Top 40 most populous countries

 Today's story is about population numbers by country. Every day, the media reports that Korea's population decline rate is the highest in the world, and people worry that the country will disappear if this continues. Talking about population is a topic of interest to many people. Compare the population numbers of each country and find out why those countries have such a large population. I'll find out. Let’s find out the top 40 countries with the largest population as of 2020!!!

#1. China - 1.464 billion

Crowds in China (Image by StockSnap from Pixabay)

 

 The most populous country in the world in 2020 is China. According to a recent 2023 report, the world's first place was lost to India due to the coronavirus and various causes, but China took the undisputed first place in 2020.

 China is a country whose history traces back to the Yellow River Civilization, one of the world's four birthplaces of civilization. Of course, ancient China had a population as small as that of the present-day Republic of Korea, but its population growth rate has steadily increased for over a thousand years. One of the reasons for this was the increase in agricultural productivity, civilization, and population movement for economic benefits.

 China's population has increased rapidly through the 20th and 21st centuries. In particular, in the 1980s, China achieved economic development by pursuing reform and openness policies. This economic development was one of the factors stimulating population growth. In economically stable societies, living standards improve, infrastructure such as health care and education develops, and population growth rates tend to increase. I remember that in the 1980s, the Chinese boasted about their population being "one billion people," and the increase was over 400 million in just 30 to 40 years, which is a huge increase. Because rapid population growth causes various problems. Since the 1980s, the Chinese government has implemented a hard-line population policy as a measure to address the population problem, such as requiring only one child to be born in some regions and imposing job restrictions and fines for violations. These population policies resulted in lower population growth rates in some regions, but increased population growth rates in other regions. This can be seen as the result of influences such as differences in population structure by region and the way population policies are implemented.

 

 In addition, some say that China's large population is due to the fact that China is a country with a strong family-centered cultural tradition. Because population growth plays a role in connecting family descendants, Chinese people try to have as many children as possible in order to so-called 'pass the generations.' It is said that these cultural factors have also become one of the factors influencing China's population growth.

 There may be other reasons for the recent population decline in Korea, but I think the biggest cause is the ‘breakup of the family.’

#2. India - 1.319 billion

People of India (Image by Luca from Pixabay)

 

 India is the second most populous country in the world in 2020. India has been the birthplace of the Indus Civilization since ancient times, and has also been a region where various civilizations and religions have flourished. Indian civilization showed high levels of agriculture, commerce, science, and philosophy, and population growth occurred accordingly.

 What is unique is that India has advanced medical technology in infertility treatment and delivery technology, and has made continuous progress in this field. India has traditionally shown a high level of excellence in the medical field, and the development of central health care, miscarriage treatment, and preventive treatment using various herbs and natural products is believed to have contributed to India's population being long-lived, healthy, and having many children. . Additionally, as various diseases and pestilences occurred in India, we have been researching and developing ways to deal with them. These medical advances played a major role in population growth. India, like China, is also a country with a strong family-centered cultural tradition. Additionally, Hinduism, an Indian religion, teaches that it is important to have many children. These cultural factors usually act as an incentive for Indians to have many children. India is one of the countries that lags somewhat when it comes to economic development. Because of these economic difficulties, the traditional family structure in India, where children take responsibility for their parents' retirement, is maintained. In other words, it means that parents perceive children as a means of livelihood in old age, and because they believe that having many children is the only way to secure a stable means of livelihood in old age, a culture of trying to have as many children as possible can be said to have been formed.

#3 United States (USA) - 331.2 million

People in Times Square, Manhattan (Image by Wallula from Pixabay)

 

 The United States is the third most populous country in the world in 2020. The United States is a country formed by the migration of indigenous people from the vast American continent and immigrants from Europe. In particular, in the 18th and 19th centuries, immigrants from various regions such as Europe, Asia, and Africa arrived in large numbers and created the United States. During this period, the European continent suffered from endless wars, religious conflicts, and severe persecution of Protestants, and many people came to the United States in search of new settlements and dreams to avoid these. Due to the historical background of this immigration, the United States became one of the countries with a high population growth rate. .Also, in the 20th century, as we went through the Great Depression and World Wars 1 and 2, enormous crises created new opportunities, and we achieved outstanding economic power and scientific and technological development intensively in a very short period of time, becoming the world's most powerful country.  A unique structure was formed in which new immigrants from Europe came in to escape the war, and from Asia and South America came to the United States in search of jobs and opportunities.

 As such, the United States is a multicultural society with large numbers of immigrants. This multiculturalism maintains diversity in various races, cultures, and languages, which in another sense played a significant role in population growth. As a country of immigrants and people with different cultures living in harmony, the United States is unique in that family-centered family business has become the center of the economy, showing the characteristics of a community being formed on this basis. Nevertheless, it is also a country with a strong social tradition centered on the individual rather than the cultural tradition of the family, and this can be traced back to its roots in Christian culture that emphasizes individual salvation. It can be analyzed that these unique cultural factors played a role in increasing the population growth rate by creating a strong sense of family responsibility when having children.

 Due to these factors, even as European society suffers from population decline and family breakup, the United States is creating a unique population change, recording an increase in population growth rate of 7.4% from 2010 to 2020. However, the population growth rate is said to be slowing in recent years due to factors such as declining birth rates and immigration regulations.

#4. Indonesia - 226.7 million

Indonesian landscape (Image by Peggy and Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay)

 The 4th most populous country in the world in 2020 is Indonesia. Indonesia is a metropolitan country located in Southeast Asia and is one of the most populous countries with a population of approximately 260 million people. It can be said to be a very dynamic country with extremely diverse geographical conditions, cultures, and religious elements. Since ancient times, this region has had many exchanges with cultures such as China, India, and the Arab region. Due to this historical background, Indonesia has cultural diversity where various religions, languages, and cultures coexist, and this diversity has had a significant impact on population growth. Even now, Indonesia is unique in that each city has different religions and follows different religious rules. Jakarta, the capital, is an Islamic city, so there are many restrictions on purchasing alcohol. Indonesia is a southern powerhouse and possesses many essential resources such as iron, oil, natural gas, and wood.

 

 At the same time, Indonesia has a long history and cultural background, so its tourism industry is developing. It is said that for these economic and cultural reasons, a large number of people have been flowing in and expanding since ancient times. Socially, Indonesia also has a family-oriented culture, which is a characteristic of the Asian region. This culture is said to have played a big role in forming a culture of family responsibility and childbirth when having children. Indonesia's recent population change is estimated at approximately 266 million as of 2021. Indonesia's population growth rate is gradually slowing to 1.2%. This is analyzed as a result of social changes such as urbanization, rising levels of education, and protection of women's rights along with a decline in birth rates.

#5. Brazil - 216 million

Brazil, Country of Passion (Image by Pexels from Pixabay)

 

 Brazil ranked 5th as the most populous country in the world in 2020. Brazil's population was comprised of a mix of Indians, Europeans, African slaves, and immigrants from Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. This racial mixing played a major role in Brazil's cultural and economic development. Brazil began as a Portuguese colony in the 16th century and declared independence in 1822. After that, Brazil went through an era of slavery, which caused the African population to increase significantly. And in the second half of the 20th century, the population continued to increase as various immigrants moved to Brazil. Recent population changes in Brazil have been accompanied by aging issues due to declining birth rates and an aging population.

 

 The Brazilian government is implementing a low birth rate policy to solve this problem. Additionally, we are strengthening our management of immigration policies. Nonetheless, Brazil's population growth rate remains high. This is because many people want to immigrate to Brazil, which has a diverse population, good natural environment, abundant resources, and high potential for economic development. It is analyzed that this is because many neighboring countries, such as Argentina and Colombia, are economically devastated due to political instability, so many people choose Brazil, which has a relatively high development potential. Therefore, Brazil's population is expected to continue to grow in the future.

 After this, you should also find out the rankings, right? Rankings range from 1st to 40th. As of 2020, Korea is ranked as the 28th most populous country in the world. I think it would be good to compare the male to female ratio along with the simple population ranking.

 

 

Rank / Country / Country name / Populatioin of Mail / Population of Femail / Total / Mail ratio

2020 World Population Status