How Many People Have Ever Lived on Earth?

CHITRAL: An estimated 117 billion people have been born on Earth since modern humans, known as Homo sapiens, first appeared around 190,000 years ago. This means that the total number of people who have ever lived is more than 14 times the world’s present population.

According to demographic estimates by the Population Reference Bureau (PRB), the figure includes everyone who has ever been born, from those who lived only a few moments to people who survived into old age.

However, this is not an exact count. For most of human history, no formal population records existed. Researchers have therefore used archaeological evidence, historical data and estimates of birth rates, life expectancy and mortality to calculate the total. Depending on the assumptions used, estimates generally range between 100 billion and 120 billion.

Today, the global population stands at approximately 8.3 billion. This means that people alive today account for only about seven per cent of all humans who have ever lived. Put another way, for every person alive today, around 14 others have already lived and died.

The figures also highlight the extraordinary pace of population growth in recent centuries. It took humanity hundreds of thousands of years to reach its first billion people, but the global population increased from one billion to eight billion in just over two centuries.

Although the exact number may never be known, one thing is clear: more than 100 billion human lives have contributed to the long story of humanity, while today’s population represents only a small fraction of everyone who has ever walked the Earth... CN report, 15 Nov 2053