This article provides an ordered listing of countries and dependent territories ranked by their resident population counts. Entries are arranged from the largest populations at the top to the smallest at the bottom, so the position indicates relative population size rather than land area or economic measures.
How the list is arranged
- Order: Entries are sorted in descending order of population, with the most populous entities first.
- Included entities: The compilation normally contains sovereign states together with separate listings for some dependent territories that are commonly reported on their own. Which dependencies appear separately depends on the conventions used by the underlying data sources.
- Population definition: Figures refer to the number of people residing in an entity at a given reference date. Sources may report census counts, official estimates, or projections; the list may use the most recent reliable figure available.
- Sources and updates: Population totals change over time because of births, deaths, and migration. Different entries may rely on different reporting dates or methods, so comparisons should be interpreted with caution.
- Disputed or partially recognised entities: The treatment of territories with contested status varies between datasets. The list reflects the classification adopted by the dataset used for each entry and may therefore differ from other compilations.
Using this list
Use the ranking to compare how many people live in each listed area. For complementary perspectives, consult related lists, such as the overall List of countries for political and administrative details, or the List of countries by area to compare populations with land size. A separate listing for population density can help show how population numbers relate to territory area.