Statistics Population, World, Countries, Cities, Religions, Roman Catholic, Muslims - Worldwide Missions

Worldwide Missions

The Harvest Fields
Statistics - 2008 edition
Compiled by Stephen Ross

Therefore said He unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He would send forth labourers into His harvest. Luke 10:2

Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. John 4:35

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:20a

Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15b

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. 1 John 4:14

Harvest Fields Index
Population Statistics: World's Total By Continents Birth Rate Death Rate Average Life Expectancy Age Structure	Country Statistics: Largest Countries Largest Urban Centers 45+% Under 15 Years Old Lowest Life Expectancy Muslim Countries Roman Catholic Countries
Major Religions Languages	References

Population Statistics

World Population Estimate

For most up-to-date estimate, see U.S. Census Bureau, International Programs Center

"To give a point of reference for the magnitude of one billion, it would require forty thousand trips around the world to equal one billion miles."⁵

World's Population by Continents³

61% of the world's population lives in the continent of Asia.

Asia	4,001,623,990
Africa	934,499,752
Europe	729,871,042
North America	522,807,432
South America	379,919,602
Oceania (incl. Australia)	33,552,994
Antarctica	no indigenous inhabitants

World Birth/Death Rates (2008 est.)¹

Birth Rate:		Death Rate:
20 births/1,000 population		8 deaths/1,000 population
128.9 million births per year		53.4 million people die each year
353,015 births per day		146,357 people die each day
14,709 births each hour		6098 people die each hour
245 births each minute		102 people die each minute
4 births each second of every day		almost 2 people die each second

Average Life Expectancy at Birth is 66 years¹

At the current average life expectancy the world dies every 66 years!

Age Structure of World's Population¹

1.8 billion people under age 15 years (27%)

4.4 billion people age 15-64 years (65%)

507 million people are 65 years and over (8%)

[Index]

Country Statistics

Ten Largest Countries in Population

There are approximately 226 inhabited countries and territories in the world. China is the most populous nation with 1/5 of the world's people. About half the world's people live in the first six largest countries listed below. Data as of 3/2008.

China	1,330,044,605
India	1,147,995,898
United States	303,824,646
Indonesia	237,512,355
Brazil	191,908,598
Pakistan	167,762,040
Bangladesh	153,546,901
Russia	140,702,094
Nigeria	138,283,240
Japan	127,288,419

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, International Data Base

The 20 Largest Urban Centers in the World²

Urban Center	Population*
1. Tokyo, Japan	35,303,000
2. Mexico City, Mexico	19,907,000
3. New York City, U.S.	18,981,000
4. Mumbai (Bombay), India	18,905,000
5. São Paulo, Brazil	18,820,000
6. Delhi, India	15,785,000
7. Shanghai, China	15,000,000
8. Kolkata (Calcutta), India	14,769,000
9. Jakarta, Indonesia	13,968,000
10. Dhaka, Bangladesh	13,251,000
11. Buenos Aires, Argentina	12,754,000
12. Los Angeles, U.S.	12,471,000
13. Karachi, Pakistan	12,231,000
14. Lagos, Nigeria	11,915,000
15. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	11,744,000
16. Cairo, Egypt	11,482,000
17. Osaka, Japan	11,284,000
18. Manila, Philippines	11,113,000
19. Beijing, China	11,113,000
20. Moscow, Russia	10,778,000

*Populations are 2006 estimates based on data from the United Nations and other official government sources. Although the above population figures differ from one source to another, the urban areas listed represent the largest in the world with minor variations in their exact ranking.

[Index]

Countries With 45% or More of the Population
0-14 Years of Age¹

Country	Population 0-14 Years of Age (%)	Population 15-64 Years of Age (%)
Afghanistan	45	53
Burkina Faso	46	51
Burundi	46	51
Chad	47	49
Congo, Democratic Republic of the	47	50
Congo, Republic of the	46	51
Gaza Strip	47	50
Malawi	46	51
Mali	48	49
Mauritania	45	52
Mayotte	46	53
Niger	47	51
Sierra Leone	45	52
Uganda	50	48
Yemen	46	51
Zambia	46	52

[Index]

Countries With Lowest Life Expectancy
(under 50 yrs.)¹

Average life expectancy at birth of the world's population is 66 years.

Country	Life Expectancy (yrs.)
Afghanistan	44.2
Angola	37.9
Central African Republic	43.9
Chad	47.4
Cote d'Ivoire	49.2
Djibouti	43.3
Ethiopia	49.0
Guinea	49.8
Guinea-Bissau	47.5
Lesotho	40.2
Liberia	41.1
Malawi	43.4
Mozambique	41.0
Niger	44.3
Nigeria	47.8
Rwanda	49.8
Sierra Leone	40.9
Somalia	49.3
South Africa	42.4
Swaziland	32.0
Zambia	38.5
Zimbabwe	39.7

Major Muslim Countries of the World
(% of population)¹

Country	Muslim (%)
Afghanistan	99
Albania	70
Algeria	99
Azerbaijan	93
Bahrain	81
Bangladesh	83
Brunei	67
Burkina Faso	50
Chad	53
Comoros	98
Djibouti	94
Egypt	90
Gambia, The	90
Gaza Strip	99
Guinea	85
Indonesia	86
Iran	98
Iraq	97
Jordan	92
Kuwait	85
Kyrgyzstan	75
Lebanon	60
Libya	97
Malaysia	60
Maldives	Sunni Muslim
Mali	90
Mauritania	100
Mayotte	97
Morocco	99
Niger	80
Nigeria	50
Oman	75
Pakistan	97
Qatar	78
Saudi Arabia	100
Senegal	94
Sierra Leone	60
Somalia	Sunni Muslim
Sudan	70
Syria	74
Tajikistan	80
Tunisia	98
Turkey	99.8
Turkmenistan	89
United Arab Emirates	96
Uzbekistan	88
West Bank	75
Yemen	Muslim

[Index]

Major Roman Catholic Countries of the World
(% of population)¹

Country	Roman Catholic (%)
Argentina	92% (about 20% practicing)
Austria	74
Belgium	75
Belize	50
Bolivia	95
Brazil	74 (nominally)
Burundi	62
Chile	70
Colombia	90
Congo, Democratic Republic of the	50
Costa Rica	76
Croatia	88
Cuba	85 (nominally)
Dominican Republic	95
Ecuador	95
El Salvador	83
France	83-88
Guam	85
Haiti	80 (half of population practices Voodoo)
Honduras	97
Hungary	52
Ireland	88
Italy	90
Lithuania	79
Luxembourg	87
Malta	98
Mexico	77
Nicaragua	73
Panama	85
Paraguay	90
Peru	81
Philippines	81
Poland	90 (about 75% practicing)
Portugal	85
Puerto Rico	85
Rwanda	57
Slovakia	69
Slovenia	58
Spain	94
Timor-Leste	98
Uruguay	66 (nominally)
Venezuela	96 (nominally)

Major Religions of the World (mid-2006)⁴

Christian	2,173,183,400
Roman Catholics	1,135,729,000
Independents*	432,223,000
Protestants	382,179,000
Orthodox	219,433,000
Anglicans	81,237,000
Muslims	1,335,964,100
Hindus	871,982,000
Chinese universists	386,666,900
Buddhists	382,542,000
Sikhs	25,880,100
Jews	15,118,000

*This term denotes members of Christian churches and networks that regard themselves as postdenominationalist and neo-apostolic and thus independent of historic, mainstream, organized, institutionalized, confessional, denominationalist Christianity.

Languages of the World

There are 6,912 known living languages in the world today. 347 (or approximately 5%) of the world's languages have at least one million speakers and account for 94% of the world's population. By contrast, the remaining 95% of languages are spoken by only 6% of the world's people. Languages spoken by the most people are Chinese (Mandarin), Spanish, English, Hindi, Portuguese, Bengali, Russian, Japanese, German (standard).
Sources: The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2008 and Ethnologue: Languages of the World, www.ethnologue.com/web.asp

References

1. The 2008 World Factbook (CIA).
2. 2008 World Book Year Book, ©2008.
3. The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2008, ©2008.
4. Encyclopædia Britannica 2007 Book of the Year. ©2007.
5. Biblical Missions: History, Principles, Practice by Roy F. Dearmore. Garland, Tex.: Rodgers Baptist Church, ©1997.