March 30, 2012
How Many People Have There Been?
Whatever you think the answer is to the question posed in the title, I'd guess that that your estimate is way off. Mine sure was as I was seduced by a promiscuous factoid. Enjoy!
How Many People Have Ever Lived On Earth? 108 Billion
| Year | Population | Births per 1,000 | Births Between Benchmarks |
| 50,000 B.C. | 2 | - | - |
| 8000 B.C. | 5,000,000 | 80 | 1,137,789,769 |
| 1 A.D. | 300,000,000 | 80 | 46,025,332,354 |
| 1200 | 450,000,000 | 60 | 26,591,343,000 |
| 1650 | 500,000,000 | 60 | 12,782,002,453 |
| 1750 | 795,000,000 | 50 | 3,171,931,513 |
| 1850 | 1,265,000,000 | 40 | 4,046,240,009 |
| 1900 | 1,656,000,000 | 40 | 2,900,237,856 |
| 1950 | 2,516,000,000 | 31-38 | 3,390,198,215 |
| 1995 | 5,760,000,000 | 31 | 5,427,305,000 |
| 2011 | 6,215,000,000 | 23 | 2,130,327,622 |
| NUMBER WHO HAVE EVER BEEN BORN | 107,602,707,791 |
| World population in mid-2011 | 6,987,000,000 |
| Percent of those ever born who are living in 2011 | 6.5 |
Source: Population Reference Bureau estimates.