UN country group · UN WPP 2024

Low-and-middle-income countries population

Low-and-middle-income countries population now

7,016,879,844

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: 6,801,234,426

Year: 2026; projection · medium
Population, mid-2026: 7.00068 billion
Median age: 30.3
Aged 65+: 8.8%

Move through time, 1950–2100

2023 | 2024 peak 2084

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

Low-and-middle-income countries in numbers

In mid-2023 there were 6,801,234,426 people in Low-and-middle-income countries, and 84.1% of the world's people. That is 3.8 times its 1950 population of 1.79 billion.

The UN's medium projection has it peaking in 2084 at 9.00 billion, then falling to 8.90 billion by 2100.

Births stay ahead of deaths until 2088; in the medium projection, deaths are ahead every year after it.

The median age was 21.4 in 1950 and 29.6 in 2023; the projection has 42.6 in 2100. 8.2% of people were 65 or older in 2023, against 23.1% projected for 2100. The working-age population (15–64) is projected to peak in 2071 at 5.53 billion.

Population, mid-2023: 6,801,234,426
Share of the world, 2023: 84.1%
Change in a year, mid-2022 to mid-2023: +0.94% · +63,397,288 people
Births, 2023: 120,145,430
Deaths, 2023: 49,775,959
Net migration, 2023: −4,900,936
Children per woman, 2023: 2.36
Median age, 2023: 29.6 years
Life expectancy at birth, 2023: 71.5 years
Population, mid-1950: 1,794,601,543
Projected, mid-2050: 8,341,354,672
Projected, mid-2100: 8,898,373,034

AGG · 1950–2100 · total population

Population, 1950–2100

peak 2084estimates | projections02 bn4 bn6 bn8 bn10 bn1950197520002025205020752100

estimate projection (medium). One column is one year's population, read on 1 January; the paper rules divide it into equal cells.

Show the numbers: Low-and-middle-income countries, 1950–2100

Low-and-middle-income countries: 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	1,777,066,464	75,196,255	40,231,178	5.58	42.3
1951	estimate	1,812,136,622	76,038,967	40,002,949	5.54	43.1
1952	estimate	1,848,410,521	80,881,072	39,710,202	5.80	44.1
1953	estimate	1,889,754,681	80,839,264	39,572,939	5.69	44.7
1954	estimate	1,930,751,639	83,591,722	39,258,313	5.78	45.5
1955	estimate	1,975,157,435	85,035,275	39,200,760	5.78	46.2
1956	estimate	2,020,949,410	84,890,001	38,866,826	5.66	46.8
1957	estimate	2,067,044,607	88,997,341	39,191,490	5.84	47.2
1958	estimate	2,116,388,189	87,460,892	39,024,906	5.64	47.7
1959	estimate	2,164,653,834	84,709,995	43,188,620	5.37	45.3
1960	estimate	2,205,830,796	85,069,824	46,935,948	5.32	43.2
1961	estimate	2,243,563,554	83,575,814	42,310,955	5.14	46.0
1962	estimate	2,284,553,074	94,824,922	38,190,826	5.77	49.5
1963	estimate	2,340,562,294	102,537,862	38,951,306	6.16	50.1
1964	estimate	2,403,608,796	100,003,366	39,017,816	5.91	50.7
1965	estimate	2,462,799,589	100,788,966	40,197,066	5.86	50.4
1966	estimate	2,522,415,287	100,856,816	39,791,790	5.76	51.1
1967	estimate	2,582,456,855	100,073,291	39,562,985	5.59	51.6
1968	estimate	2,643,736,868	105,297,608	39,310,086	5.76	52.4
1969	estimate	2,708,386,987	105,681,746	39,385,878	5.64	52.8
1970	estimate	2,773,141,811	107,534,532	39,778,587	5.59	53.1
1971	estimate	2,839,627,140	107,214,140	40,992,565	5.41	52.8
1972	estimate	2,903,745,127	107,493,429	39,349,107	5.26	54.2
1973	estimate	2,970,086,715	107,758,613	39,053,604	5.11	54.7
1974	estimate	3,037,072,346	106,949,076	39,012,466	4.91	55.1
1975	estimate	3,103,738,800	105,596,182	39,136,028	4.70	55.3
1976	estimate	3,169,407,163	106,008,919	39,179,820	4.57	55.7
1977	estimate	3,235,216,331	105,483,984	38,752,288	4.41	56.3
1978	estimate	3,300,980,796	106,920,035	38,769,270	4.33	56.7
1979	estimate	3,368,121,860	109,600,645	38,471,046	4.30	57.4
1980	estimate	3,438,102,380	111,963,464	38,641,470	4.26	57.8
1981	estimate	3,509,810,035	114,341,786	38,805,751	4.22	58.3
1982	estimate	3,584,349,152	117,883,900	39,021,455	4.22	58.7
1983	estimate	3,662,493,543	116,915,204	39,372,282	4.05	59.0
1984	estimate	3,739,131,457	119,422,740	39,666,687	4.01	59.3
1985	estimate	3,818,095,218	121,485,256	39,810,441	3.96	59.8
1986	estimate	3,898,588,444	124,511,650	39,696,371	3.94	60.3
1987	estimate	3,981,898,157	126,538,846	39,760,639	3.89	60.8
1988	estimate	4,067,142,661	126,019,769	40,167,917	3.77	61.0
1989	estimate	4,151,102,430	127,286,918	40,145,916	3.71	61.5
1990	estimate	4,236,074,142	128,377,286	40,681,155	3.65	61.6
1991	estimate	4,322,019,338	123,387,714	40,947,798	3.43	61.8
1992	estimate	4,401,191,094	121,828,353	41,109,967	3.32	62.0
1993	estimate	4,478,882,801	121,155,629	41,441,598	3.24	62.1
1994	estimate	4,556,172,632	120,838,312	42,586,559	3.19	61.9
1995	estimate	4,631,730,452	120,777,956	41,891,856	3.13	62.6
1996	estimate	4,708,772,648	120,298,576	41,937,963	3.08	62.9
1997	estimate	4,784,749,181	120,058,327	41,990,592	3.03	63.3
1998	estimate	4,860,631,217	120,019,856	42,345,700	2.99	63.5
1999	estimate	4,936,670,729	120,287,020	42,556,380	2.95	63.8
2000	estimate	5,011,640,299	121,862,431	42,712,092	2.95	64.2
2001	estimate	5,087,651,093	121,704,747	42,907,690	2.90	64.5
2002	estimate	5,162,814,931	121,851,596	43,124,057	2.87	64.9
2003	estimate	5,237,296,180	122,113,306	43,274,617	2.83	65.3
2004	estimate	5,311,873,888	122,945,020	43,604,321	2.82	65.5
2005	estimate	5,386,978,338	123,484,105	43,611,998	2.79	66.0
2006	estimate	5,462,516,867	124,507,793	43,586,907	2.78	66.5
2007	estimate	5,539,185,050	125,788,193	43,622,243	2.77	66.9
2008	estimate	5,615,663,610	127,491,191	44,048,523	2.77	67.2
2009	estimate	5,694,089,145	128,846,360	44,201,637	2.76	67.6
2010	estimate	5,774,687,602	129,318,015	44,226,674	2.74	68.0
2011	estimate	5,855,626,445	129,961,560	44,416,607	2.73	68.4
2012	estimate	5,936,289,742	132,109,146	44,441,607	2.75	68.9
2013	estimate	6,019,443,974	131,276,252	44,680,171	2.71	69.2
2014	estimate	6,101,404,364	131,448,718	45,109,920	2.70	69.5
2015	estimate	6,182,755,133	130,542,284	45,493,441	2.67	69.7
2016	estimate	6,261,861,382	131,098,467	45,930,845	2.67	70.0
2017	estimate	6,342,175,048	130,117,736	46,478,991	2.63	70.3
2018	estimate	6,422,755,948	127,143,144	46,599,293	2.56	70.6
2019	estimate	6,500,579,814	125,760,795	47,133,785	2.52	70.8
2020	estimate	6,575,474,302	122,310,602	51,134,871	2.44	70.2
2021	estimate	6,645,597,354	121,072,520	57,112,917	2.40	69.0
2022	estimate	6,707,174,112	120,311,233	49,674,307	2.37	71.1
2023	estimate	6,768,500,164	120,145,430	49,775,959	2.36	71.5
2024	estimate	6,833,968,687	120,444,561	50,342,815	2.35	71.7
2025	projection	6,900,691,495	120,462,080	50,973,632	2.34	71.9
2026	projection	6,967,646,037	120,601,016	51,352,881	2.33	72.2
2027	projection	7,033,713,463	120,704,555	52,217,516	2.32	72.3
2028	projection	7,099,117,396	120,873,452	53,142,491	2.31	72.5
2029	projection	7,163,873,589	121,096,760	54,075,117	2.30	72.7
2030	projection	7,228,047,805	121,350,849	55,029,921	2.29	72.8
2031	projection	7,291,602,815	121,588,139	56,016,559	2.28	73.0
2032	projection	7,354,440,074	121,806,984	57,024,546	2.27	73.2
2033	projection	7,416,469,410	122,066,684	58,064,455	2.26	73.3
2034	projection	7,477,728,032	122,337,899	59,107,683	2.25	73.5
2035	projection	7,538,170,345	122,568,274	60,186,307	2.24	73.6
2036	projection	7,597,854,326	122,784,021	61,268,978	2.23	73.8
2037	projection	7,656,691,730	122,931,213	62,376,604	2.22	74.0
2038	projection	7,714,539,681	123,094,914	63,470,081	2.21	74.1
2039	projection	7,771,467,389	123,210,615	64,578,694	2.21	74.3
2040	projection	7,827,433,943	123,336,575	65,681,101	2.20	74.4
2041	projection	7,882,438,445	123,322,174	66,798,550	2.20	74.5
2042	projection	7,936,289,948	123,283,499	67,901,882	2.19	74.7
2043	projection	7,988,932,397	123,233,373	69,008,327	2.19	74.8
2044	projection	8,040,463,437	123,083,670	70,110,976	2.19	75.0
2045	projection	8,090,761,022	122,810,824	71,211,612	2.19	75.1
2046	projection	8,139,694,864	122,519,920	72,300,398	2.18	75.2
2047	projection	8,187,239,924	122,088,947	73,380,557	2.18	75.4
2048	projection	8,233,287,473	121,635,115	74,454,401	2.17	75.5
2049	projection	8,277,771,586	121,122,203	75,523,100	2.17	75.6
2050	projection	8,320,717,706	120,587,391	76,583,767	2.16	75.7
2051	projection	8,361,991,637	120,030,348	77,636,353	2.15	75.9
2052	projection	8,401,661,656	119,463,498	78,685,772	2.15	76.0
2053	projection	8,439,714,687	118,919,761	79,727,611	2.14	76.1
2054	projection	8,476,222,853	118,342,902	80,769,115	2.13	76.2
2055	projection	8,511,153,923	117,869,032	81,790,028	2.12	76.3
2056	projection	8,544,634,992	117,431,273	82,785,041	2.12	76.4
2057	projection	8,576,687,642	117,011,603	83,768,330	2.11	76.5
2058	projection	8,607,293,077	116,628,341	84,734,756	2.10	76.6
2059	projection	8,636,485,657	116,296,406	85,690,171	2.09	76.8
2060	projection	8,664,462,599	115,985,730	86,617,647	2.08	76.9
2061	projection	8,691,227,918	115,677,896	87,498,111	2.08	77.0
2062	projection	8,716,752,118	115,439,587	88,360,340	2.07	77.1
2063	projection	8,741,167,399	115,190,518	89,192,596	2.06	77.2
2064	projection	8,764,478,795	114,969,586	90,025,706	2.05	77.3
2065	projection	8,786,810,535	114,738,261	90,842,439	2.05	77.4
2066	projection	8,808,087,316	114,515,850	91,630,662	2.04	77.5
2067	projection	8,828,319,639	114,263,534	92,424,197	2.03	77.6
2068	projection	8,847,468,550	113,989,278	93,203,671	2.02	77.7
2069	projection	8,865,602,694	113,675,644	93,976,693	2.02	77.8
2070	projection	8,882,618,125	113,374,514	94,747,749	2.01	77.9
2071	projection	8,898,618,673	113,070,319	95,516,898	2.01	78.0
2072	projection	8,913,490,775	112,702,189	96,305,724	2.00	78.1
2073	projection	8,927,287,147	112,328,709	97,069,407	2.00	78.2
2074	projection	8,939,945,731	111,909,656	97,833,081	1.99	78.3
2075	projection	8,951,433,334	111,471,978	98,593,853	1.99	78.4
2076	projection	8,961,605,865	111,024,751	99,340,401	1.98	78.5
2077	projection	8,970,619,808	110,546,564	100,065,648	1.98	78.6
2078	projection	8,978,489,763	110,007,831	100,765,446	1.97	78.7
2079	projection	8,985,080,760	109,469,985	101,417,607	1.97	78.8
2080	projection	8,990,540,748	108,941,583	102,037,564	1.96	78.8
2081	projection	8,994,847,483	108,369,279	102,587,832	1.96	78.9
2082	projection	8,997,887,355	107,852,291	103,090,694	1.95	79.0
2083	projection	9,000,013,028	107,273,910	103,558,456	1.95	79.1
2084	projection	9,001,074,845	106,719,842	103,976,550	1.94	79.2
2085	projection	9,001,210,626	106,146,940	104,361,322	1.94	79.3
2086	projection	9,000,483,888	105,579,430	104,692,051	1.93	79.4
2087	projection	8,998,808,656	105,019,476	105,003,833	1.93	79.5
2088	projection	8,996,257,429	104,487,018	105,292,970	1.92	79.5
2089	projection	8,992,790,371	103,959,572	105,586,040	1.92	79.6
2090	projection	8,988,632,174	103,431,236	105,850,702	1.91	79.7
2091	projection	8,983,710,291	102,926,214	106,113,188	1.91	79.8
2092	projection	8,977,947,870	102,420,620	106,391,900	1.90	79.9
2093	projection	8,971,411,073	101,916,210	106,685,633	1.90	80.0
2094	projection	8,964,097,169	101,429,500	106,971,241	1.89	80.1
2095	projection	8,956,013,378	100,935,462	107,278,185	1.89	80.2
2096	projection	8,947,166,489	100,480,107	107,554,670	1.88	80.3
2097	projection	8,937,630,273	100,036,041	107,861,523	1.88	80.3
2098	projection	8,927,306,529	99,573,586	108,141,200	1.88	80.4
2099	projection	8,916,281,046	99,123,524	108,398,150	1.87	80.5
2100	projection	8,904,556,540	98,647,133	108,638,165	1.87	80.6

AGG · membership

What Low-and-middle-income countries is

Low-and-middle-income countries 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: Low-and-middle-income countries, mid-2026, by single year of age

Low-and-middle-income countries: population by single year of age, mid-2026
Age	Male	Female
0	60,218,100	57,424,400
1	59,706,000	56,943,800
2	59,399,100	56,596,900
3	59,175,800	56,329,900
4	59,259,000	56,379,800
5	59,657,800	56,695,900
6	60,805,100	57,607,100
7	61,941,900	58,555,800
8	62,877,600	59,388,500
9	63,732,800	60,088,900
10	63,676,400	59,947,800
11	63,626,300	59,821,500
12	63,747,800	59,854,300
13	63,920,900	59,925,100
14	63,485,400	59,444,100
15	62,520,800	58,509,500
16	62,009,900	58,012,900
17	61,303,400	57,380,900
18	60,222,300	56,434,400
19	59,109,400	55,478,500
20	58,155,200	54,667,700
21	57,358,600	54,003,400
22	56,590,200	53,385,800
23	55,917,600	52,858,400
24	55,413,100	52,452,900
25	55,101,800	52,186,600
26	54,390,900	51,572,800
27	53,494,900	50,815,300
28	53,064,500	50,468,900
29	52,811,400	50,282,800
30	52,638,100	50,170,500
31	52,354,100	49,964,300
32	52,005,300	49,721,200
33	51,827,600	49,647,000
34	51,954,800	49,829,500
35	53,168,200	51,007,700
36	53,689,600	51,591,200
37	52,629,400	50,708,200
38	52,018,200	50,247,600
39	51,267,200	49,697,700
40	49,715,900	48,385,900
41	48,161,400	47,014,600
42	46,728,500	45,708,400
43	46,025,900	45,078,400
44	45,064,200	44,194,400
45	43,399,200	42,660,300
46	42,004,200	41,406,200
47	40,448,100	40,011,300
48	39,088,300	38,820,400
49	38,449,300	38,335,300
50	38,051,000	38,103,000
51	37,780,100	37,976,900
52	37,734,500	38,069,200
53	37,393,100	37,878,700
54	36,859,400	37,485,400
55	36,481,900	37,229,000
56	35,715,000	36,600,000
57	34,636,000	35,735,900
58	32,907,200	34,185,900
59	31,460,800	32,884,900
60	31,045,000	32,653,300
61	30,332,600	32,118,800
62	30,003,800	31,989,300
63	28,420,200	30,543,600
64	24,368,200	26,537,100
65	21,738,400	24,008,400
66	20,986,500	23,436,200
67	20,645,000	23,274,400
68	20,735,300	23,581,400
69	19,803,000	22,814,500
70	18,561,300	21,716,300
71	17,606,900	20,929,000
72	16,231,000	19,618,200
73	15,076,300	18,549,200
74	13,730,400	17,209,400
75	12,314,900	15,725,600
76	11,058,000	14,351,500
77	9,581,600	12,591,000
78	8,393,360	11,177,500
79	7,385,990	10,024,900
80	6,354,230	8,789,340
81	5,449,430	7,666,400
82	4,690,480	6,746,940
83	4,069,250	6,065,780
84	3,565,570	5,566,000
85	3,067,320	4,999,450
86	2,563,820	4,361,220
87	2,129,400	3,777,700
88	1,757,390	3,251,150
89	1,397,230	2,702,540
90	1,078,540	2,188,810
91	813,427	1,730,690
92	602,847	1,342,420
93	438,072	1,032,750
94	308,110	767,667
95	213,089	559,424
96	143,654	401,067
97	93,779	278,481
98	59,377	185,440
99	36,318	118,604
100+	50,594	185,156

AGG · 1950–2100 · every age, every year

Low-and-middle-income countries, 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 Low-and-middle-income countries

On the UN's projection, Low-and-middle-income countries will have the most working-age people it ever has in 2071: 5,531,410,000 people aged 15–64. In 2023 it had 4,422,260,000.

100 aged 15–64

41 children

13 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: the strip runs 1950 to 2100. Coloured years are the ones with under 50 dependants for every 100 people aged 15–64; grey years are the rest, and a hatched year has not happened yet.

How every country compares

AGG · arrivals minus departures

Who arrives in Low-and-middle-income countries, and who leaves

In 2020–2025 Low-and-middle-income countries loses 4,353,407 people a year: everyone who arrives, minus everyone who leaves. The age at which that happens most is 20–24, at 696,577 a year more leaving than arriving.

one square = 100,000 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.

Its best and worst years between 1950 and 2023: a gain of 769,703 (1967), and a loss of 9,310,921 (2022).

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 Low-and-middle-income countries

Of every 100 babies born in low-and-middle-income countries 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 13 under 20 and 18 aged 35 or older.

1950
13 · 69 · 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: 120,145,430
Average age when women have a baby: 28.0 years; 29.1 in 1950
Babies a year per 1,000 girls aged 15–19: 43; 107 in 1950

Babies by the mother's age, 1950–2100

Babies born in low-and-middle-income countries by the mother's age
Mother's age	1950	1975	2000	2023	2050 projected	2100 projected
10–14	665,379	1,083,761	1,036,053	340,237	175,581	40,303
15–19	9,342,133	14,772,380	17,642,952	11,759,395	8,918,852	3,887,310
20–24	20,017,934	32,568,732	38,374,304	33,031,464	27,114,300	16,292,856
25–29	18,453,435	25,930,958	33,090,952	34,104,248	34,397,125	29,223,648
30–34	13,108,720	16,151,886	18,957,463	23,906,702	29,044,269	28,929,555
35–39	8,887,441	9,937,577	8,983,809	12,276,677	15,442,854	15,355,759
40–44	4,089,466	4,325,710	3,133,247	3,977,983	4,761,031	4,360,840
45–49	608,853	786,229	610,644	704,572	696,017	539,363
50–54	22,894	38,949	33,007	44,152	37,362	17,499
All babies	75,196,255	105,596,182	121,862,431	120,145,430	120,587,391	98,647,133

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.