World Population 2010
The world population in 2010 was 6,840,423,256. This population account is based off of calculations made using historical population data, birth rates, and mortality rates.
Scroll over the interactive map we have provided to see all the different continent populations across the globe. Click on Africa, Australia, North America, South America, Asia, Europe, or Australia to learn more about the specific continental region or use one of the links in the list below to explore further.
Using Mathematical Approximations
The calculation of the world’s population is a mathematical approximation. If you tried to count every single person in the world and could count 10 people every second, you would not finish counting for over 100 years. By the time you finished counting there would be another 7 billion people lined up behind the last person in the line when you started counting. In 1975, Hoerner proposed a formula for population growth using a hyperbolic growth equation. This was later then correlated to technological development which is outlined in the sequence below:
- Technological Advancement
- Increase Population Capacity
- Increase Population Growth
- Increase Probability of Technological Advancement
- Technological Advancement
Interactive World Population by Continent Map