List of countries by population in 1939

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Historical Demographics

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List of countries by population
1900 1939 1989
Population distribution by country in 1939

This is a list of countries by population in 1939 (including any dependent, occupied or colonized territories for empires), providing an approximate overview of the world population before World War II.

Estimate numbers are from the beginning of the year, and exact population figures are for countries that were having a census in the year 1939 (which were on various dates in that year).

Rank Country/territory Population c. 1939 Percentage of world's population
 
World[1]
2,300,000,000
1  British Empire[2][3]
subdivisions
545,463,825 23.7%
2 Japanese Empire[2][3]
subdivisions
304,119,000 13.2%
3  China[3] 267,568,000 11.6%
4  Soviet Union[5]
subdivisions
170,918,811 7.4%
5  United States[3]
subdivisions
148,594,713 6.5%
6 French Empire[2][3][6]
subdivisions
111,524,472 4.8%
7  Germany[2][3][8]
subdivisions
86,755,281 3.8%
8  
Dutch Empire[3]
subdivisions
78,366,300 3.4%
9 Italian Empire[2][3][9]
subdivisions
57,596,517 2.5%
10  Brazil[3] 40,289,000 1.8%
11  Poland[3] 34,849,000 1.5%
12 Spanish Empire[3]
subdivisions
26,822,800 1.2%
13 Belgian Empire[3]
subdivisions
22,491,000 1.0%
14  Romania[3] 19,933,800 0.9%
15  Mexico[3] 19,320,000 0.8%
16 Portuguese Empire[3]
subdivisions
18,595,400 0.8%
17  Turkey[3] 17,370,000 0.8%
18  Yugoslavia[3] 15,490,000 0.7%
19 Thailand[3] 15,023,000 0.7%
20  Persia[3] 14,340,000 0.6%
21  Argentina[3] 13,948,000 0.6%
22  Canada[14][a] 11,267,000 0.5%
23  Union of South Africa[b] 10,160,000 0.4%
24  Hungary[3] 9,129,000 0.4%
25  Colombia[3] 8,896,000 0.4%
26  Greece[3] 7,222,000 0.3%
27  Afghanistan 6,970,000 0.3%
28  Peru[3] 6,572,000 0.3%
29  Bulgaria[3] 6,458,000 0.3%
30  Sweden[3] 6,341,000 0.3%
31 Nepal[3] 6,087,000 0.3%
32  Chile[3] 4,914,000 0.2%
33  Cuba[3] 4,235,000 0.18%
34   Switzerland[3] 4,210,000 0.18%
35  Denmark (including colonies)[3][15][16]
subdivisions
3,959,200 0.17%
36  Finland[3] 3,700,000 0.16%
37  Iraq[3] 3,698,000 0.16%
38  Venezuela[3] 3,628,000 0.16%
39  Ireland[3] 2,960,000 0.13%
40  Norway[3] 2,945,000 0.13%
41  Yemen[3][note 4] 2,775,000 0.12%
42  Haiti[3] 2,707,000 0.12%
43  Saudi Arabia[3] 2,670,000 0.12%
44  Bolivia[3] 2,659,000 0.12%
45 Slovakia[17] 2,655,000 0.12%
46  Lithuania[3] 2,575,000 0.11%
47  Ecuador[3] 2,412,000 0.10%
48  Guatemala[3] 2,150,000 0.093%
49  Latvia[3] 1,994,500 0.087%
50  Uruguay[3] 1,953,000 0.085%
51  Dominican Republic[3] 1,634,000 0.071%
52  El Salvador[3] 1,459,600 0.063%
53  Estonia[3] 1,134,000 0.049%
54  Honduras[3] 1,096,950 0.048%
55  Albania[3] 1,073,000 0.047%
56  Tibet[3] 1,000,000 0.043%
57  Paraguay[3] 931,800 0.041%
58  Mongolia[3] 819,000 0.036%
59  Nicaragua[3] 806,000 0.035%
60  Liberia[3] 780,000 0.034%
61  Costa Rica[3] 623,400 0.027%
62  Panama[3] 605,000 0.026%
63  Bhutan (semi-independent British protectorate) 470,000 0.020%
64  Danzig[18][note 5] 408,000 0.018%
65  Luxembourg[3] 295,000 0.013%
66  Monaco[3] 24,000 0.0010%
67  San Marino[3] 14,500 0.00063%
68  Liechtenstein[3] 13,000 0.00057%
69  Andorra[3] 6,000 0.00026%
70  Vatican City[3] 1,000 0.000046%

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The population of the Crown Colony of Aden was derived by taking the population ratio between North and South Yemen in 1975 (see reference) and applying that same distribution to both Yemens in 1939.
  2. ^ According to the preceding reference, French Morocco contained 90% of the Moroccan population in 1955. This ratio was used for the Moroccan population of 1939. Please update if more accurate information is available.
  3. French Morocco
    in 1955. This ratio was used to divide the 1939 total Moroccan population figures. Please update if more accurate information is found.
  4. ^ The population of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen was derived by taking the population ratio between North and South Yemen in 1975 (see reference) and applying that same distribution to both Yemeni states in 1939
  5. ^ The figures for Danzig are from 1929.

Constituents

  1. ^ Semi-independent British dominion
  2. ^ Semi-independent British dominion

References

  1. ^ "U.S. Census BureauWorld Population Historical Estimates of World Population". Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e Mark Harrison, ed. (1998), "The Economics of WWII"., Cambridge University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl "Population Statistics". Library.uu.nl. Archived from the original on 23 February 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  4. ^ "Abstract of Statistics 2011" (PDF). H.M. Government of Gibraltar Statistics Office.
  5. ^ A. G. Volkov Census of 1937 Facts and Fictions originally published in Перепись населения СССР 1937 года. История и материалы/Экспресс-информация. Серия "История статистики". Выпуск 3–5 (часть II). М., 1990/ с. 6–63
  6. ^ Tony Chafer, The end of empire in French West Africa: France's successful decolonisation? (2002)see Chafer abstract Archived 2017-03-14 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ a b "Spanish Morocco".
  8. ^ Statistisches Jahrbuch für das Deutsche Reich, 1919–1941/42
  9. (PDF) on 3 August 2014. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  10. ^ [1] Soldaten-Atlas (Tornisterschrift des Oberkommandos der Wehrmacht, Heft 39). Leipzig: Bibliographisches Institut. 1941. p. 32.
  11. ^ Annuario Generale, Consociazione Turistica Italiana, Roma, 1938
  12. ^ Grasselli, Enrico. "L’esercito italiano in Francia e in Oriente" p. 370-371
  13. , retrieved May 13, 2017
  14. ^ "Censuses of Canada 1665 to 1871: Estimated population of Canada, 1605 to present". Statistics Canada. 2015. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
  15. ^ Statistical yearbooks of Denmark
  16. ^ Statistics Faroe Islands Archived 2011-05-11 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ "Slovensko v rokoch 1938 - 1945". Múzeum Slovenského národného povstania (in Slovak). Retrieved 2022-08-24.
  18. . Retrieved 2011-04-26.