Table # 4a
The Ten Most Populous Countries

(Population in Millions)

1985 1987 1988 1990
1 P.R.C. P.R.C. P.R.C. P.R.C.
1,042 1,062 1,087 1,119.90
2 India India India India
762.2 800.3 816.8 853.4
3 U.S.S.R. U.S.S.R. U.S.S.R. U.S.S.R.
278 284 286 291
4 U.S.A. U.S.A. U.S.A. U.S.A.
238.9 243.8 246.1 251.4
5 Indonesia Indonesia Indonesia Indonesia
168.4 174.9 177.4 189.4
6 Brazil Brazil Brazil Brazil
138.4 141.5 144.4 150.4
7 Japan Japan Japan Japan
120.8 122.2 122.7 123.6
8 Bangladesh Nigeria Nigeria Nigeria
101.5 108.6 111.9 118.8
9 Pakistan Bangladesh Bangladesh Bangladesh
99.2 107.1 109.5 114.8
10 Nigeria Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan
91.2 104.6 107.5 114.6
* Nigeria's loss of 20 million must be a typo in the 1993 data sheet.

Source: Population Reference Bureau Data Sheets:
1985, 1987, 1988, 1990

Chart created by Russ Long