The IDB helps the U.S. government and the public answer fundamental questions about the people and places of our world. These data inform program planning, policymaking, educational, and research data users. We have produced these data since the 1960s, and we have published our results on census.gov since 1996. We regularly update the IDB and release the results online.
Along with the United Nations Population Division, the U.S. Census Bureau is one of the few organizations in the world that regularly estimates and projects the world’s population.
With the IDB, you can view demographic measures of over 200 countries and areas with populations of 5,000 or more, and for thousands of subnational areas (equivalent to U.S. states, counties, and townships in other countries).
For each country and area, data in the IDB include total population, population by age and sex, and demographic characteristics such as fertility, mortality, and migration. Population size (by single year of age and sex) and components of change (fertility, mortality, and migration) are available from an initial or base year through 2100 for July 1 of each calendar year. Metadata also are available describing the source data used to produce the IDB. For subnational areas, population by age and sex are available. Learn more about our subnational estimates and projections.
This level of detail provides an important foundation for tracking the demographic impacts of major events that are affecting populations around the globe, including disasters, epidemics, and pandemics.