The bar chart compares the proportion of the global population in four different countries (China, India, the USA, and Japan) across three years: 1950, 2000, and 2010.
Overall, China had the largest share of the global population in all years except 2010, when India overtook it.
A closer examination of the data reveals that in 1950, China alone accounted for over a quarter of the world’s population. From 2000 to 2010, China’s population share declined from 28% to 18%. India’s population share was 15% in 1950, which increased to 18% by 2000. By 2010, it had risen to 21%, making it the highest among the four countries.
Among the countries with smaller population shares, the USA accounted for around 8% of the global population throughout the period. Between 2000 and 2010, this figure remained stable. While Japan’s population remained the lowest throughout the period, it decreased from 5% in 1950 to below 4% in both 2000 and 2010.