Talk:List of countries by population/sandbox



This is a list of countries and dependent territories by population with inclusion within the list being based on the ISO standard ISO 3166-1.

The list includes sovereign states, inhabited dependent territories and, in some cases, constituent countries of sovereign states. The United Kingdom is considered (as a sovereign state) as a single entity in the lists while the constituent countries of the Netherlands are regarded separately.

Also given in percent is each country's population compared to the population of the world, which according to the United States Census Bureau population clock is estimated at 0 billion. According to a separate estimate by the United Nations, world population exceeded 7 billion in October 2011.

Method
Figures used in this chart are based on the most up to date estimate or projections by the national census authority where available, and are usually rounded off. Where updated national data are not available, figures are based on the projections for 2014 by the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

Because the compiled figures are not collected at the same time in every country, or at the same level of accuracy, the resulting numerical comparisons may create misleading conclusions. Furthermore, the addition of figures from all countries may not equal the world total. A handful of nations have not conducted a census in over 3 decades, providing high error margin estimates only.

Areas that form integral parts of sovereign states, such as the countries of the United Kingdom, are counted as part of the sovereign states concerned. Not included are other entities, such as the European Union, that are not sovereign states, and dependent territories that do not have permanent populations, such as various countries' claims to Antarctica.

For a graphical version of this list, see list of countries by population (graphical). See also List of sovereign states and dependent territories by population density and the list of regional organizations by population.

Countries
Note: All dependent territories are shown in italics.