Data for 1981

Total Population, 1981

1981, as UN DESA Population Division’s 2024 release gives it · stored as published, never rewritten

Total Population, 1981 covers 222 countries. China is highest, at 997,721,071; Vatican City is lowest, at 742. The middle country reads 3,536,898. Against 1980, 222 values changed (212 up, 10 down), the same countries are covered.

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Total Population · Data for 1981

HighestChina

997,721,071

LowestVatican City

742

Shaded by value in five groups of equal size, darkest at the highest end. Neither end is better. The values describe a shape, not a score.

222countries
1measure
1981the year it describes
222distinct valueswhole numbers, as published
Sep 26, 2026read from the publisher
CC BY 3.0 IGOlicence

01Position · derived

The table

Every country and every column of Total Population, 1981, as published. UN DESA Population Division ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. “=” marks a shared position.

Search this table

Showing 25 of 222 countries · select a heading to sort

Total Population, 1981: every country, as published by UN DESA Population Division.
derived
1	ChinaCHNEastern Asia	997,721,071
2	IndiaINDSouthern Asia	703,696,250
3	United StatesUSANorthern America	232,201,617
4	IndonesiaIDNSouth-eastern Asia	152,485,035
5	RussiaRUSEastern Europe	139,351,498
6	BrazilBRASouth America	124,063,109
7	JapanJPNEastern Asia	118,994,053
8	BangladeshBGDSouthern Asia	90,303,105
9	PakistanPAKSouthern Asia	85,802,049
10	GermanyDEUWestern Europe	78,448,040
11	NigeriaNGAWestern Africa	76,068,103
12	MexicoMEXCentral America	68,892,108
13	ItalyITASouthern Europe	56,646,750
14	United KingdomGBRNorthern Europe	56,304,592
15	FranceFRAWestern Europe	54,255,012
16	VietnamVNMSouth-eastern Asia	53,738,141
17	UkraineUKREastern Europe	50,189,281
18	PhilippinesPHLSouth-eastern Asia	49,311,727
19	ThailandTHASouth-eastern Asia	46,575,855
20	TürkiyeTURWestern Asia	46,321,190
21	EgyptEGYNorthern Africa	45,147,224
22	IranIRNSouthern Asia	41,989,312
23	South KoreaKOREastern Asia	38,689,189
24	SpainESPSouthern Europe	37,812,713
25	PolandPOLEastern Europe	35,900,913
26	EthiopiaETHEastern Africa	35,304,012
27	MyanmarMMRSouth-eastern Asia	33,858,783
28	South AfricaZAFSouthern Africa	30,541,044
29	ArgentinaARGSouth America	28,463,959
30	DR CongoCODMiddle Africa	27,500,515
31	ColombiaCOLSouth America	26,713,267
32	CanadaCANNorthern America	24,844,974
33	RomaniaROUEastern Europe	22,272,789
34	MoroccoMARNorthern Africa	19,985,401
35	TanzaniaTZAEastern Africa	19,784,703
36	AlgeriaDZANorthern Africa	19,220,704
37	North KoreaPRKEastern Asia	18,501,295
38	TaiwanTWNEastern Asia	18,412,827
39	PeruPERSouth America	17,798,805
40	SudanSDNNorthern Africa	17,780,572
41	KenyaKENEastern Africa	16,601,507
42	UzbekistanUZBCentral Asia	16,035,032
43	NepalNPLSouthern Asia	15,922,423
44	VenezuelaVENSouth America	15,687,297
45	KazakhstanKAZCentral Asia	15,323,082
46	Sri LankaLKASouthern Asia	15,099,414
47	AustraliaAUSAustralia and New Zealand	14,949,202
48	NetherlandsNLDWestern Europe	14,262,689
49	IraqIRQWestern Asia	14,006,381
50	UgandaUGAEastern Africa	13,556,452
51	MalaysiaMYSSouth-eastern Asia	13,399,203
52	GhanaGHAWestern Africa	12,281,712
53	AfghanistanAFGSouthern Asia	11,937,581
54	ChileCHLSouth America	11,678,717
55	MozambiqueMOZEastern Africa	11,568,127
56	HungaryHUNEastern Europe	10,679,329
57	CzechiaCZEEastern Europe	10,289,513
58	YemenYEMWestern Asia	9,882,362
59	BelgiumBELWestern Europe	9,850,669
60	CubaCUBCaribbean	9,849,320
61	PortugalPRTSouthern Europe	9,837,586
62	GreeceGRCSouthern Europe	9,754,402
63	BelarusBLREastern Europe	9,678,048
64	MadagascarMDGEastern Africa	9,279,011
65	SyriaSYRWestern Asia	9,260,189
66	BulgariaBGREastern Europe	8,887,801
67	CameroonCMRMiddle Africa	8,816,377
68	Côte d’IvoireCIVWestern Africa	8,556,596
69	AngolaAGOMiddle Africa	8,435,607
70	EcuadorECUSouth America	8,386,910
71	SwedenSWENorthern Europe	8,320,458
72	SerbiaSRBSouthern Europe	7,827,856
73	MaliMLIWestern Africa	7,692,766
74	AustriaAUTWestern Europe	7,567,556
75	ZimbabweZWEEastern Africa	7,498,635
76	Burkina FasoBFAWestern Africa	7,140,271
77	GuatemalaGTMCentral America	7,075,648
78	TunisiaTUNNorthern Africa	6,758,284
79	MalawiMWIEastern Africa	6,516,454
80	Saudi ArabiaSAUWestern Asia	6,420,551
81	AzerbaijanAZEWestern Asia	6,385,604
82	SwitzerlandCHEWestern Europe	6,354,556
83	NigerNERWestern Africa	6,322,006
84	SenegalSENWestern Africa	5,997,160
85	ZambiaZMBEastern Africa	5,983,289
86	SomaliaSOMEastern Africa	5,982,849
87	BoliviaBOLSouth America	5,888,109
88	Dominican RepublicDOMCaribbean	5,868,453
89	HaitiHTICaribbean	5,723,725
90	RwandaRWAEastern Africa	5,527,230
91	CambodiaKHMSouth-eastern Asia	5,284,495
92	GeorgiaGEOWestern Asia	5,205,030
93	GuineaGINWestern Africa	5,143,288
94	DenmarkDNKNorthern Europe	5,121,629
95	Hong KongHKGEastern Asia	5,060,956
96	SlovakiaSVKEastern Europe	5,014,958
97	FinlandFINNorthern Europe	4,799,848
98	CroatiaHRVSouthern Europe	4,664,258
99	El SalvadorSLVCentral America	4,570,599
100	BurundiBDIEastern Africa	4,566,014
101	ChadTCDMiddle Africa	4,520,959
102	South SudanSSDEastern Africa	4,447,272
103	Bosnia and HerzegovinaBIHSouthern Europe	4,184,217
104	TajikistanTJKCentral Asia	4,109,022
105	NorwayNORNorthern Europe	4,099,672
106	MoldovaMDAEastern Europe	4,089,538
107	BeninBENWestern Africa	4,038,307
108	HondurasHNDCentral America	3,841,778
109	KyrgyzstanKGZCentral Asia	3,804,456
110	IsraelISRWestern Asia	3,802,238
111	LibyaLBYNorthern Africa	3,621,486
112	LithuaniaLTUNorthern Europe	3,452,309
113	IrelandIRLNorthern Europe	3,448,827
114	LaosLAOSouth-eastern Asia	3,366,631
115	NicaraguaNICCentral America	3,345,674
116	Sierra LeoneSLEWestern Africa	3,338,940
117	Puerto RicoPRICaribbean	3,256,565
118	Papua New GuineaPNGMelanesia	3,197,019
119	New ZealandNZLAustralia and New Zealand	3,159,840
120	ParaguayPRYSouth America	3,137,604
121	ArmeniaARMWestern Asia	3,135,349
122	LebanonLBNWestern Asia	3,008,981
123	UruguayURYSouth America	2,963,246
124	TurkmenistanTKMCentral Asia	2,907,187
125	TogoTGOWestern Africa	2,879,440
126	AlbaniaALBSouthern Europe	2,790,413
127	SingaporeSGPSouth-eastern Asia	2,531,802
128	LatviaLVANorthern Europe	2,519,970
129	Central African RepublicCAFMiddle Africa	2,478,402
130	Costa RicaCRICentral America	2,456,637
131	JordanJORWestern Asia	2,325,517
132	JamaicaJAMCaribbean	2,173,818
133	PanamaPANCentral America	2,004,418
134	LiberiaLBRWestern Africa	1,986,867
135	North MacedoniaMKDSouthern Europe	1,959,065
136	SloveniaSVNSouthern Europe	1,914,592
137	Republic of the CongoCOGMiddle Africa	1,869,759
138	MongoliaMNGEastern Asia	1,742,857
139	EritreaERIEastern Africa	1,649,939
140	KosovoXKXSouthern Europe	1,646,565
141	KuwaitKWTWestern Asia	1,583,426
142	MauritaniaMRTWestern Africa	1,516,877
143	PalestinePSEWestern Asia	1,512,704
144	EstoniaESTNorthern Europe	1,485,339
145	LesothoLSOSouthern Africa	1,448,069
146	Trinidad and TobagoTTOCaribbean	1,135,132
147	United Arab EmiratesAREWestern Asia	1,099,855
148	OmanOMNWestern Asia	1,057,320
149	NamibiaNAMSouthern Africa	992,500
150	BotswanaBWASouthern Africa	969,996
151	MauritiusMUSEastern Africa	969,218
152	Guinea-BissauGNBWestern Africa	842,432
153	GuyanaGUYSouth America	776,453
154	GabonGABMiddle Africa	768,385
155	GambiaGMBWestern Africa	739,125
156	CyprusCYPWestern Asia	688,893
157	Timor-LesteTLSSouth-eastern Asia	660,493
158	FijiFJIMelanesia	657,471
159	EswatiniSWZSouthern Africa	616,808
160	MontenegroMNESouthern Europe	589,909
161	BhutanBTNSouthern Asia	447,836
162	SurinameSURSouth America	375,459
163	BahrainBHRWestern Asia	373,524
164	LuxembourgLUXWestern Europe	364,485
165	ComorosCOMEastern Africa	347,382
166	MaltaMLTSouthern Europe	344,752
167	DjiboutiDJIEastern Africa	343,047
168	Cabo VerdeCPVWestern Africa	327,846
169	Equatorial GuineaGNQMiddle Africa	303,252
170	QatarQATWestern Asia	293,553
171	MacauMACEastern Asia	252,505
172	BarbadosBRBCaribbean	252,270
173	Solomon IslandsSLBMelanesia	246,555
174	BahamasBHSCaribbean	236,614
175	IcelandISLNorthern Europe	230,746
176	BruneiBRNSouth-eastern Asia	191,977
177	MaldivesMDVSouthern Asia	169,532
178	SamoaWSMPolynesia	165,678
179	French PolynesiaPYFPolynesia	161,506
180	CuraçaoCUWCaribbean	156,794
181	New CaledoniaNCLMelanesia	151,441
182	BelizeBLZCentral America	148,786
183	Saint LuciaLCACaribbean	121,166
184	VanuatuVUTMelanesia	118,249
185	GuamGUMMicronesia	112,902
186	Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesVCTCaribbean	105,073
187	São Tomé and PríncipeSTPMiddle Africa	100,615
188	TongaTONPolynesia	97,909
189	United States Virgin IslandsVIRCaribbean	97,758
190	GrenadaGRDCaribbean	94,052
191	MicronesiaFSMMicronesia	79,794
192	DominicaDMACaribbean	72,986
193	SeychellesSYCEastern Africa	66,950
194	Antigua and BarbudaATGCaribbean	64,665
195	Isle of ManIMNNorthern Europe	64,596
196	ArubaABWCaribbean	62,266
197	KiribatiKIRMicronesia	62,121
198	BermudaBMUNorthern America	53,997
199	GreenlandGRLNorthern America	50,718
200	Faroe IslandsFRONorthern Europe	43,626
201	Saint Kitts and NevisKNACaribbean	42,698
202	AndorraANDSouthern Europe	37,169
203	American SamoaASMPolynesia	33,584
204	Marshall IslandsMHLMicronesia	32,017
205	GibraltarGIBSouthern Europe	28,740
206	MonacoMCOWestern Europe	27,293
207	LiechtensteinLIEWestern Europe	25,462
208	San MarinoSMRSouthern Europe	21,840
209	Northern Mariana IslandsMNPMicronesia	19,826
210	Cayman IslandsCYMCaribbean	17,905
211	Cook IslandsCOKPolynesia	17,605
212	Sint MaartenSXMCaribbean	13,302
213	PalauPLWMicronesia	12,402
214	British Virgin IslandsVGBCaribbean	11,479
215	MontserratMSRCaribbean	11,253
216	Saint MartinMAFCaribbean	8,498
217	Turks and Caicos IslandsTCACaribbean	7,908
218	NauruNRUMicronesia	7,839
219	TuvaluTUVPolynesia	7,526
220	AnguillaAIACaribbean	6,604
221	NiueNIUPolynesia	3,393
222	Vatican CityVATSouthern Europe	742

02In 1981

At either end

The 5 countries at each end of the headline.

Highest

1China997,721,071
2India703,696,250
3United States232,201,617
4Indonesia152,485,035
5Russia139,351,498

Lowest

222Vatican City742
221Niue3,393
220Anguilla6,604
219Tuvalu7,526
218Nauru7,839

Neither end is better. The values describe a shape, not a score. The middle country reads 3,536,898. “Shared” marks a value another country also holds.

031980 → 1981

Since 1980

What changed between 1980 and this one: who joined or left, and how far the headline moved.

+0 / −0countries joined / left
222values changed, of 222 in both
212 · 10rose · fell
0unchanged

Rose most

India687,354,025 → 703,696,250+16,342,225
China983,163,542 → 997,721,071+14,557,529
Indonesia148,950,540 → 152,485,035+3,534,495
Pakistan82,291,010 → 85,802,049+3,511,039
Brazil121,207,461 → 124,063,109+2,855,648

Fell most

Afghanistan13,169,311 → 11,937,581−1,231,730
Hungary10,695,367 → 10,679,329−16,038
Denmark5,123,081 → 5,121,629−1,452
Grenada94,538 → 94,052−486
Saint Kitts and Nevis42,850 → 42,698−152

Both years come from the same release, so a difference here is a change in the data, not a revision of it. Every country’s full history is charted on the statistic page.

04Caveats

Read before you use

What this edition’s numbers are and are not, worked out from the file itself.

The site’s method

One year of the 2024 release
Every year in this series comes from UN DESA Population Division’s 2024 release, recalculated on one method. It can differ from what was first published for 1981.
The position is ours
UN DESA Population Division publishes values only. The order here sorts the published values, and the page says so wherever it prints one.
Which end is better
Neither end is better. The values describe a shape, not a score.
Nothing missing
Every one of the 222 countries has every column.

05The files

Download and cite

The table as a file, digit for digit, what this site changed, and a citation for this edition.

Licence in full

.csv
For a spreadsheet or code
222 rows · 6.4 KB · UTF-8, opens in Excel
Opens with 11 lines of source notes; the table starts on row 13.
Download population-1981-nations-inquiry.csv
↗
The publisher’s original
UN DESA Population Division’s own file, on its own site.
WPP2024_TotalPopulationBySex.csv.gz

What this site changed: Reshaped into one row per country: regional and income-group totals are left out, only the columns listed are kept, each row gets its ISO 3166 code, and some country names are brought to one spelling. No value is recalculated, rescaled or rounded.

Licence: CC BY 3.0 IGO. The version of CC BY written for intergovernmental organisations. Credit the publisher and say what you changed.

Cite this edition

UN DESA Population Division (1981). Total Population, 1981 [data set], describing 1981. As held by Nations Inquiry, https://nationsinquiry.com/datasets/population/1981

0674 held

Other years

‹ The year before
Total Population, 1980
222 countries
The year after ›
Total Population, 1982
222 countries
All of them
Total Population: every year
74 held, with the data dictionary, coverage and licence.
How it has moved, charted by country

07Questions