Author: Andy

Latest government data (from the 2016 census) puts the Cook Islands population at 17,459 people.

This figure includes short term visitors to the island, mainly tourists on holiday. The resident population of the Cook Islands (from September 2016) is estimated to be 11,700.

Unless otherwise noted, statistics in this article are drawn from the results of the 2011 Cook Islands census.

How many people live in the Cook Islands today?

Results from the 2011 census indicated that there were 17,794 people on the Cook Islands on 1 December 2011. This was made up of 14,974 residents and 2,820 visitors, mostly tourists holidaying in the Cook Islands.

Of the Cook Islands residents, 7,409 were male and 7,484 were female.

Rarotonga is the most populous island in the Cooks, home to 10,572 residents and 2,523 of the 2,820 visitors.

Population Growth in the Cook Islands

Population in the Cook Islands varies from year to year.

This is partly because within a small population a slightly higher than normal number of deaths or births in one year can have a dramatic affect on population figures.

It is also partly because many Cook Islanders spend time off the islands, living in other countries – primarily New Zealand, where they have citizenship.

The Cook Islands population grew steadily during the first half of the 20th century, from around 8,000 people in 1900 to just over 20,000 people (visitors and residents) in 1971.

After a small dip in the 1970s the population has stabilised at around 18,000 people, including around 15,000 residents.

The resident population of the Cook Islands at the last three censuses is as follows:

Ethnic Groups in the Cook Islands

Cook Islands Maori are the largest ethnic group on the Cook Islands. 81% (12,180 people) reported that they were Cook Islands Maori and a further 7% (1,005 people) reported that they were part Cook Islands Maori.

The remaining 12% of respondents (1,789 people) reported that they were of another ethnic origin – most commonly of New Zealand European origin.

The ethnic composition of Rarotonga, the largest island, is different to the other islands in the country – almost all of the respondents who reported that they were of another ethnic origin live on Rarotonga.

Religion in the Cook Islands

94% of Cook Islanders reported that they were religious, and almost all of those respondents reported that they were associated with a Christian faith.

The four main churches on the Cook Islands are the protestant Cook Islands Christian Church (49%, 7,535 members), followed by the Roman Catholic Church (17%, 2,540 members), the Seventh Day Adventist Church (8%, 1,190 members) and the Mormon Church of the Latter Day Saints (5%, 656 members).

A further 841 people (6%) reported that they had no religion, and the remaining respondents reported that they were members of another, smaller, church.

Cook Islands languages

The two main languages in the Cook Islands are English and Cook Islands Maori. Both are official languages of the Cook Islands and over 90% of the Cook Islands population can speak and write in both languages.

While almost everyone is able to speak and write in English, the number who can speak and write in Cook Islands Maori varies, depending on ethnicity. Those who are Cook Island Maori are most likely to be fluent, followed by those who are part Cook Islands Maori and then those of other ethnic groups.

Cook Island Maori is closely related to New Zealand Maori. The language has been placed on the UNESCO endangered language list but with government support is actively being promoted and preserved.

Other languages in the Cook Islands include Penrhynese, Pukapukan and Rakahanga-Manihiki. They are also considered to be endangered languages.

Largest cities in the Cook Islands

Avarua, the capital city of the Cook Islands, is the only town or city on the Cook Islands of any significant size. It is located on the northern shore of Rarotonga, the largest of the Cook Islands.

According to data from 2006, the population of Avarua is 5,445 people.

Largest islands in the Cook Islands

Instead of recording population by cities, it is more useful to record the Cook Islands population by island.

Rarotonga is the largest of the Cook Islands, and the large majority of Cook Islanders live there. In 2011, the population of Rarotonga was 10,572 people.

Aitutaki is the second largest island, with a population of 1,771 people in 2011, followed by Mangaia, with a population of 562 people.

Here is a full list of the Cook Islands listing their 2011 resident population.

The Cook Islands are divided into two groups, north and south. This classification is also used at times to record population. The population of Rarotonga and the two Cook Islands groups in 2011, sorted by resident population, is as follows:

Education and Literacy Rate

The Cook Islands spends 3.1% of GDP on education. Education is compulsory for all children from 5-15 years.

The literacy rate in the Cook Islands is 95%

Many students go on to further and higher (university) education outside of the Cook Islands, normally at universities in New Zealand.

An increasing number of students are choosing to study at the University of the South Pacific, which has a Cook Islands campus and delivers many courses remotely or by distance learning.

Other Cook Islands demographic data

Data in this section is drawn from the CIA World Factbook article about the Cook Islands. Data, unless otherwise noted, is from 2015.

Sex ratio

At birth the ratio is 1.04 male(s)/female, which is slightly below the world average of 1.06 male(s)/female.

At higher ages, however, the ratio is more strongly skewed in favour of males than females compared to the rest of the world.

The ratio across the total population is 1.07 male(s)/female, which is considerably higher than the world average of 0.79 male(s)/female.

Life expectancy

Life expectancy in the Cook Islands is 75.6 years. Cook Island males can expect to live for 72.7 years, and females can expect to live for 78.6 years.

Median age

The Cook Islands has a relatively young population. Median age in the Cook Islands is 35.25 years.

For males, the median age is 34.6 years and for females the median age is 35.7 years.

Birth and death rate

The birth rate in the Cook Islands is 14.33 births/1,000 population. This is below the global average of 19.15 births/1,000 population.

The death rate in the Cook Islands is 8.03 deaths/1,00 population. This is slightly above the global average of 7.89 deaths/1,000 population.

Fertility rate

The fertility rate in the Cook Islands is 2.23 children per woman.

This is only slightly below the replacement fertility rate (the rate needed to sustain a population) which is 2.33 children per woman.

Coconut consumption

The Cook Islands is one of the few countries in the world to ask a question about coconut consumption as a part of its census.

The survey revealed that 2,947 households in the Cook Islands used 28,461 coconuts every week. That’s 10 coconuts per home per week.

Coconuts are also widely used for feeding livestock. 1,645 households reported using coconuts to feed animals, going through a total of 123,427 coconuts per week. That’s 75 coconuts per household per week.

The census also reported that 5,647 coconuts were used by 117 households for other, unspecified purposes.
There are a lot of coconuts on the Cook Islands.

Cook Islands population pyramid

The image below is of the Cook Islands 2016 population pyramid.

The population of France (2021) is 67,413,000. This estimate was produced in May 2021 by the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Insee).

France is the 20th largest country in the world, the fourth largest country in Europe, and the second largest country in the European Union.

France’s population is growing steadily, and it is today the fastest growing country in the European Union.

How many people live in France today?

When considering how many people live in France, it is important to understand that France itself is divided into two parts – Metropolitan France and the Overseas Departments and Territories of France.

Source: Godefroy

The largest part is known as Metropolitan France. This is the part of France that is actually in Europe. It has a population of 64,570,000.

The other part of France is its overseas departments which, despite being scattered all around the world (see: What Continent is France in?), are considered integral parts of France. Their residents are citizens of France, use the Euro as their currency, and are represented in the French parliament and the European Parliament.

There are five main French overseas departments, which, together with a small number of overseas territories, have a population of 2,119,000. The five French territories are:

Because parts of France are scattered across the world, it is what is known as a Trans-Continental country. See our article ‘What continent is France in?’ for more details.

Population growth in France

France has one of the highest natural population growth rates in the European Union. Although population growth was flat during the first half of the 20th century, its population has been growing steadily ever since and is currently growing at around 0.6% per annum.

France’s population is projected to rise steadily in the next few decades. By 2030, the population is expected to rise to over 70 million and, by 2055 there are likely to be more people living in France than there are living in Germany.

Because of the first and second world wars and the impact of the 1930s Depression in Europe, the population of France did not grow significantly between 1900 and 1945.

The population of France in 1914 was 41.6 million , a high that it was not to reach again until 1950.

The population of France fell by more than 2.5 million during the First World War, to 38.6 million. Although it recovered briefly in the 1920s and early 1930s to 41.5 million, the population was to be decimated again in the late 1930s and during the Second World War.

By 1945, the population of France had dropped again to just 39.6 million people. Renewed confidence after the end of the war saw a dramatic rise in birth rates, and France’s baby boom generation was born.

Ethnic groups in France

Since 1872 a law has been in place which prevents the French Government from collecting data on ethnicity, so official data is not available.

INSEE does, however, collect data on nationality. This showed that, in 2010, 89.7% of people in France were French by birth.

A further 4.4% of people in France were French by acquisition, 5.9% were foreign, and 8.6% were immigrants.

Ethnic French people are descended from a number of European peoples, including Celts, Iberians, Italians, Germans and Greeks. Immigrants into France over the past century mainly come from its former colonies and, more recently, from around the European Union and the globe.

An Institut Montaigne estimate, published in the Economist, argues that the the population of France in 2004 was made up of the following ethnic groups:

Religions in France

France is a secular country, and does not collect data on religion in its census.

However, a number of surveys have been conducted which demonstrate that Christianity remains, by far, the largest religion in France, followed by Islam as France’s second religion.

One of the most recent surveys, undertaken in 2012 by the Institut CSA (Consumer Science & Analytics) reported that 56% of French people regarded themselves as Christians, 32% had no religion, and 6% were Muslims.

This is broadly in line with other surveys undertaken in recent years.

Almost all of the reported Christians in France are Roman Catholic.

Languages in France

French is the official state language of France, and the most widely spoken language. It’s status is protected in the French constitution and it must by law be used in all official communications, as well as in any workplace or commercial communication.

France also has a wide range of regional languages, although none of them have official status. These are spoken as secondary languages, alongside French. They include Celtic languages (such as Breton), German languages (such as Alsatian and French Flemish) and Gallo-Romance languages (such as Languedocien).

Language map of France (source).

A number of additional languages have been introduced into France by immigrants, including Arabic, which is the most widely spoken second language in France, and Berber, a North African language.

There is not much data available about the number of people who speak various languages in France. The most recent available is a 1999 survey by the Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (INSEE) which indicated that French was the mother tongue of 39.36 million people in France, followed by German dialects (0.97 million) and Arabic (0.94 million)

There are also a number of languages spoken alongside French in its overseas departments.

Education and literacy rate

The public education system in France is divided into primary, secondary and higher education. It is regulated centrally by the Ministry of National Education and teachers and university professors are all state employees.

Attendance at school is compulsory from the age of 6 until the age of 16, although most French children will also attend nursery school from the age of 3 or 4.

Most higher (university) education is state funded, although students do often have to pay a small tuition fee. The fees are set by the state, and the average is €190 per year. Some courses charge slightly higher fees, for example engineering (€620/year) and medicine (€452/year).

There are approximately 2.3 million students in tertiary education in France, a number that is roughly comparable with the UK (2.6 million) and Germany (2.4 million).

Literacy rate in France

Literacy rates in France have not been collected by INSEE since 2004.

Figures from 2003 show that France’s literacy rate is one of the highest in the world, at 99% for both male and female.

There is no reason to suggest that there has been a significant change in these figures since 2003.

Population Density in France

Although France is the second largest country by population in the European Union, it is also the largest country by area in the European Union.

Source: Der Statistiker

This means that France is less densely populated than other European countries with a comparable population, such as the UK or Germany.

The area of Metropolitan France (the part of France in Europe) is 551,695 square kilometres. So, with a total 2016 population of 64,750,000 in Metropolitan France, we can see that Metropolitan France has a population density of 117.37 people per square kilometre.

If we include France’s overseas departments and territories, the area of France increases to 643,801 square kilometres. The population (2016) also increases, to 66,689,000. By dividing 66,689,000 by 643,801, we see that the overall population density of France is 103.57 people per square kilometer.

The population density of France’s overseas departments and territories is far lower than the population of Metropolitican France. It’s population density is just 21.05 people per square kilometer.

Largest cities in France

Paris is the largest city in France. The population of Paris (2012) is 2,240,621 people. It is the fifth largest city in the European Union (after London, Berlin, Madrid and Rome) and the ninth largest city in the tt of Europe.

This is lower than the highest population recorded in Paris, which was 2.9 million people in 1921.

In the wider Paris urban area there is a much larger population of 10,550,350 people. The Paris urban area includes the built up suburbs and areas around the city of Paris, and is the most populous urban area in the European Union.

In the Paris metropolitan area (which includes the city proper, its suburbs, and other urban areas within commenting distance of Paris) there is a population of 12,405,426. This is the second largest metro area in the EU, after London which has a population of 14 million.

Other major cities in France include Marseille (population 852,516), Lyon (496,343), Toulouse (453,317), and Nice (343,619). Here is a list of the ten largest cities in France by population (based on 2012 data).

Saint-Denis, in Réunion, is the largest city in France’s overseas departments and the 21st largest city in France overall. It has a population of 142,244.

(Saint-Denis in Réunion should not be confused with Saint-Denis in Île-de-France, which is home to 108,274 people and is France’s 37th largest city.)

St Pierre in Reunion is second largest overseas city. It has a population of 81,415.

Other French demographic data

Sex ratio

The overall sex ratio (the ratio of males to females) in France is 0.96 males to every female (2015 estimate).

At birth there are 1.05 males to every female. Aged 65 or over there are 0.75 males to every female.

This is roughly similar to the EU average.

Life expectancy

Overall life expectancy in France is 82 years. This is the highest life expectancy in the European Union and the ninth highest in the world.

Life expectancy for men in France is 78.7 years (sixteenth in the world) and life expectancy for women in France is 85.2 years (fourth in the world).

Median age

The median age in France is 40.9 years.

For French men, the median age is 39.3 years and for French women the median age is 42.4 years.

Birth and death rate

The birth rate and fertility rate in France are both among the highest in the European Union.

The 2015 birth rate in France is 11.9 births per 1,000 population. This is higher than the EU average of 10.1 births per 1,000 population (2014 data).

The 2015 death rate is 9.2 deaths per 1,000 population. This is slightly lower than the EU average of 9.9 deaths per 1,000 population.

Fertility rate

The fertility rate in France is also one of the highest in the European Union. After many years of decline during the 20th century, the fertility rate in 2012 was 2.01 children per woman.

This is considerably higher than the EU average of 1.6 children per woman, and is close to what is known as the replacement rate – the number of children needed to ensure that the population remains stable.

France Diplomatie puts this down to family friendly government policies in France, including benefits and tax allowances for families, and generous maternity and paternity leave policies.

French population pyramid

Here is a French population pyramid, based on 2016 data.

China is home to more than 1.3 billion people, making it the most populous country in the world. That’s roughly one in every five people on the planet.

The Russian government estimates that the population of Russia is 146,171,015. This includes the population of Crimea, which is disputed between Russia and Ukraine. Based on this, Russia is the 9th most populous country in the world and the most populous country in Europe.

How many people live in Russia today?

Although Russia’s population has been gradually declining since the fall of the Soviet Union, the fall has slowed and stabilised in recent years. Since 2011, the population has increased modestly. The population of Russia in 2016 was 146,519,759. Data for 2017 has not, at the time of writing, been published.

When Crimea was annexed in 2014 Russia’s population received a one off increase of 2,248,400 people (based on Ukrainian census data). This increase is included in the total population figures listed in this article.

This total makes Russia the ninth largest country in the world, and the largest country in Europe, by population. Because Russia is in both Europe and Asia, it is also ranked as the sixth largest country in Asia.

Russian population growth & decline

While a part of the Soviet Union, Russia’s population grew steadily, from 98 million at the end of the second world war to 148.5 million in 1991, just before the collapse of the Soviet Union.

For the next 20 years, the population of Russia declined steadily. From its 1992 peak of 148,538,000, the number of people living in Russia fell to a low of just 143,201,700 in 2012.

The main cause of this fall in population was the shock and economic uncertainty of the transition from communism to capitalism. Russians emigrated in large numbers, often to Europe, other parts of the former Soviet Union and Israel, in search of a better and more stable life.

In an uncertain economic and political climate people put off having children and the Russian birth rate fell. This combined with an increase in the death rate – caused by factors such as poor health and healthcare, increased violence and increased consumption of alcohol – meant that, from 1992 onwards, more people in Russia were dying than being born.

As a result of the increased stability of recent years population decline in Russia gradually slowed and, in 2012, Russia saw its first population increase in two decades. Since then, Russia’s population has been steadily, if very very modestly, growing.

The incorporation of Crimea, annexed from Ukraine in 2014, boosted Russia’s population by a further 2.2 million people, but has not arrested the ongoing long-term decline in population.

Russian census

Russia holds a census roughly once every decade. The last Russian census was held in 2010. It followed an earlier census in 2002. The next Russian census is likely to take place in 2020, although this has not been confirmed by the Russian government.

The Russian government had planned to delay the 2010 census until 2013 because of a lack of funding. However, at the last minute, funding was allocated to allow the census to go ahead in 2010 after all.

The census reported that Russia’s population in 2010 was 142.9 million. This demonstrated a decrease of 1.6% (2.3 million) from the previous census in 2002.

Russian population predictions are usually developed by extrapolating the data from the most recent census.

Data from the 2010 census can be found on the official Russian federal statistics service website (in Russian).

Largest ethnic groups

The largest ethnic group in Russia is ethnic Russians. There are 111 million ethnic Russians in the Russian Federation, making up 80.1% of the population.

5.3 million Tatars, mostly based in southern European Russia, are the next largest group at 3.9% of the population. Other major groups are Ukrainians (1.4% / 1.9 million), Bashkirs (1.1% / 1.5 million), Chuvashs (1.0% / 1.4 million), Chechens (1.0% / 1.4 million) and Armenians (0.9% / 1.2 million). 5.6 million people (3.9%) did not declare their ethnicity in their census answers.

In total there are 185 ethnic groups in Russia. You can see a full list here.

Religion

The Russian census doesn’t record religious belief, so all data is based on surveys and estimates. For this article, we have used data from the 2012 Arena Atlas of Religions and Nationalities of the Russian Federation.

The Arena survey found that the largest religion in Russia is Orthodox Christianity, with 41% of Russians identifying as Russian Orthodox Christians. Other Christian groups (including other Orthodox Christians, Protestants, Catholics, and other unaffiliated Christians) make up 7.3% of the Russian population.

After Christianity, Islam is the second largest religion in Russia, with 6.5% of the population. Other religions include native religions (1.2%) and Buddhism (0.5%).

Islam is the second largest religious group, with 6.5% of the population. Although some surveys claim that the number of Muslims in Russia is much higher – between 10% and 20% of the population – this is because people have identified themselves in censuses and other surveys as belonging to “Islamic ethnic groups” in Russia, and not necessarily as actively religious.

Other religious groups of significant size are Unaffiliated Christians (Protestant, Catholic, etc) (4.1% ), other Orthodox Christians (1.5%).

A quarter of Russians (25%) identified themselves as spiritual but not religious, 13% of Russians identified themselves as Atheists, and 5.5% reported that they were undecided.

Although Russia does not have an official state religion, the Russian Orthodox Church has an increasingly visible and influential role in Russian society and politics. Its growth has been helped by by the introduction of a law in 1997 which limited the ability of other religious organisations (which often come from outside of Russia) to undertake missionary work in Russia.

It is important to note that many of the Russians who identify as religious, and particularly those who identify themselves as Orthodox Christians, are non-observant. This means that they rarely or never attend church.

It is likely that the lack of engagement with religion in Russia is, at least in part, due to the Soviet Union’s legacy of atheism and repression of religion. Marx, and later Lenin, both referred to religion as the “opiate of the masses”, a drug which allowed workers to be exploited by the ruling classes.

During the Soviet era, religion was tolerated to an extent, but very strongly discouraged. In the 1920s church property was seized by the state, thousands of religious people including priests were imprisoned or killed, and publishing religious material and books was made illegal.

Languages

Russian language

There are over 130 languages in use in Russia today, but Russian is the official state language of the Russian Federation. According to the 2010 census, it is the native language of 85.7% of people in Russia, but it is spoken and understood by almost everyone in Russia today.

Other languages in Russia

A number of other languages have legal status in Russian regions. They are:

Because of the high number of immigrants in the Russian Federation, normally from other former Soviet countries, a large number of other languages are also widely spoken in Russia, even if they have no official status. The 2010 census reports the following numbers, although because many migrants are undocumented the real numbers are likely to be much higher:

• Armenian | 830,000
• Azerbaijani | 515,000
• Kazakh | 472,000
• Uzbek | 245,000
• Kyrgyz | 247,000
• Tajik | 177,000
• Georgian | 102,000

Endangered languages in Russia

Many of Russia’s 130 plus languages are spoken primarily in Siberia and Russia’s Far East, but others are found and spoken in the Caucasus, Northern Russia and the Caucasus.

Some languages have already been declared extinct by UNESCO – examples include Arman, Kamas and Karelian. Others are classified as endangered, and at high risk of becoming extinct within a generation or two. These include some regionally recognised languages, such as Kalmyk. Some, such as Ainu or Enets, have less than 100 speakers.

Education and Literacy Rate

Russia has a large and comprehensive network of schools, colleges and universities, and school education in Russia is free. As a result, it has a very high literacy rate of 99.4% (male: 99.7%, female: 99.2%).

According to a 2012 OECD survey more than half of Russian adults (53%) have attained a tertiary (university) education. This is almost double the OECD overage of 32%, although there are questions about the variable quality of Russia’s university education.

Russia spends 4.1% of its GDP on education (2008 figures).

Largest cities in Russia

Most of Russia’s population, and most of its largest cities are in Western and Southern Russia.

Moscow is the most populous city in Russia and the second largest city in Europe (after Istanbul).

Other major cities in Russia (data from 2010 census) include St Petersburg (4.9 million), Novosibirsk (1.5 million) and Yekaterinburg (1.3 million). See the table below for more details.

Population of Moscow 2016

Estimates, based on data from the 2010 census, indicate that in 2016 Moscow has a population of 12.2 million permanent residents. With the addition of an estimated 1.8 million people with official temporary residency, the population rises to 14.0 million.

However, the true population of Moscow is likely to be higher as a result of undocumented and illegal immigration which was not captured in census results. Estimates which include approximately 1 million undocumented migrants push Moscow’s population up to over 15 million.

Cities in Russia by population (table)

According to the latest census, there were 12 Russian cities with a population of more than 1 million people in 2010, and 164 cities with a population of more than 100,000. Here is a table that lists all of the Russian cities with a population of more than 1 million people:

Population Density

Russia has a population density of 22 people per square mile (8.4 per square kilometer).

Russia is the largest country in the world by area, and even though it has Europe’s largest population of nearly 150 million people, they are spread thinly across the country. World Bank data shows that Russia is the 15th least densely populated country in the world.

For comparison, though, it is interesting to see that the Russian Federation is more densely populated than some other major countries such as Canada (4 people per square kilometer) and Australia (3 people per square kilometer).

Siberia is far less densely populated than European Russia, with a density of 8 people per square mile (3 per square kilometer). Some Siberian regions, such as the Koryak Okrug have a population density of less than 0.1 people per kilometer. Or, to put it another way – one person for every ten kilometers.

Urban vs Rural population

Russia is an industrialised economy with a heavily urbanised population. Almost three quarters of Russians (74.0%) live in urban areas, compared to just over one quarter (26.0%) of people who live in rural areas.

In contrast to many countries, where urban populations are increasing as people move from the country to cities, Russia has been de-urbanising in recent years, and the number of people in urban areas compared to rural areas has decreased very slightly over the past 20 years.

Other Russian demographic data

Sex ratio

The sex ratio in Russia at birth is 1.06 males to each female. This is roughly the same as the world average of 1.07 boys to each girl at birth.

However, across the entire population, the proportion of male to female is much lower – 0.86 males to every female.

At the extreme, among elderly Russians – those over 65 years of age – there are three women for every man.

This gap stands in dramatic contrast with the rest of the world, where there are, on average, 1.02 men for every woman. There are two main reasons for this difference.

The first is that Russian men have a much higher than normal mortality rate. As we shall see in the next section, the life expectancy of Russian men is eleven years lower than the life expectancy of Russian women.

The second is that Russia, and other former Soviet countries, are still suffering significantly from the high death toll among men in the second world war. Data from 1950, for example, shows that, for every 100 women in Russia, there were only 76.6 men.

Life expectancy

The average life expectancy in Russia is 71.6 years (2013 data).

However, this hides a massive difference between the life expectancy of Russian men and women. Russian women live for 76.5 years – more than eleven years longer than the average Russian man, who lives for just 65.1 years.

This difference in Russian life expectancy between male and female is the largest in the world. Although women across the world live longer than men on average, they normally live only five years longer.

Experts have not identified a single cause for this massive gap. It is thought to be a combination of factors, including high levels of alcoholism, violence, diet, pollution and poverty. Russia also has one of the highest male suicide rates in the world. It also has one of the world’s highest death rates from cardiovascular disease.

Median Age

The median age in Russia is 39.6 years. As with life expectancy, the median age for Russian men (36.7 years) is much lower than for Russian women (41.6 years).

Birth rate and death rate in Russia

The birth rate is Russia is 13.3 births per 1,000 population. The death rate is 13.1 deaths per 1,000 population. (2013 data).

This indicates that, excluding factors such as migration, Russia is experiencing a period of slow natural population growth.

Fertility rate

The total fertility rate in Russia was 1.750 in 2014.

This is a significant increase on the lowest fertility rate in modern Russian history of 1.157, which was recorded in 1999. This remains lower than the fertility rate of most industrialised countries, where a fertility rate of just over 2.000 is thought necessary to ensure that the population remains static.

Russian population pyramid

This population pyramid of Russia is based on data from 2015.

Two things stand out about the Russian pyramid.

The first is at the top of the pyramid where you can clearly see that the number of women aged over 70 is much higher than the number of men of the same age. This is because of the massive casualty rate among Russian men during WW2.

The second is the relatively low number of children and young people aged under 20. This is largely the result of a significant drop in birth rates after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Historical Russian population data

This table contains historical Russian population data from 1927 to the present day.

Note: no data was available for the years 1941-45 because it was not collected during the war.

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The population of Tallahassee is 190,894 (latest US Census Bureau data). This makes Tallahassee the 7th largest city in Florida and the 126th largest city in the US. 

Tallahassee is the state capital of Florida, and the county seat of Leon County. Located in North West Florida, the Tallahassee population has grown by 4.7% in the last five years, which is slightly more than the US average of 4.1% but a long way below the Florida average of 7.8%.

The wider Tallahassee metropolitan area, which includes four of Florida’s counties (Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon and Wakulla) has a population of 375,571 people (2014 data).

Tallahassee Population Growth

Although population growth in Tallahassee has slowed over the past five years, it was a boom town in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. In the 1980s, for example, the population grew by 53% – from 81,548 people in 1980 to 124,773 people in 1990.

This was followed by two consecutive decades where growth was more than 20%.

Growth has been slower in recent years (4.7% between 2010 and 2015) and is likely to be slightly over 10% for the period 2010 to 2020.

The table below lists the Tallahassee population for each census year since 1860.

Tallahassee Race Statistics

When it comes to race, the population of Tallahassee differs from the US and Florida averages.

The US Census Bureau reported that in 2010 the White and Hispanic population of Tallahassee was significantly lower than the state average (and national average). By contrast the Black or African American population was significantly higher (around double) the state and national averages.

The table below provides detailed statistics on race in Tallahassee, and compares them to data from the State of Florida and the US as a whole.

Tallahassee Economy / Income Statistics

Per capita income and household income in Tallahassee are both slightly below the Florida average – which, in turn, is slightly below the US average.

Poverty rates, however, are more than double the state and national averages.

Tallahassee Demographics – Education

Tallahassee has the most educated population in Florida – almost half of all residents have a Bachelors degree or higher. This is partly because the city is home to Florida A&M University, and partly because it is the state capital and home to the Florida state government.

The Puerto Rico population is 3,474,182 (latest U.S. Census Bureau data). The number of people living in Puerto Rico has fallen by more than 250,000 people in the last five years.

Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States and not a state in itself. However if Puerto Rico were a state it would be the 30th largest state by population in the USA, sandwiched between Connecticut and Iowa.

The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is a collection of islands in the eastern Caribbean. It is located to the east of the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba. The capital of Puerto Rico, and its largest city, is San Juan.

People born in Puerto Rico are US citizens, although they do not have voting representation in Congress and are not able to vote in US Presidential elections while they are living in Puerto Rico.

How many people live in Puerto Rico today?

The latest Puerto Rico population data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau. They report that on 1 July 2015 the population was 3,474,182. Data on the 2016 Puerto Rico population will be released in June 2017.

After strong population growth in the 1980s and 1990s the Puerto Rico population has begun to decline.

Puerto Rico Population Decline

The number of people living in Puerto Rico fell by 2.2% between the 2020 10 censuses. Since the 2010 census the rate of population decline has increased further and in the last five years the population has fallen by an additional 6.8%.

CNN puts the rate of migration out of Puerto Rico at 230 people per day.

Today’s population of just under 3.5 million people is still considerably higher than the 3.2 million population of 1980. But, if the population of Puerto Rico continues to fall at anticipated rates, experts believe that the population will fall below 3 million people by 2050.

Research by the Pew Foundation shows that the majority of Puerto Ricans who left for the US mainland went either for job related reasons or for family reasons.

Puerto Rico’s economy has struggled in recent years and its level of debt is high. Analysts are concerned that such a high level of outmigration will make Puerto Rico’s economic and debt problems worse over time.

Largest cities in Puerto Rico

San Juan is the largest city in Puerto Rico. In 2015 the population of San Juan was 355,074 people.

The population of San Juan has, like the rest of Puerto Rico, fallen in recent years. Since the 2010 census it has fallen from 395,136 people to just 355,074 today. That’s a decline of more than 10%.

Other major cities (also known as municipalities) in Puerto Rico include Bayamon (pop: 208,116), Carolina (pop: 176,762), Ponce (166,327) and Caguas (pop: 142,893).

Of these cities only Ponce is outside of the wider San Juan Metropolitan area. Around one in every three people living in Puerto Rico live in the wider San Juan metropolitan area.

Here is a list of the 10 largest cities in Puerto Rico. Population data is from 2010.

Puerto Rican population in US

Today there are more Puerto Rican people living in the rest of the USA than there are living in the islands of Puerto Rico.

The latest US Census bureau estimates (2014) indicate that there are 5,266,738 people of Puerto Rican origin in the United States outside of Puerto Rico. This includes people born in Puerto Rico who emigrated and the descendants of earlier emigrants.

As you can see from the map the New York/New Jersey area and Florida have a high density of Puerto Ricans. Each dot on the map represents 1,000 Puerto Ricans.

At the time of the 2010 census there were 1,070,558 people of Puerto Rican origin in the state of New York (23.15% of Puerto Ricans in the continental USA) and 847,550 people of Puerto Rican origin in Florida (18.33%).

New York City is the city with the largest Puerto Rico population in the world. In 2010 there were 723,621 Puerto Ricans in New York City. The next largest Puerto Rican communities in the continental US are Philadelphia (121,643) and Chicago (102,703).

(Source: Puerto Ricans in the United States).

Puerto Rico population density

Based on the 2015 population estimate, population density in Puerto Rico is 988 people per square mile or 382 people per km².

This makes Puerto Rico the fourth most densely populated state or territory in the USA. It is behind only Washington DC (10,589 people per square mile), New Jersey (1,210 people per square mile) and Rhode Island (1,006 people per square mile).

Puerto Rico is 10 times more densely populated than the United States as a whole.

Puerto Rico demographics

Race in Puerto Rico

The latest available data on the ethnic composition of Puerto Rico is from the 2010 census. This indicated that 99.0% of people living in Puerto Rico were Hispanic or Latino.

A more detailed breakdown from the census clarifies that 75.8% of people in Puerto Rico consider themselves to be white and 12.4% consider themselves to be Black or African-American. A further 8.5% consider themselves to be from another group and 3.3% consider themselves to be of mixed race.

Before Spanish colonists began to colonise the islands in the early 16th century, Puerto Rico was inhabited by the Taino Indians. Historians estimate that the Taino population of Puerto Rico was somewhere between 20,000 and 50,000 people in 1508. Just 40 years later less than a hundred remained on the island.

Religion in Puerto Rico

Because of its historic links to Spain, Roman Catholicism is by far the largest religion in Puerto Rico. However, more recent links with the United States mean that there is a substantial and increasing number of Protestants in Puerto Rico.

Estimates of the breakdown of religious groups in Puerto Rico vary but a recent (2014) study by the Pew Research Centre reported that 56% of Puerto Ricans are Catholic and 33% are Protestant. A further 8% are other Christians and 2% follow another religion.

Puerto Rico is believed to be home to approximately 5,000 Muslims and 3,000 Jews. Puerto Rico has the largest Jewish community in the Caribbean.

Reliable data on the number of people in Puerto Rico who are not religious is not available, although the percentage is believed to be much lower than in other parts of the United States – probably in the range of 2% to 5%.

Languages in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico has two official languages – Spanish and English.

Spanish is the primary language spoken by the vast majority of people in Puerto Rico. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that, in 2010, 94.9% of people spoke a language other than English at home.

Because of this almost all business, including government business, and education in Puerto Rico is conducted in the Spanish language.

Although many people – perhaps a majority – in Puerto Rico can speak English to some degree the U.S. Census Bureau reports that only around 30% can speak English very well.

In an attempt to improve the territory’s economic prospects and build closer links with the rest of the United States, the government in Puerto Rico is increasing the number of services and documents it provides in English and increasing the amount of English language education.

Although there are obvious practical benefits from increasing the use of English in Puerto Rico, such plans are also controversial. Opponents are concerned that, if not handled well, they could lead to a decline in the use of Spanish.

Puerto Rico life expectancy

Average life expectancy in Puerto Rico is 79.22 years, according to the UN. Female life expectancy in Puerto Rico is 83.17 years. Male life expectancy is 75.19 years.

This average life expectancy is slightly higher than the average US life expectancy, which the UN puts at 78.88 years.

If Puerto Rico were an independent country it would have the 39th highest life expectancy in the world. If Puerto Rico were a US state it would have the 23rd highest life expectancy in the USA.

Sources and further reading

Unless otherwise noted data in this article comes from the US Census Bureau.

The Pew Research Centre has a section on Hispanic trends on its website which often contains interesting articles and data about Puerto Rico.

Another website we recommend visiting is Welcome to Puerto Rico, which provides plenty of background information about the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Finally the Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico (Instituto de Estadísticas de Puerto Rico) contains a wealth of demographic information. Note: this site is in Spanish only.

This list of countries by population (2021) contains details of the population of every country and dependent territory in the world today.

The table also predicts what the population of each country will be in 2050. This list of the most populous countries in 2050 was compiled using data from the UN (see below for source).

Countries and territories by population (full table)

If you want to read more about the population of countries in this list, click on the country name to go to a more detailed article. You can also sort the table if you want to see which are the most populated countries in each year, or to see the projected percentage increase between 2016 and 2050.

Source: Data for this list comes from the official UN World Population Prospects Report 2015. They produce regular reports detailing how many people live in each country, and projections for population growth. In compiling this table, we have used the UN’s medium fertility variant to rank the most populated countries in 2017.

The Florida population is 20,612,439 (latest US Census Bureau data). This makes Florida the third largest state in the US by population, after California and Texas.

Florida is a State in the South East of the United States, a peninsula on the Gulf of Mexico. Florida is the fifth fastest growing US state, and the 8th most densely populated state in the US. Its largest city is Jacksonville (population 880,619) and its state capital is Tallahassee (population 190,894).

How many people live in Florida today

The latest US Census Bureau estimate (published in December 2016) puts the population of Florida at 20,612,439. Details of the Florida population 2017 will be published in December 2017.

This is based on data from the 2010 census, when the Florida state population was 18,801,310. Since the census was undertaken, Florida’s population has grown by 7.82%, the fifth largest rate of population growth in the country (see below for more details).

Florida is known as a retirement state and, today, almost one in five (19.1%) of people living in Florida are aged over 65 – that’s the highest proportion of retirees in the country. In one county – Sumter County – more than half of residents are aged over 65!

On the flip side, Florida also has the 8th lowest percentage of young people of any state in the US – only 21.9% of Floridians are aged under 18.

During 2014, Florida passed New York to become the third most populous state in the USA. Assuming that the two states relative positions don’t change, Florida stands to gain an additional seat in the US House of Representatives after the 2020 census.

Largest Cities in Florida

Jacksonville is the largest city in Florida by population, as well as the most populous city in the Southeast USA and the 12th largest city in the United States. In 2016, the population of Jacksonville was 880,619.

Jacksonville, which is spread out over 747 square miles, also holds the distinction of being the largest city by area in the continental United States. (Four Alaskan cities are technically larger because they are part of massive administrative boroughs – Sitka, for example, is four times larger than Jacksonville, covering 2,870.3 square miles).

Other major cities in Florida with a population of more than 500,000 people are Miami, Tampa, Orlando, and St Petersburg. Tallahassee, the state capital of Florida is only its seventh largest city.

The table below contains a list of the largest Florida cities by population.

For more detailed statistics and a full list of the state’s 214 most populous cities, read our article on the largest cities in Florida.

Largest Counties in Florida

Miami-Dade County is the largest county in Florida by population (2,662,874) and Palm Beach County is the largest county by area (2,026 square miles).

The smallest county by population in Florida is Liberty County (pop: 8,331 people) and the smallest county by area is Union County (240 square miles).

St Johns is the richest county in Florida $36,836 per capita income, 2013), while Union County is the poorest ($13,590).

The table below lists the five most populous counties in Florida. If you click on the county name you will be taken to an article about the population of that county.

>>CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT FLORIDA COUNTIES

Florida Population Growth

Florida is one of the fastest growing states in the USA. In the past five years Florida has been the fifth fastest growing state in the nation. Its recent population growth rate of 7.8% is almost double the national average of 4.1%.

In the ten years between the last two censuses, the number of people living in Florida increased by nearly three million people – from 12,982,378 people in 2000 to 18,801,310 people in 2010. That’s an increase of 17.6% over just ten years.

Florida’s impressive growth rate shows no sign of slowing – in the first five years after the 2010 census, Florida has added another million and a half people (that’s a Florida population growth rate of 7.8% win just five years) and moved past 20 million people for the first time.

The table below lists the population of Florida at the time of each US Census since 1830.

Florida Population Density

Florida’s population density (2015) is 378 people per square mile (145 people per km2). Florida’s total land area (which is needed to calculate population density) is 53,625 square miles (138,888 km2).

This makes Florida the 8th most densely populated state in the USA. Pinellas County is the most densely populated county in Florida (3,427 people per square mile).

As you can see from the Florida population density map below, the majority of people in Florida are clustered in a few major cities or along the coast. Unsurprisingly for a state which has the longest coastline in the continental US, more than 75% of the people in Florida live within ten miles of the coast.

Image source: JimIrwin at the English language Wikipedia

Florida Demographics

Ethnicity / Race in Florida

The largest single racial or ethnic group in Florida is White (non-Hispanic) which makes up 55.3% of the population.

This percentage has been decreasing steadily for several decades – down from 77.9% in 1970. If this trend continues, it is likely that Florida will become a non-white majority state within the next decade.

Hispanic or Latino is the next largest single group within Florida (24.5%). Florida’s Hispanic population has been steadily increasing (up from 6.6% in 1970) although growth has slowed since the 2010 census.

Black or African American (16.8%) is the third largest group in the state, followed by Asian (2.8%) and American Indian / Alaska Native (0.5%).

Just under one in five (19.6%) people living in Florida today were born outside of the USA.

Religion in Florida

According to the Pew Research Center, Christianity is the most common religion in Florida. In total, 70% of the population of Florida is believed to be Christian.

Just 6% of people are members of a non-Christian faith – the largest being Jewish (3%). The number of Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus is lower than 1% in each group.

A further 24% of Floridians are not religious.

Protestant Christians are the largest Christian denomination in Florida, making up 40% of the population. Of the total population, 24% of people are reported to be Evangelical Protestants, 14% Mainline Protestants and 8% Historically Black Protestant.

The next largest group of Christians in Florida is Catholic, making up 21% of the population, followed by Mormons (1%) and Jehovah’s Witnesses (1%).

Languages in Florida

English is the most common language in Florida as well as being the official state language.

At the time of the 2010 census, English was the primary language of 73.6% of people in Florida.

Spanish is the next most common language among the Florida population, spoken by 19.54%, followed by French Creole (1.84%).

Florida Life Expectancy

Average life expectancy in Florida is 79.4 years, the 22nd highest in the USA.

Life expectancy varies between different racial or ethnic groups in Florida – from 88.9 years for Asian Americans in Florida down to 75.8 years for Black Floridians.

There is also a wide variation in life expectancy between different parts of the state – the fourth highest disparity in the entire US.

Residents in Collier County, one of the state’s richest counties, can expect to live to 80 years, while those in Baker and Union, two of the poorest counties in the state, have a much lower life expectancy of 68 years.

Sources and further reading

Unless otherwise noted, data in this article comes for the US Census Bureau. Other Florida population resources that we recommend are:

• Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research
• Florida Demographics Charts
• State of Florida Quick Facts
• Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research Population Studies Program

The Palm Beach County Population is 1,422,789 (latest US Census Bureau estimate). This makes Palm Beach the 3rd largest county in Florida by population and the 28th largest county in the US.

Located on the East coast of Florida, Palm Beach is the largest county in Florida by area and the 10th largest by population density.

Largest cities in Palm Beach County

West Palm Beach, the county seat, is the largest city in Palm Beach County and the 20th largest city in Florida, with a population of 104,031 in 2014, the latest year for which a formal estimate is available.

Despite being the oldest municipal area in Southern Florida (it was incorporated in 1894, two years before Miami) West Palm Beach is only the 19th largest city in Florida.

Including West Palm Beach, there are seven cities in Palm Beach County with a population of more than 50,000 people. They are listed in the table below.

Note: All data is from 2013, except the population of West Palm Beach, which is from 2014.

Ethnicity / Race in Palm Beach County

White non-Hispanic is the largest single group in Palm Beach County, with 61.6% of the population in 2015. This is a slight drop from the 2010 census figure of 63.7%.

The next largest single group is Hispanic or Latino (17.6%, up from 16.3% in 2010), followed by Black (13.3%, up from 12.6% in 2010) and Asian (5.6%, up from 4.8% in 2010).

Haitians are the largest group of immigrants in Palm Beach, followed by Cubans and Mexicans.

Languages in Hillsborough County

Almost three quarters (73.1%) of people living in Palm Beach speak English as their first language.

Other first languages include Spanish (15.7%), French Creole (4.0%), and French (1.1%).

Economy and Income

Per capita income in Palm Beach County is $33,610. This is the 5th highest in Florida, and significantly higher than the US national average of $27,334.

Palm Beach County Population Density

Although Palm Beach is the largest county in Florida by area (2,034 square miles or 5,268km2), it is not particularly densely populated.

The population density in Palm Beach is 722 people per square mile (279 people per km2) which makes it the 10th most densely populated county in Florida.

Palm Beach County Population Growth

Although population growth in Palm Beach County slowed in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, it has picked up again in recent years. In 2014, Palm Beach County was the fourth fastest growing county in the state and, in a single year, it added more residents than a number of states, including Michigan and Pennsylvania.

This table lists the Palm Beach County population at the time of each US Census, from 1910 onwards.

Further Reading and Sources

Unless otherwise noted, all data in this article comes from the US Census Bureau.

Other resources we recommend are this Palm Beach County Government page on demographics and this page from the Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research.