World Population Map — Interactive 1955–2097 Timeline
Quick answer: This is an interactive world population map dataset: 2026 population estimates and 1955–2097 annual series for every country and territory, sourced from World Population Review (UN WPP 2024) with Natural Earth boundaries. A dynamic year timeline on the globe lets you play, pause, replay, and scrub the animation to see population change over time.
About this dataset
An interactive world population map of every country and territory: 2026 estimates from World Population Review (UN WPP 2024) plus an annual 1955–2097 series with growth rates, animatable on a 3D globe via a dynamic year timeline.
Download the world population GeoJSON dataset and explore it on an interactive world population map. Every country and territory carries 2026 population estimates and an annual 1955–2097 series (including UN projections), joined to Natural Earth country boundaries, so you can animate population change over time on a choropleth globe. Each feature stores population, land area, density, growth rate, world share, and a per-year population series. On this page the globe runs a dynamic year timeline: drag the slider or press play to animate how every country's population and fill color change year by year, then click any country for its full history curve.
How to use the interactive world population map
The globe above is a fully interactive population map: every country is shaded by its population for the year you pick, and the timeline animates the whole world from 1955 to 2097. Population change over time becomes a scrubbable choropleth instead of a static table — and it runs entirely in your browser, so there is no video to buffer and no file to upload.
- 1 Drag the year slider to scrub the population map between 1955 and 2097, or press Play to animate it automatically.
- 2 Playback stops at 2097; press Play again to replay the animation from 1955.
- 3 Hover or click a country to read its population for the selected year and open its full history curve (the linked chart below updates too).
- 4 Use the Numbers toggle to show or hide the on-map population figures while the animation runs.
This makes the dataset useful for teaching population geography, comparing growth rates between regions, and spotting long-run trends such as the projected peak of a country's population — the same numbers you would get from a population-by-country table, but driven by a map and a timeline.
Top 10 most populous countries in 2026
| Rank | Country | 2026 population | Annual change | World share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 1,476,625,576 | 0.87% | 18.45% |
| 2 | China | 1,412,914,089 | -0.22% | 17.65% |
| 3 | United States | 349,035,494 | 0.51% | 4.36% |
| 4 | Indonesia | 287,886,782 | 0.76% | 3.60% |
| 5 | Pakistan | 259,299,791 | 1.60% | 3.24% |
| 6 | Nigeria | 242,431,832 | 2.06% | 3.03% |
| 7 | Brazil | 213,562,666 | 0.35% | 2.67% |
| 8 | Bangladesh | 177,818,044 | 1.21% | 2.22% |
| 9 | Russia | 143,394,458 | -0.42% | 1.79% |
| 10 | Ethiopia | 138,902,185 | 2.53% | 1.74% |
Source: World Population Review — United Nations World Population Prospects (2024 Revision). The interactive map above covers all 235 countries and territories; this snapshot lists the top 10 for 2026.
How to download
- 1 Download the hosted GeoJSON file directly.
- 2 Open it in GeoDataViewer Studio or any GIS to inspect the country attributes.
- 3 Use the per-country `series` arrays for time animation or trend analysis.
FAQ
Where does the population data come from?
The data is sourced from World Population Review, which compiles United Nations World Population Prospects (2024 Revision) estimates and projections for every country and territory.
Is there an interactive world population map on this page?
Yes. The page renders the dataset as an interactive choropleth globe. Drag the year slider (or press Play) to animate the map from 1955 to 2097, hover a country to read its population for the selected year, click a country to open its full history curve, and use the Numbers toggle to show or hide the on-map population figures.
How do I animate population over time?
The dataset page's interactive globe includes a dynamic year timeline covering 1955–2097. Drag the slider or press play to watch every country's population estimate and fill color change year by year; 2026 is the current estimate and later years reflect UN medium-variant projections. Clicking any country shows its full history curve with a marker that tracks the timeline year.
Can I replay the population animation?
Yes. Playback runs from 1955 to 2097 and stops at the end; press Play again and it restarts from 1955, or drag the slider at any time to scrub to a specific year. The animation is fully client-side, so there is no video to buffer.
What years are covered in the historical series?
Each country includes an annual population series from 1955 through 2097, with 2026 being the current estimate year and later years reflecting UN medium-variant projections.
Are territories included?
Yes — the dataset covers 235 countries and territories. The ranking table lists all of them (it is compiled into the page), while the globe draws the 172 that have a separate Natural Earth 110m shape. The rest are tagged "territory" in the table and are not rendered as globe regions.
Can I download the data behind the population map?
Yes — download world-population.geojson (about 1.6 MB) for 235 countries and territories: Natural Earth polygons plus 2026 estimates, density, growth rate, world share, rank, and a per-country annual series from 1955 to 2097. The file is free, needs no registration, and opens in GeoDataViewer, QGIS, or any GeoJSON reader.