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Countries With More than 50 Million People

Name all the countries that have a population of at least 50 million people.
Date = approximate date that country reached 50 million
As of 9 November 2022. More info here.
Quiz by nichster
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Last updated: November 9, 2022
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First submittedNovember 5, 2016
Times taken124,433
Average score82.8%
Rating4.98
5:00
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Date
Population
Country
100 B.C.
1434 m
China
500
1420 m
India
1880
342 m
United States
1916
276 m
Indonesia
1964
237 m
Pakistan
1966
220 m
Nigeria
1949
216 m
Brazil
1960
172 m
Bangladesh
1825
145 m
Russia
1970
128 m
Mexico
1992
124 m
Ethiopia
1911
124 m
Japan
1982
116 m
Philippines
1986
112 m
Egypt
2002
100 m
D.R. Congo
Date
Population
Country
1978
98.4 m
Vietnam
1987
88.8 m
Iran
1986
85.5 m
Turkey
1893
83.3 m
Germany
1985
71.7 m
Thailand
1948
68.1 m
United Kingdom
1967
67.4 m
France
2014
66.2 m
Tanzania
2008
60.1 m
South Africa
1962
59.0 m
Italy
2019
54.4 m
Kenya
2012
54.3 m
Myanmar
2019
51.9 m
Colombia
2013
51.8 m
South Korea
+14
Level 55
Aug 18, 2022
For anyone interested as to when this quiz will be updated next, Uganda will almost certainly be added in the next 12 months when I write. Sudan will take about 3-4 years to achieve it. Algeria will take about 5 years at its current rate.
+4
Level 55
Sep 5, 2023
2023 Update:

• Uganda hasn't hit 50 million yet, although it is really close, Wikipedia says it has 49.6 m, the UN World Population estimates it at 48.8 m. My guess would be that it will achieve 50 m by early 2025 at the latest.

• My previous point from a year ago still stands as Sudan should hit 50 m in ~2025.

• Iraq will probably hit 50 m in about 5-6 years.

• Algeria will not take 5 years as it probably won't get to 50 m before the end of the decade.

• Despite the Tablian's rule causing huge numbers of refugees to relocate to other countries, Afghanistan will still hit 50 m in the next decade.

• Angola will hit 50 m in the mid 2030s at current rate.

+56
Level 55
Nov 7, 2016
What I find interesting about the dates is that it took China 1500 years to go from 50million people to 100 million people.
+37
Level 82
Jan 14, 2017
It's not peculiar to China. Look at world population figures. Population didn't start to explode until the Industrial Revolution. Before 1850 the population of the entire planet was under a billion for all of history, and stayed roughly constant for long stretches.
+5
Level 45
Feb 19, 2019
hit one billion in 1804
+3
Level 82
Jun 19, 2019
Humans have been on the planet for 2 million years so that's a difference of 0.002%.
+8
Level 78
Nov 12, 2021
He said it was 'interesting'. Just because something can be explained does not make it uninteresting
+1
Level 82
May 31, 2022
who are you talking to?
+2
Level 71
Nov 27, 2022
It's also interesting that even though China reached 50 million much faster than India, they reached 100 million at roughly the same time (1420 for China vs. 1450 for India).
+1
Level 32
Dec 12, 2022
China reached 100 million at about 1100~1200.(no later than 1200, Jin has more than 50 million people, Southern Song has 8000 million people at the same time. And it's estimated that only Northern Song's population was already over 100 million.)
+2
Level 66
Oct 26, 2023
You sure Southern Song had 8 billion people??
+12
Level 78
Jan 14, 2017
I came across this interesting graph while doing some research a few months ago. If this information is correct, there were a number of centuries-long population plateaus in chinese history, and even some population declines. Some of those no doubt coincide with geopolitical changes, whereby the territory controlled by "China" was smaller during some periods. Nonetheless, it's interesting to note how the graph only really starts to take off over the last few centuries, then becomes near-vertical in the 20th century.

http://www.china-profile.com/data/fig_pop_0-2050.htm

+1
Level 82
Jan 15, 2017
this parallels growth for the whole world, but it starts to become vertical in countries that industrialized sooner.
+9
Level 73
Jan 21, 2017
By the way, anyone who's interested in i.e. world population statistics should check out Gapminder. It's a great site for statistics nerds. Also, if you haven't yet seen any videos by Hans Rosling, a Swedish professor specialized in statistics, you should do that. He tells things how they are but does it in an amazingly entertaining way without forgetting actual fact and statistics. Regards, a statistics nerd.
+10
Level ∞
Sep 28, 2017
I'm listening to the "History of Byzantium" podcast right now. One thing that is interesting is that the empire struggled with depopulation, due to the plague and other factors. So they would sometimes send raiding parties outside the empire, capture some people, and then force them to resettle in Anatolia in order to repopulate it.
+5
Level 77
Sep 28, 2017
That's what Japan may have to start doing.
+43
Level 79
Nov 1, 2017
it wouldn't do them much good. Anatolia is a long way from Japan.
+4
Level 63
Nov 18, 2017
I guess the 45 million Mao killed didn't even make a dent in the numbers.
+1
Level 68
Oct 8, 2021
Somehow, I have no idea why. I'm guessing the population was around 800 million at that time and that would be 1/16th of the population, which is a fair amount.
+5
Level 61
Dec 8, 2018
China had a special talent for destructive wars, famine, etc.
+1
Level 24
Nov 9, 2020
it's also weird how Bangladesh has more population than Russia.
+4
Level 81
Nov 7, 2016
Very nice quiz!
+1
Level 55
Nov 7, 2016
Thanks!
+2
Level 82
Jan 14, 2017
it's the most populous countries in the world quiz with two more places added.
+3
Level 60
Jan 14, 2017
Actually, it's with 3 more countries.
+17
Level 61
Jan 14, 2017
and with a bit of interesting info for flavor, too, which is what makes it that much more entertaining :)
+1
Level 82
Jan 14, 2017
ok. 3. still...
+2
Level 55
Nov 14, 2017
4 more countries!
+10
Level 55
Oct 21, 2018
5 more countries!
+16
Level 82
Dec 10, 2018
well people need to stop reproducing so much.
+1
Level 68
Oct 8, 2021
Japan would like to talk with you.
+1
Level 38
Oct 17, 2021
ok know it all
+3
Level 59
Nov 14, 2017
still...it's a very nice quiz.
+5
Level 42
Oct 4, 2018
Nice quiz ! I love the thought of date column.
+1
Level 25
Jan 14, 2017
it seems big...but take another look!
+2
Level 56
Jan 14, 2017
My mind went blank and I forgot Ethiopia and the Philippines.....
+3
Level 75
Jan 14, 2017
I forgot Japan.
+10
Level 32
Nov 15, 2017
I'm napoleon
+14
Level 89
Jan 14, 2017
I don't know what it is, but I always seem to forget the Philippines no matter what quiz I take.
+3
Level 71
Mar 5, 2017
Same with me
+1
Level 68
Jun 25, 2017
Missed France and South Africa.... Twice!!!!
+3
Level 74
Nov 14, 2017
Turkey is my nemesis.
+1
Level 89
Nov 14, 2017
Thankfully I managed to remember the Philippines this time! ... But then I forgot Turkey. Another one I keep forgetting.
+1
Level 89
Nov 6, 2020
I finally got them all this time!
+1
Level 61
Jan 17, 2017
I only got Tanzania with a few seconds left.
+1
Level 38
Jan 14, 2017
All except Tanzania, almost forgot congo great quiz
+1
Level 58
Jan 18, 2017
First strike, yay !!!
+9
Level 64
Jan 19, 2017
50 mil in 2003, 85 mil now. OMG what are you doing Congo?
+30
Level 31
Jan 24, 2017
I think it's pretty clear what they're doing.
+2
Level 66
Nov 7, 2020
:)
+1
Level 55
Feb 27, 2024
100 million now
+1
Level 57
Jun 25, 2017
Great quiz. Have got something similar: "Biggest countries of the World by population", and "World's Most Populous Countries - by Continent". If you wish, check them out and comment..
+4
Level 73
Oct 1, 2017
Colombia is sooooo close to 50 million....
+3
Level 58
Nov 14, 2017
I think we are the nearest miss.
+7
Level 55
Oct 21, 2018
It has just reached 50 mill!
+1
Level 40
Nov 14, 2017
In the year 1960 there was no country called Bangladesh
+15
Level 71
Nov 14, 2017
In 100 B.C. there was no country called 'China'
+7
Level 56
Nov 14, 2017
In 500, there was no country called India. In 1916, there was no country called Indonesia. The areas now known as [insert any country here] still existed.
+8
Level 89
Nov 14, 2017
4.6 billion years ago, there was no planet called "Earth."
+6
Level 32
Nov 14, 2017
14 billion years ago, there was no area called "Universe"
+13
Level 44
Oct 11, 2018
30 years ago there was no jetpunk.com
+2
Level 71
Nov 16, 2017
Pakistan's population is 193 million.
+2
Level 74
Oct 4, 2018
So basically what we have here is 28 most populous countries in the world quiz.
+3
Level 86
Oct 22, 2018
I'm always glad to see myself getting slightly better at not forgetting the existence of the Philippines on every damn quiz.
+2
Level 73
Oct 28, 2018
The preliminary results of the 2018 Colombian Census shows we are far from the 50 million initially projected. The current population clock is way off.
+1
Level 73
Aug 26, 2020
Nevermind, I just saw 1 million Venezuelans migrated to Colombia in the last few years. Now we have 50 million.
+1
Level 73
Nov 11, 2018
I forgot France... lol. 28/29. I just couldn't remember what country I missed. Still acceptable though...
+1
Level 11
Dec 7, 2018
I had three left and 30 seconds to go. I got frustrated and started guessing countries. I managed to get Kenya and with a few seconds to go, I randomly picked a country on the top of my mind it was Colombia, how on Earth did they reach 50 mil.
+1
Level 55
Jul 27, 2022
Venezuela
+2
Level 41
Dec 7, 2018
Didn't think Bangladesh would be here
+1
Level 48
Dec 7, 2018
I got all but one with 2:20 left... and that was South Korea.
+1
Level 64
Dec 7, 2018
100%!!! YES!
+1
Level 40
Sep 23, 2019
I forgot Russia at the first attempt...

Sorry for my english

+3
Level 82
May 20, 2020
I suspect many more African countries will pass this 50 million mark, and quite a few will join Nigeria, Egypt and Ethiopia above 100 million, but after that we will see a slowing. I doubt we will ever again see a country pass 1 billion and if anything China will drop out of the billion club this century, leaving only India. If any country does make it past a billion again, it'll be Nigeria, but I think given land and resource constraints it will slow down long before it gets there. The USA, Indonesia, Brazil and Pakistan have next to chance. By the 22nd century, I'd expect most countries will see declining populations, barring a drastic and unforeseen change in development patterns. In the developed world only Canada and Australia really have a chance of joining the 50 million club, whilst countries like Italy, Germany and South Korea might drop out of it.
+1
Level 55
Oct 20, 2020
I think Iran has great potential too?
+2
Level 55
Oct 20, 2020
Not that it beats the African countries
+1
Level 55
Oct 20, 2020
Also, do you think Poland will start increasing again?
+1
Level 26
Feb 9, 2021
i dont know if im gonna read ur whole paragraph but I did thanks for the info I guess
+1
Level 38
Sep 5, 2020
Could you please update the populations? Thanks for making the quiz and keep up the good work!!!
+1
Level 52
Oct 4, 2020
I almost missed Iran
+2
Level 35
Nov 6, 2020
got everything just with 2 seconds left :D
+1
Level 48
Nov 27, 2022
Same!
+3
Level 60
Nov 6, 2020
The dates are really confusing to me (。•́︿•̀。), Pakistan and Bangladesh didn't existed as a country in that time but if we take the geographical boundaries then as a part of the whole Indian Subcontinent they should have had reached 50 million at least by 1900 I guess when India reached 50 million by 500 only. Especially Bangladesh which was a part of the Bengal province was highly populated from a long time (despite many famines and disasters). Maybe a source of the dates can be useful. Thanks
+1
Level 50
Nov 8, 2020
the fact that all 66,063 got china is shocking not a single person didn't get china
+1
Level 74
Nov 8, 2020
Got them all on my first try
+1
Level 26
Feb 9, 2021
same lol
+2
Level 26
Feb 9, 2021
i did not know about myanmar but I just tried asian countries lol
+2
Level 28
Apr 21, 2021
gottem all except myanmar with 10 seconds so I quickly scrolled through bottom of the comments and luckily found this one :D
+1
Level 25
Feb 15, 2022
suprised colombia made the list
+3
Level 67
Nov 27, 2022
Ukraine was on the list before 1998.
+1
Level 82
Nov 27, 2022
South Korea probably going to fall back off between 2030-2050.
+1
Level 18
Nov 28, 2022
Lmao 28/29, i forgot the very country I live in
+1
Level 60
Mar 2, 2023
29/29 I'm so chuffed
+1
Level 38
Jan 9, 2024
only missed Kenya and Tanzania!