World Population Density Map — Live World Bank Data
Quick answer: This is a live world population density map: people per square kilometre for every country with a World Bank observation, from 1990 to the latest year, loaded straight from the World Bank API.
About this dataset
Population density for every country on an interactive map, read live from the World Bank Indicators API for every year since 1990.
See where the world actually lives with an interactive population density map. Values are people per square kilometre of land area from the World Bank Indicators API, joined to country boundaries in the browser, so nothing is downloaded or hosted. Scrub the timeline to watch density rise as populations grow, hover for exact figures, and click a country for its full history. Because density is a ratio rather than a total, it is the fairest way to compare small city-states and territories with large continental countries.
Data source: World Bank Indicators API
How to download
- 1 This dataset has no hosted file: the map reads the World Bank API directly in your browser.
- 2 Use the indicator API link for the raw JSON series, or the World Bank page for CSV and bulk download.
- 3 Country boundaries come from Natural Earth 50m and are joined on ISO 3166-1 alpha-3.
- 4 Open any of those URLs in GeoDataViewer Studio to explore them as layers.
FAQ
Does this dataset need to be downloaded?
No. The World Bank Indicators API allows cross-origin requests, so the map reads it live in your browser and joins it to Natural Earth boundaries. Nothing is hosted by GeoDataViewer and there is no file to download.
How current is the data?
The map requests every year from 1990 to 2026 on each load, so it shows the latest revision the World Bank has published.
How is population density calculated?
Midyear population divided by land area in square kilometres (World Bank indicator EN.POP.DNST). Land area excludes inland water, so it differs slightly from total area.
Which countries are densest?
City-states and small territories lead — Macao, Monaco, Singapore and Hong Kong are orders of magnitude denser than large continental countries. Scrub the map to see how their density has changed since 1990.