You probably heard that India overtook China as the most populous country in 2023. So who is third? Who is eighth? With ranks 11 to 20 shown as hints, fill the hidden top ten from 10th place upward and check the 2024 figures.
How it works
- Press START and a ranking board from 1st to 20th appears on the left. Ranks 11 to 20 are shown from the start; ranks 1 to 10 are hidden.
- On the right are ten shuffled cards: the hidden top-10 countrys. None of them overlaps with the visible ranks 11 to 20, so which countrys are in the top ten is settled; the question is the order.
- You guess from 10th place upward. When "Who is #10?" appears, tap a card. A correct pick slides into that row on the left and reveals its figure.
- A wrong pick does not reveal the answer. The card shakes red and you lose one try, leaving three more tries for that rank. Only after four wrong picks is the answer revealed, and the row is marked as missed.
- Continue through 9th, 8thโฆ up to 1st. Your score is the number of ranks solved plus a miss count, and each row shows on which try you got it. The search box under the results ranks any entry in the full list, even outside the top 20.
Scoring and records
The score is the number of ranks solved, out of ten; wrong picks are counted separately as misses. Between two perfect runs, fewer misses is the better record, and your best is saved in this browser. The visible figures for ranks 11 to 20 are your hints: the 10th-place value must be at least the 11th, so use the lower ranks to judge which country sits near the border. As you climb, fewer cards remain and 1st place is settled by elimination, so the real contest is getting 10th through 2nd right without a miss.
The data: World Bank 2024 estimates
Rankings follow the World Bank's total population series for 2024 (indicator SP.POP.TOTL), which combines national statistics offices and UN projections. It counts mid-year resident population regardless of citizenship, so foreign residents are included. Places missing from the World Bank list, notably Taiwan, are not ranked.
In 2024 India stands at about 1.45 billion and China at about 1.41 billion; together they hold roughly 35 percent of humanity. Third-placed United States, at about 340 million, is more than a billion behind. Then comes a tight cluster between 140 and 290 million: Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Brazil, Bangladesh and Russia, which is where most players lose points. Tenth place is a near tie between Ethiopia and Mexico at around 130 million, with Japan at about 124 million just below.
A ranking that moves
Unlike area, population ranks shift every year. Nigeria is projected to pass the United States for third place around 2050, and African countries such as Ethiopia, the DR Congo and Tanzania are climbing fast, while Russia, Japan and Germany are shrinking. The table you learned at school may not match today's. This page is updated with the World Bank's releases.
Where does your country rank?
Use the search box on the result screen. The United Kingdom is about 69 million (21st or so), South Korea about 51.7 million (29th of 217), and Canada about 41 million. Comparing with the top ten shows the scale: the United States alone has about five times the population of the UK, and India about twenty-one times.
Frequently asked questions
Why start from 10th place?
Almost everyone knows number one, so starting there makes the first question trivial, and with a shrinking pool the last pick would be automatic. Going upward, you tackle the hardest ranks around 10th while the pool is full, and finish by choosing 1st from what is left.
Does a wrong pick reveal the answer?
No. You get up to four picks per rank (one plus three more tries). A wrong card stays in the pool because it may be right for another rank, and the answer is revealed only after four wrong picks.
Is 1st place automatic at the end?
Yes. With one card left, 1st place is settled. That is why the score tops out at ten and records are separated by misses. The real goal is to get 10th through 2nd right without a miss, and the result board shows on which try you solved each rank.
Why do the numbers differ from another source?
The UN, the World Bank and national offices use different methods and reference dates, so estimates differ by hundreds of thousands or millions. The order is mostly the same, but close spots such as tenth place can swap depending on the source. This page uses World Bank 2024 values and links the source under the answer table.
Why is Taiwan missing?
The World Bank does not publish Taiwan as a separate entry, so it could not be included. Hong Kong and Macau are in the list and searchable.
How do I share a result?
The share button on the result screen copies your score with a link to this page, or opens your device's share sheet.
Related quizzes
- Country Size Ranking Quiz โ see how different the area ranking is.
- Average Height by Country Quiz โ population giants and tall nations are very different lists.
- FIFA Ranking Quiz โ another top ten that changes every few months.
Full top 20
As of: 2024 ยท Source: World Bank (SP.POP.TOTL)
Show the top 20 answer table (spoiler)
| Rank | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ๐ฎ๐ณ India | 1.45B |
| 2 | ๐จ๐ณ China | 1.41B |
| 3 | ๐บ๐ธ United States | 340.0M |
| 4 | ๐ฎ๐ฉ Indonesia | 283.5M |
| 5 | ๐ต๐ฐ Pakistan | 251.3M |
| 6 | ๐ณ๐ฌ Nigeria | 232.7M |
| 7 | ๐ง๐ท Brazil | 212.0M |
| 8 | ๐ง๐ฉ Bangladesh | 173.6M |
| 9 | ๐ท๐บ Russia | 143.7M |
| 10 | ๐ช๐น Ethiopia | 132.1M |
| 11 | ๐ฒ๐ฝ Mexico | 130.9M |
| 12 | ๐ฏ๐ต Japan | 124.0M |
| 13 | ๐ช๐ฌ Egypt | 116.5M |
| 14 | ๐ต๐ญ Philippines | 115.8M |
| 15 | ๐จ๐ฉ DR Congo | 109.3M |
| 16 | ๐ป๐ณ Vietnam | 101.0M |
| 17 | ๐ฎ๐ท Iran | 91.6M |
| 18 | ๐น๐ท Tรผrkiye | 85.5M |
| 19 | ๐ฉ๐ช Germany | 83.5M |
| 20 | ๐น๐ญ Thailand | 71.7M |