Global population distribution 1800-2100, by continent

Between 1800 and 2020, the total population of each continent experienced consistent growth, however population distribution across these five regions varied greatly over time. In the early 19^th century, almost 70 percent of the world's population lived in Asia, almost 20 percent lived in Europe, and most of the rest lived in Africa.

19^th and 20^th centuries

Fewer than 2.5 percent of the world's population lived in the Americas in 1800, however the demographic transition, along with waves of migration, would see this share rise to almost 10 percent a century later, peaking at just over 14 percent in the 1960s. Europe's share of the global population also grew in the 19^th century, to almost a quarter in 1900, but fell thereafter and saw the largest relative decline during the 20^th century. Asia, which has consistently been the world's most populous continent, saw its population share drop by the mid-1900s, but it has been around 60 percent since the 1970s. It is important to note that the world population has grown from approximately one to eight billion people between 1800 and the 2020s, and that declines in population distribution before 2020 have resulted from different growth rates across the continents.

21^st century

Africa's population share remained fairly constant throughout this time, fluctuating between 7.5 and 10 percent until the late-1900s, but it is set to see the largest change over the 21^st century. As Europe's total population is now in decline, and it is estimated that the total populations of Asia and the Americas will fall by the 2050s and 2070s respectively, rapid population growth in Africa will see a significant shift in population distribution. Africa's population is predicted to grow from 1.3 to 4.3 billion people over the next eight decades, and its share of the total population will rise to almost 40 percent. The only other continent whose population will still be growing at this time will be Oceania, although its share of the total population has never been more than 0.7 percent.