Arab World - Population, total

The value for Population, total in Arab World was 436,080,700 as of 2020. As the graph below shows, over the past 60 years this indicator reached a maximum value of 436,080,700 in 2020 and a minimum value of 92,197,710 in 1960.

Definition: Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.

Source: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2019 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Popu

See also:

Year Value
1960 92,197,710
1961 94,724,540
1962 97,334,440
1963 100,034,200
1964 102,832,800
1965 105,736,400
1966 108,758,600
1967 111,899,300
1968 115,136,200
1969 118,437,200
1970 121,785,600
1971 125,164,700
1972 128,598,700
1973 132,161,300
1974 135,952,300
1975 140,040,600
1976 144,453,300
1977 149,161,800
1978 154,111,200
1979 159,218,500
1980 164,420,800
1981 169,699,000
1982 175,061,800
1983 180,506,000
1984 186,035,300
1985 191,650,300
1986 197,338,100
1987 203,085,000
1988 208,889,700
1989 214,754,000
1990 222,653,400
1991 228,731,700
1992 232,956,400
1993 239,243,300
1994 245,449,400
1995 253,107,300
1996 259,000,900
1997 264,822,200
1998 270,575,800
1999 276,393,800
2000 282,344,100
2001 288,432,200
2002 294,665,200
2003 301,113,900
2004 307,862,800
2005 314,965,800
2006 322,452,800
2007 330,290,800
2008 338,395,900
2009 346,629,200
2010 354,890,100
2011 363,156,800
2012 371,437,600
2013 379,696,500
2014 387,899,800
2015 396,028,300
2016 404,042,900
2017 411,942,800
2018 419,852,000
2019 427,870,300
2020 436,080,700

Development Relevance: Increases in human population, whether as a result of immigration or more births than deaths, can impact natural resources and social infrastructure. This can place pressure on a country's sustainability. A significant growth in population will negatively impact the availability of land for agricultural production, and will aggravate demand for food, energy, water, social services, and infrastructure. On the other hand, decreasing population size - a result of fewer births than deaths, and people moving out of a country - can impact a government's commitment to maintain services and infrastructure.

Limitations and Exceptions: Current population estimates for developing countries that lack (i) reliable recent census data, and (ii) pre- and post-census estimates for countries with census data, are provided by the United Nations Population Division and other agencies. The cohort component method - a standard method for estimating and projecting population - requires fertility, mortality, and net migration data, often collected from sample surveys, which can be small or limited in coverage. Population estimates are from demographic modeling and so are susceptible to biases and errors from shortcomings in both the model and the data. In the UN estimates the five-year age group is the cohort unit and five-year period data are used; therefore interpolations to obtain annual data or single age structure may not reflect actual events or age composition. Because future trends cannot be known with certainty, population projections have a wide range of uncertainty.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: Population estimates are usually based on national population censuses. Estimates for the years before and after the census are interpolations or extrapolations based on demographic models. Errors and undercounting occur even in high-income countries. In developing countries errors may be substantial because of limits in the transport, communications, and other resources required to conduct and analyze a full census. The quality and reliability of official demographic data are also affected by public trust in the government, government commitment to full and accurate enumeration, confidentiality and protection against misuse of census data, and census agencies' independence from political influence. Moreover, comparability of population indicators is limited by differences in the concepts, definitions, collection procedures, and estimation methods used by national statistical agencies and other organizations that collect the data. The currentness of a census and the availability of complementary data from surveys or registration systems are objective ways to judge demographic data quality. Some European countries' registration systems offer complete information on population in the absence of a census. The United Nations Statistics Division monitors the completeness of vital registration systems. Some developing countries have made progress over the last 60 years, but others still have deficiencies in civil registration systems. International migration is the only other factor besides birth and death rates that directly determines a country's population growth. Estimating migration is difficult. At any time many people are located outside their home country as tourists, workers, or refugees or for other reasons. Standards for the duration and purpose of international moves that qualify as migration vary, and estimates require information on flows into and out of countries that is difficult to collect. Population projections, starting from a base year are projected forward using assumptions of mortality, fertility, and migration by age and sex through 2050, based on the UN Population Division's World Population Prospects database medium variant.

Aggregation method: Sum

Periodicity: Annual

General Comments: Relevance to gender indicator: disaggregating the population composition by gender will help a country in projecting its demand for social services on a gender basis.

Classification

Topic: Health Indicators

Sub-Topic: Population