Population, total in South Asia
South Asia: Population, total was 1.69 billion in 2025. ▲ Rising
Population, total in South Asia, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
The most recent figure for population, total in South Asia is 1.69 billion, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 10.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population, total in South Asia peaked at 1.69 billion in 2025 and was at its lowest, 507.92 million, in 1960.
South Asia ranks 14th of 49 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 566.14 million | 507.92 million | 625.77 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 710.66 million | 640.08 million | 787.44 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 897.34 million | 806.37 million | 991.57 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.11 billion | 1.01 billion | 1.21 billion | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.33 billion | 1.24 billion | 1.43 billion | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.53 billion | 1.44 billion | 1.61 billion | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.66 billion | 1.62 billion | 1.69 billion | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
More climate change data for South Asia
- Population growth 0.9% (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.8% (2025)
- Urban population 605.70 million (2025)
- Urban population 35.8% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 16.8% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 706.16 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 37.6% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 9.2% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 4.6% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 0.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population, total in South Asia?
- Population, total in South Asia was 1.69 billion in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population, total recorded in South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.69 billion in 2025.
- What is the lowest population, total recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 507.92 million in 1960.
- How does South Asia rank for population, total?
- South Asia ranks 14th out of 49 groups with data for 2025.
- Is population, total rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Asia data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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.