UN country group · UN WPP 2024

Less developed regions population

Less developed regions population now

7,029,370,551

A projection read at this second, not a count: the UN's totals for 1 January 2026 and 2027, joined by a straight line.

Mid-2023, UN estimate: 6,807,234,408

Year: 2026; projection · medium
Population, mid-2026: 7.01262 billion
Median age: 30.2
Aged 65+: 8.6%

Move through time, 1950–2100

2023 | 2024 peak 2085

male female projection · one cell = 1,000,000 people

How to read this: one row for each age, newborns at the bottom; men on the left, women on the right.

Verified 2026-09-30 · 73 canaries

AGG · 1950–2100 · in brief

Less developed regions in numbers

The UN counts 6,807,234,408 people in Less developed regions in mid-2023, and 84.1% of the world's people. That is 4.1 times its 1950 population of 1.68 billion.

The UN's medium projection has it peaking in 2085 at 9.08 billion, then falling to 8.99 billion by 2100.

In the medium projection, deaths outnumber births every year from 2088 on.

The median age was 20.9 in 1950 and 29.5 in 2023; the projection has 42.5 in 2100. 8.1% of people were 65 or older in 2023, against 23.0% projected for 2100. The working-age population (15–64) is projected to peak in 2071 at 5.58 billion.

Population, mid-2023: 6,807,234,408
Share of the world, 2023: 84.1%
Change in a year, mid-2022 to mid-2023: +1.03% · +69,603,881 people
Births, 2023: 120,643,551
Deaths, 2023: 48,323,611
Net migration, 2023: −3,603,203
Children per woman, 2023: 2.36
Median age, 2023: 29.5 years
Life expectancy at birth, 2023: 71.7 years
Population, mid-1950: 1,679,684,746
Projected, mid-2050: 8,391,385,518
Projected, mid-2100: 8,987,142,116

AGG · 1950–2100 · total population

Population, 1950–2100

peak 2085estimates | projections02 bn4 bn6 bn8 bn10 bn1950197520002025205020752100

estimate projection (medium). Each column is the population on 1 January of one year; the paper rules cut it into equal cells.

Show the numbers: Less developed regions, 1950–2100

Less developed regions: population on 1 January, births, deaths, fertility and life expectancy, 1950–2100
Year	Kind	Population, 1 Jan	Births	Deaths	Children per woman	Life expectancy
1950	estimate	1,662,776,427	72,897,425	39,382,732	5.93	41.1
1951	estimate	1,696,593,066	73,767,900	38,958,253	5.89	42.1
1952	estimate	1,731,890,671	78,667,883	38,535,446	6.16	43.2
1953	estimate	1,772,486,637	78,718,139	38,426,044	6.04	43.8
1954	estimate	1,812,793,392	81,532,669	38,112,548	6.14	44.7
1955	estimate	1,856,453,856	83,074,093	38,146,467	6.14	45.3
1956	estimate	1,901,547,650	83,043,200	38,017,072	6.03	45.8
1957	estimate	1,946,942,872	87,213,637	38,311,142	6.22	46.3
1958	estimate	1,995,526,864	85,700,857	38,238,257	6.00	46.7
1959	estimate	2,042,983,652	82,979,057	42,367,262	5.71	44.3
1960	estimate	2,083,766,725	83,397,695	46,161,937	5.64	42.2
1961	estimate	2,120,915,300	82,104,338	41,532,891	5.45	45.0
1962	estimate	2,161,136,605	93,591,485	37,371,872	6.13	48.5
1963	estimate	2,216,600,899	101,497,059	38,162,098	6.55	49.2
1964	estimate	2,279,258,145	99,219,538	38,231,297	6.29	49.8
1965	estimate	2,339,732,430	100,284,903	39,363,180	6.23	49.6
1966	estimate	2,399,828,277	100,388,614	38,941,229	6.11	50.3
1967	estimate	2,460,275,783	99,679,713	38,569,305	5.92	50.9
1968	estimate	2,520,934,975	104,848,695	38,272,577	6.09	51.7
1969	estimate	2,586,480,071	105,233,731	38,255,792	5.95	52.3
1970	estimate	2,652,284,269	107,047,186	38,605,077	5.88	52.5
1971	estimate	2,720,139,136	106,624,205	39,791,414	5.67	52.2
1972	estimate	2,785,155,958	106,817,935	38,099,410	5.50	53.7
1973	estimate	2,852,351,608	107,099,949	37,777,481	5.34	54.3
1974	estimate	2,920,182,930	106,176,411	37,681,046	5.11	54.7
1975	estimate	2,987,609,150	104,797,641	37,706,303	4.88	54.9
1976	estimate	3,053,910,404	105,205,771	37,696,694	4.74	55.3
1977	estimate	3,120,449,417	104,675,741	37,210,556	4.56	56.0
1978	estimate	3,187,044,555	106,098,947	37,167,172	4.47	56.4
1979	estimate	3,255,142,080	108,872,548	36,780,583	4.44	57.2
1980	estimate	3,326,209,256	111,268,407	36,937,986	4.39	57.6
1981	estimate	3,398,988,287	113,690,352	37,045,143	4.34	58.1
1982	estimate	3,474,857,844	117,098,990	37,275,804	4.33	58.5
1983	estimate	3,554,188,862	115,849,501	37,575,977	4.14	58.8
1984	estimate	3,631,719,195	118,357,380	37,765,954	4.09	59.2
1985	estimate	3,711,624,114	120,461,378	37,940,599	4.03	59.6
1986	estimate	3,793,044,227	123,341,696	37,977,308	4.00	60.1
1987	estimate	3,877,118,852	125,418,044	38,013,741	3.95	60.6
1988	estimate	3,963,268,464	125,141,168	38,363,031	3.83	60.9
1989	estimate	4,048,313,801	126,673,308	38,312,689	3.77	61.4
1990	estimate	4,135,079,802	128,045,674	38,746,165	3.71	61.6
1991	estimate	4,221,836,785	123,331,442	38,930,935	3.49	61.8
1992	estimate	4,303,722,681	122,083,864	38,879,088	3.38	62.1
1993	estimate	4,385,639,802	121,678,340	38,846,314	3.31	62.5
1994	estimate	4,465,995,289	121,420,607	39,835,844	3.25	62.3
1995	estimate	4,544,240,139	121,440,520	39,175,762	3.19	63.0
1996	estimate	4,624,298,296	121,025,163	39,367,751	3.13	63.3
1997	estimate	4,703,553,261	120,832,529	39,523,591	3.08	63.6
1998	estimate	4,782,776,956	120,746,229	39,926,711	3.04	63.8
1999	estimate	4,862,358,761	121,089,256	39,962,704	3.00	64.2
2000	estimate	4,941,107,347	122,659,441	40,042,269	3.00	64.7
2001	estimate	5,020,934,584	122,383,390	40,224,348	2.95	65.0
2002	estimate	5,100,192,667	122,354,547	40,354,372	2.91	65.4
2003	estimate	5,177,463,051	122,475,289	40,499,882	2.87	65.8
2004	estimate	5,255,741,002	123,229,497	40,904,364	2.85	66.1
2005	estimate	5,334,540,324	123,803,087	40,921,002	2.83	66.5
2006	estimate	5,414,056,035	124,798,580	41,059,713	2.81	66.9
2007	estimate	5,494,710,036	125,979,536	41,212,347	2.79	67.3
2008	estimate	5,575,459,405	127,536,699	41,688,720	2.79	67.6
2009	estimate	5,657,689,402	128,833,516	41,943,514	2.78	68.0
2010	estimate	5,741,460,538	129,323,829	41,948,576	2.76	68.4
2011	estimate	5,825,591,766	130,040,016	42,350,361	2.74	68.7
2012	estimate	5,910,045,318	132,140,026	42,436,751	2.76	69.2
2013	estimate	5,996,728,170	131,297,465	42,739,046	2.72	69.5
2014	estimate	6,082,029,396	131,503,536	43,196,904	2.71	69.8
2015	estimate	6,166,960,828	130,648,036	43,650,296	2.67	70.0
2016	estimate	6,249,444,715	131,246,607	44,176,047	2.67	70.3
2017	estimate	6,331,932,334	130,440,470	44,830,705	2.64	70.5
2018	estimate	6,412,950,741	127,487,601	44,902,916	2.57	70.9
2019	estimate	6,490,902,484	126,094,343	45,459,429	2.52	71.1
2020	estimate	6,566,935,443	122,573,308	49,020,422	2.44	70.5
2021	estimate	6,638,313,896	121,319,210	54,618,791	2.40	69.4
2022	estimate	6,702,385,041	120,699,419	48,079,572	2.38	71.3
2023	estimate	6,772,876,013	120,643,551	48,323,611	2.36	71.7
2024	estimate	6,841,592,802	121,001,442	48,829,174	2.36	71.9
2025	projection	6,910,234,106	121,054,650	49,481,439	2.35	72.1
2026	projection	6,978,478,756	121,218,917	49,880,988	2.33	72.4
2027	projection	7,046,771,055	121,355,871	50,769,905	2.32	72.6
2028	projection	7,114,346,777	121,552,074	51,716,551	2.31	72.8
2029	projection	7,181,154,792	121,794,903	52,672,063	2.30	72.9
2030	projection	7,247,338,560	122,061,140	53,652,499	2.29	73.1
2031	projection	7,312,824,979	122,305,631	54,661,181	2.28	73.3
2032	projection	7,377,605,779	122,522,569	55,691,505	2.27	73.4
2033	projection	7,441,526,783	122,772,972	56,755,128	2.26	73.6
2034	projection	7,504,634,170	123,029,175	57,823,194	2.25	73.7
2035	projection	7,566,901,443	123,241,893	58,926,663	2.24	73.9
2036	projection	7,628,328,478	123,432,552	60,037,823	2.23	74.0
2037	projection	7,688,861,918	123,553,947	61,172,907	2.22	74.2
2038	projection	7,748,385,747	123,690,599	62,295,186	2.21	74.3
2039	projection	7,806,897,673	123,779,669	63,432,441	2.21	74.5
2040	projection	7,864,442,185	123,880,921	64,565,546	2.20	74.6
2041	projection	7,920,910,048	123,841,813	65,716,263	2.20	74.8
2042	projection	7,976,163,370	123,781,877	66,853,695	2.19	74.9
2043	projection	8,030,146,785	123,714,711	67,995,375	2.19	75.1
2044	projection	8,082,995,736	123,558,508	69,136,031	2.19	75.2
2045	projection	8,134,542,091	123,287,167	70,277,102	2.19	75.3
2046	projection	8,184,666,900	123,002,308	71,406,733	2.18	75.5
2047	projection	8,233,368,942	122,584,872	72,526,967	2.18	75.6
2048	projection	8,280,537,187	122,151,684	73,645,998	2.17	75.7
2049	projection	8,326,148,881	121,664,691	74,757,939	2.17	75.8
2050	projection	8,370,194,646	121,158,058	75,861,195	2.16	75.9
2051	projection	8,412,576,391	120,633,719	76,955,684	2.15	76.1
2052	projection	8,453,323,906	120,098,560	78,046,396	2.15	76.2
2053	projection	8,492,445,363	119,585,114	79,129,135	2.14	76.3
2054	projection	8,530,051,777	119,036,477	80,207,686	2.13	76.4
2055	projection	8,566,067,063	118,590,766	81,264,106	2.12	76.5
2056	projection	8,600,634,386	118,179,000	82,290,763	2.12	76.6
2057	projection	8,633,738,301	117,779,096	83,303,869	2.11	76.7
2058	projection	8,665,356,205	117,415,108	84,298,064	2.10	76.8
2059	projection	8,695,567,775	117,097,861	85,278,547	2.09	76.9
2060	projection	8,724,543,710	116,799,001	86,228,548	2.08	77.0
2061	projection	8,752,270,261	116,500,473	87,128,029	2.08	77.2
2062	projection	8,778,768,943	116,265,844	88,006,581	2.07	77.3
2063	projection	8,804,135,123	116,020,387	88,853,136	2.06	77.4
2064	projection	8,828,419,530	115,798,679	89,700,137	2.05	77.5
2065	projection	8,851,688,096	115,563,526	90,529,780	2.05	77.6
2066	projection	8,873,891,639	115,339,010	91,328,451	2.04	77.7
2067	projection	8,895,013,919	115,081,709	92,133,668	2.03	77.8
2068	projection	8,915,025,181	114,800,591	92,924,381	2.02	77.9
2069	projection	8,934,019,437	114,477,843	93,709,734	2.02	78.0
2070	projection	8,951,901,760	114,168,007	94,493,727	2.01	78.1
2071	projection	8,968,748,862	113,856,738	95,277,766	2.01	78.2
2072	projection	8,984,464,633	113,484,835	96,082,033	2.00	78.3
2073	projection	8,999,031,565	113,105,210	96,863,415	2.00	78.4
2074	projection	9,012,457,802	112,684,051	97,647,445	1.99	78.5
2075	projection	9,024,695,016	112,250,924	98,429,883	1.98	78.6
2076	projection	9,035,592,642	111,808,531	99,200,985	1.98	78.7
2077	projection	9,045,306,153	111,335,464	99,951,572	1.98	78.7
2078	projection	9,053,870,410	110,807,416	100,678,755	1.97	78.8
2079	projection	9,061,146,238	110,282,590	101,359,186	1.96	78.9
2080	projection	9,067,261,829	109,767,495	102,008,572	1.96	79.0
2081	projection	9,072,204,464	109,211,569	102,588,836	1.95	79.1
2082	projection	9,075,861,175	108,710,828	103,121,271	1.95	79.2
2083	projection	9,078,604,526	108,149,174	103,619,131	1.95	79.3
2084	projection	9,080,269,530	107,613,886	104,067,226	1.94	79.4
2085	projection	9,081,005,771	107,060,989	104,482,289	1.94	79.4
2086	projection	9,080,865,466	106,512,069	104,841,114	1.93	79.5
2087	projection	9,079,764,763	105,968,780	105,178,057	1.93	79.6
2088	projection	9,077,758,802	105,451,264	105,490,703	1.92	79.7
2089	projection	9,074,841,345	104,939,624	105,802,921	1.92	79.8
2090	projection	9,071,215,949	104,424,210	106,082,459	1.91	79.9
2091	projection	9,066,842,487	103,932,265	106,355,866	1.91	80.0
2092	projection	9,061,631,831	103,437,216	106,641,460	1.90	80.0
2093	projection	9,055,686,471	102,944,032	106,936,403	1.90	80.1
2094	projection	9,048,935,080	102,463,619	107,219,416	1.89	80.2
2095	projection	9,041,405,295	101,975,314	107,520,656	1.89	80.3
2096	projection	9,033,133,364	101,524,491	107,787,517	1.88	80.4
2097	projection	9,024,204,363	101,083,108	108,084,194	1.88	80.5
2098	projection	9,014,479,780	100,623,659	108,353,696	1.88	80.6
2099	projection	9,004,077,130	100,176,967	108,598,582	1.87	80.7
2100	projection	8,992,999,599	99,702,096	108,827,677	1.87	80.7

AGG · membership

What Less developed regions is

Less developed regions is one of the UN's analytical groupings. This dataset carries the group's totals, not its membership, so its countries are not listed here.

Show the numbers: Less developed regions, mid-2026, by single year of age

Less developed regions: population by single year of age, mid-2026
Age	Male	Female
0	60,517,900	57,715,200
1	59,990,800	57,222,900
2	59,659,500	56,855,900
3	59,409,900	56,565,800
4	59,448,200	56,572,800
5	59,808,100	56,853,100
6	60,963,200	57,771,800
7	62,100,100	58,720,000
8	63,012,600	59,528,000
9	63,820,700	60,181,300
10	63,728,500	60,005,300
11	63,668,600	59,871,600
12	63,773,400	59,891,900
13	63,949,700	59,970,000
14	63,538,500	59,516,800
15	62,602,600	58,607,200
16	62,098,300	58,107,700
17	61,401,100	57,466,000
18	60,384,300	56,554,700
19	59,354,200	55,648,300
20	58,456,500	54,856,500
21	57,719,200	54,203,500
22	57,033,600	53,611,500
23	56,462,300	53,130,300
24	56,080,200	52,804,400
25	55,883,200	52,609,300
26	55,233,600	52,018,700
27	54,380,400	51,273,000
28	54,019,200	50,951,800
29	53,816,300	50,766,200
30	53,641,900	50,614,400
31	53,349,300	50,374,500
32	52,986,100	50,102,400
33	52,748,200	49,946,600
34	52,733,200	49,995,300
35	53,798,800	51,020,600
36	54,189,600	51,479,100
37	53,027,500	50,524,700
38	52,310,900	49,976,700
39	51,468,700	49,361,200
40	49,898,800	48,053,500
41	48,362,900	46,724,800
42	46,902,600	45,436,800
43	46,251,900	44,874,900
44	45,401,500	44,114,800
45	43,688,600	42,537,600
46	42,210,500	41,220,500
47	40,652,300	39,833,700
48	39,284,500	38,628,000
49	38,631,400	38,134,300
50	38,198,200	37,863,200
51	37,934,900	37,746,100
52	37,941,000	37,901,300
53	37,613,800	37,730,400
54	37,073,800	37,346,800
55	36,638,600	37,082,700
56	35,832,900	36,464,600
57	34,838,500	35,662,700
58	33,118,200	34,108,200
59	31,623,100	32,755,800
60	31,154,300	32,454,800
61	30,361,700	31,823,300
62	29,986,100	31,620,900
63	28,366,400	30,139,100
64	24,294,700	26,075,900
65	21,637,800	23,471,700
66	20,864,300	22,844,900
67	20,535,400	22,682,600
68	20,629,600	22,999,700
69	19,706,900	22,231,400
70	18,480,600	21,139,900
71	17,517,800	20,332,300
72	16,149,800	19,038,100
73	15,015,300	17,995,100
74	13,665,900	16,648,200
75	12,244,100	15,168,900
76	10,979,500	13,777,100
77	9,561,090	12,135,400
78	8,418,280	10,831,000
79	7,410,510	9,705,950
80	6,423,650	8,623,310
81	5,559,180	7,629,170
82	4,816,660	6,767,020
83	4,177,530	6,048,900
84	3,620,160	5,417,670
85	3,078,530	4,766,210
86	2,558,390	4,107,830
87	2,119,960	3,533,230
88	1,743,060	3,026,840
89	1,390,420	2,539,490
90	1,083,730	2,097,450
91	826,634	1,691,760
92	618,486	1,331,290
93	447,578	1,013,850
94	312,591	744,304
95	215,478	541,534
96	144,582	385,504
97	94,133	265,940
98	59,822	178,078
99	36,938	114,966
100+	54,225	187,122

AGG · 1950–2100 · every age, every year

Less developed regions, every age in every year

Each column is a year and each row an age; the denser the ink in a cell, the more people. Everyone born in the same year climbs one 45° diagonal, so famines, baby booms and migration show up as streaks. Select a cell to follow its generation.

AGG · ages 15–64

Who does the work in Less developed regions

On the UN's projection, Less developed regions will have the most working-age people it ever has in 2071: 5,576,360,000 people aged 15–64. In 2023 it had 4,435,550,000.

100 aged 15–64

41 children

12 aged 65+

aged 15–64 children under 15 aged 65 and over

How to read this: one orange square for each of 100 people aged 15–64 in 2023. Beneath them, teal for the children living alongside those 100 and violet for the people aged 65 or older.

At no point between 1950 and 2100 do fewer than 50 dependants live alongside every 100 people aged 15–64 here.

fewer than 50 dependants per 100 the same, projected 50 or more

How to read this: one stripe a year from 1950 to 2100. A stripe takes colour in a year when fewer than 50 dependants live alongside every 100 people of working age, and stays grey otherwise; hatching means the year is projected.

How every country compares

AGG · arrivals minus departures

Who arrives in Less developed regions, and who leaves

In 2020–2025 Less developed regions loses 2,928,810 people a year: everyone who arrives, minus everyone who leaves. The age at which that happens most is 30–34, at 316,245 a year more leaving than arriving.

one square = 50,000 people a year

020406080+

more arrive than leave more leave than arrive

How to read this: each column is one age, youngest on the left. Above the line, in blue, are the ages gaining people; below it, in orange, the ages losing them. This is the UN's projection for 2020–2025 — the record of migration by age does not go back beyond 2020.

Across the counted years, 1950 to 2023, its biggest single-year gain was 488,235 (1951); its biggest loss, 4,729,781 (2002).

This is a group of countries, so its figure counts only moves across its own outer edge: someone moving from one country inside it to another does not appear.

How migration works everywhere

AGG · births by the mother's age · 1950–2100

Who has the babies in Less developed regions

Of every 100 babies born in less developed regions in 2023, 10 had a mother under 20, 76 a mother aged 20 to 34 and 14 a mother aged 35 or older. In 1950 it was 14 under 20 and 18 aged 35 or older.

1950
14 · 68 · 18

2023
10 · 76 · 14

2050 · projected
8 · 75 · 17

The mother's age: under 20 20 to 34 35 or older projected

How to read this: shrink a year's babies to 100 and colour each one by the age of its mother — that is a block. Under it, the same three groups as numbers, starting with the youngest mothers.

Babies born, 2023: 120,643,551
Average age when women have a baby: 28.0 years; 29.2 in 1950
Babies a year per 1,000 girls aged 15–19: 43; 114 in 1950

Babies by the mother's age, 1950–2100

Babies born in less developed regions by the mother's age
Mother's age	1950	1975	2000	2023	2050 projected	2100 projected
10–14	669,797	1,092,137	1,043,507	343,014	176,129	40,272
15–19	9,329,573	14,678,455	17,642,839	11,828,140	8,973,034	3,893,523
20–24	19,119,090	31,885,505	38,171,648	33,084,239	27,271,997	16,364,994
25–29	17,643,199	25,847,883	33,452,299	34,200,896	34,498,672	29,437,887
30–34	12,905,793	16,246,524	19,338,168	24,058,845	29,095,945	29,300,666
35–39	8,631,519	9,874,704	9,162,436	12,353,355	15,558,021	15,637,983
40–44	3,965,778	4,339,061	3,190,823	4,022,056	4,844,480	4,463,410
45–49	609,134	794,218	624,256	708,881	702,177	545,566
50–54	23,542	39,154	33,465	44,125	37,603	17,795
All babies	72,897,425	104,797,641	122,659,441	120,643,551	121,158,058	99,702,096

The UN's births for each year, split by the mother's age in the UN's own proportions.

Apparatus

Sources and method

Every figure on this page comes from the UN's World Population Prospects 2024: the annual tables for regions and groups (estimates to 2023, then the medium projection), and the population by single year of age and sex for the pyramid.

Sources: UN WPP 2024 · World Bank · UN WUP 2025 · Maddison Project 2020 · flag-icons. Every source, its licence and how to cite it →

Checked before it was drawn

Verified 2026-09-30 · 73 canaries The pyramid for every year was checked against the published total. What that stamp counts, and what every page here has to pass before it can be built: how this site checks its figures.