World Population Distribution Today

This chapter analyzes the current global population distribution, focusing on the location of population centers and the significant contrasts observed. Population censuses remain the most reliable source of demographic data, although their quality varies significantly from one country to another. The chapter focuses on data generated by the WorldPop project, employing a “top-down” method to disaggregate the population per 100 × 100 meter pixel for each country worldwide. The generalization of urbanization has led to the concentration of the growing population in densely populated settlements at unprecedented rates. The chapter describes the factors elucidating the present distribution of humans across the Earth's surface and the processes influencing modifications and the dynamism of settlement. The systematic digitization of census data would be an indispensable step in precisely determining the location of each individual and, following data aggregation, represent the distribution of populations on the Earth's surface with a consistent level of precision everywhere.