Population density

File:PopulationDensityMapPerSquareKilometre.png

Population density (people per square kilometre) by country in 2023

File:World population density 1994 - with equator.png

Population density (people per square kilometre) map of the world in 1994. In relation to the equator it is seen that the vast majority of human population lives in the Northern Hemisphere, where 67% of Earth's land area is.

Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.

Biological population densities

Population density is population divided by total land area, sometimes including seas and oceans, as appropriate.

Low densities may cause an extinction vortex and further reduce fertility. This is called the Allee effect after the scientist who identified it. Examples of the causes of reduced fertility in low population densities are:

• Increased problems with locating sexual mates
• Increased inbreeding

Human densities

File:World Population Density Map 2020.png

Population density (people per square kilometre) map of the world in 2020

Population density is the number of people per unit of area, usually transcribed as "per square kilometre" or square mile, and which may include or exclude, for example, areas of water or glaciers. Commonly this is calculated for a county, city, country, another territory or the entire world.

World population is around 8,000,000,000 and the Earth's total area (including land and water) is Template:Cvt. Therefore, the worldwide human population density is approximately 8,000,000,000 ÷ 510,000,000 = Template:Cvt. However, if only the Earth's land area of Template:Cvt is taken into account, then human population density is Template:Cvt. This includes all continental and island land area, including Antarctica. However, if Antarctica is excluded, then population density rises to over Template:Convert.

File:Vegetation.png

World environments map provided for comparison with maps above

The European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) has developed a suite of (open and free) data and tools named the Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) to improve the science for policy support to the European Commission Directorate Generals and Services and as support to the United Nations system.

Several of the most densely populated territories in the world are city-states, microstates and urban dependencies.Template:Efn In fact, 95% of the world's population is concentrated on just 10% of the world's land. These territories have a relatively small area and a high urbanization level, with an economically specialized city population drawing also on rural resources outside the area, illustrating the difference between high population density and overpopulation.

Deserts have very limited potential for growing crops as there is not enough rain to support them. Thus, their population density is generally low. However, some cities in the Middle East, such as Dubai, have been increasing in population and infrastructure growth at a fast pace.

File:Mongolian Steppes (6228096139).jpg

Mongolian Steppes. Mongolia is the least densely populated country in the world due to its harsh climate as a result of its geography.

Cities with high population densities are, by some, considered to be overpopulated, though this will depend on factors like quality of housing and infrastructure and access to resources. Very densely populated cities are mostly in Asia (particularly Southeast Asia); Africa's Lagos, Kinshasa, and Cairo; South America's Bogotá, Lima, and São Paulo; and Mexico City and Saint Petersburg also fall into this category.

File:Monaco by night.JPG

Monaco is currently the most densely populated nation in Europe.

City population and especially area are, however, heavily dependent on the definition of "urban area" used: densities are almost invariably higher for the center only than when suburban settlements and intervening rural areas are included, as in the agglomeration or metropolitan area (the latter sometimes including neighboring cities).

In comparison, based on a world population of 8 billion, the world's inhabitants, if conceptualized as a loose crowd occupying just under Template:Cvt per person (cf. Jacobs Method), would occupy an area of Template:Convert a little less than the land area of Puerto Rico, Template:Convert.

Countries and dependent territories

Population under 10,000,000

Rank	Country or dependent territory	Land Area		Population	Density
		km2	sq mi		per km2	per sq mi
1	(China)	Template:Convert	650,834	Template:Convert
2		Template:Convert	37,550	Template:Convert
3		Template:Convert	6,036,900	Template:Convert
4	(China)	Template:Convert	7,409,800	Template:Convert
5	Template:Flagg (Palestine)Template:Efn	Template:Convert	2,098,389	Template:Convert
6	(UK)Template:Efn	Template:Convert	33,140	Template:Convert
7		Template:Convert	1,451,200	Template:Convert
8		Template:Convert	800	Template:Convert
9		Template:Convert	475,701	Template:Convert
10		Template:Convert	378,114	Template:Convert

Population above 10,000,000

Rank	Country/Territory	Land Area		Population	Density
		km2	sq mi		per km2	per sq mi
1	Template:Country data Bangladesh	Template:Convert	170,329,768	Template:Convert
2		Template:Convert	23,539,588	Template:Convert
3		Template:Convert	13,246,394	Template:Convert
4		Template:Convert	17,943,243	Template:Convert
5		Template:Convert	51,439,038	Template:Convert
6		Template:Convert	12,574,571	Template:Convert
7	Template:Country data India	Template:Convert	1,374,547,140	Template:Convert
8		Template:Convert	11,743,017	Template:Convert
9		Template:Convert	11,554,449	Template:Convert
10	Template:Country data Philippines	Template:Convert	109,961,895	Template:Convert

Other methods of measurement

File:EU Pop2008 1024.PNG

This population cartogram of the European Union (2007–2012) uses areas and colors to represent population.

File:Living population density.png

Living population density by country

Although the arithmetic density is the most common way of measuring population density, several other methods have been developed to provide alternative measures of population density over a specific area.

• Arithmetic density: The total number of people / area of land
• Physiological density: The total population / area of arable land
• Agricultural density: The total rural population / area of arable land
• Residential density: The number of people living in an urban area / area of residential land
• Urban density: The number of people inhabiting an urban area / total area of urban land
• Ecological optimum: The density of population that can be supported by the natural resources
• Population weighted density: Also known as living density, population density at which the average person lives

See also

• Distance sampling
• Demography
• Human geography
• Idealised population
• List of population concern organizations
• Population dynamics
• Population decline
• Population growth
• Population genetics
• Population health
• Population momentum
• Population pyramid
• Rural transport problem
• Significant figures
• Small population size

Lists of entities by population density

• List of Australian suburbs by population density
• List of countries by population density
• List of cities by population density
• List of city districts by population density
• List of English districts by population density
• List of European Union cities proper by population density
• List of islands by population density
• List of states and territories of the United States by population density

External links

• Selected Current and Historic City, Ward & Neighborhood Density