The line graph compares the population growth of five countries – China, India, the United States, Indonesia, and Brazil- over the period from 1800 to 2000.
Overall, the populations of all five countries increased over the period. China and India consistently recorded the largest populations, whereas Brazil remained the least populous country throughout.
In the 1800s, China’s population started at around 350 million, experienced a slight dip in the mid-1800s, then rose gradually before reaching its peak after the 1950s to about 1, 450 million in 2000. Meanwhile, India began at roughly 170 million, which grew steadily throughout the period, and accelerated rapidly after the 1950s, surging to approximately 1,400 million by the end. Thus, China remained more populous than India throughout the period, although the gap narrowed considerably by 2000.
In contrast, the United States, Indonesia, and Brazil had much smaller populations, although they followed relatively similar upward trends. The United States had about 5 million and increased steadily to around 350 million, noticeably the largest of the group. Indonesia and Brazil both began with very low populations and saw gradual growth before rising rapidly during the twentieth century.