breaks the story down to its largest countries, with the same medium-variant projections used across the site.
Source: UN World Population Prospects 2024. Full sources & licence →