The record-union., 1893-03-07
EhRlH'S POPULATION.
How Many People Are There on
Earth.
Wagner, Supan and Doctor Bill
lings' Calculations-Hu
Increase.
RARIH1S POPULATION.


How many people are now living on
the earth? How are they divided in re-
gard TO the great geographical divisions
of the world, to the great political subdi-
visions or nationalities, or rs to races?
Where are the most densely and the most
sparsely settled countries? At what rate
are the various great groups OF population
increasing in different parts Of the world?
To the first three of these questions we
find answers given in the publication by
II. Wagner and a. Supan, entitled Be-
UotteriHg der Eyde, the eighth edition of
which appeared in sci. For a large part
Of the earth these answers do not pretend
to scientific accuracy, because they are
not founded on an accurate census, or
counting Of the people, but the estimates
have been carefully made after compar-
ing all the information available from
various sources, including especially the
careful study of this subject made by NJ.
! Emile LeVasseur Of the Institute OF
France, ana published in the Bulletin Of
the International Institute OF Statistics in
1857 and lSSS According 10 LeVaSseur,
the total population OF the earth III 1856
was ,io3, 100000, according to Wagner
and Supan it was III ISL about J. 40. .UOO,-
0OJ, the difference being mainly due 10
differences IN the estimates OF the popu-
latlOn OF China and OF Africa. The figures
of Wagner and Supan include $4,000, 900
people actually counted or registered, or
a little over 56 per cent of the total mass.
over half of the people in the world
live III Asia, and nearly one-lourth of
them in China, which slightly exceeds
the whole Of Europe in population. In
a a
Africa about one-ninth of the worlds
| people. Less than One-tOurtn belong TO
what are ordinarily known as civilized
nations, and of these nearly one-third, or
about one-thirteenth OF the total popula-
| ton of the world, belong to the English
speaking peoples. The density Of the
| population of different parts Of the world
varies greatly i'll different countries
! being greatest in Belgium, where it is
about SO to the square mile. The num-
| Der OF persons to the square mile in diff
ferent regions and countries is as follows:
| Europe, 80; Asia, IS; Africa, il; America,
8; Australasia, l.3; Belgium, J35; Eng
/ land, $50; Netherlands, 55T; Great Britain
| and Ireland, 3ll; Italy, ~; German En-
/ pire, Do; Japan, III: China, 226: India,
| Isl; Switzerland, 1856; France, lS4; Aus
trial Hungary, 40; Denmark, lIG; Portu-
gal; IA; spain, 80; European Russia, 49
Sweden, y; United States, Il; Mexico,
10; Norway, Is; Canada, ,. 4 large part
of the world is not crowded yet. In
Australasia the density OF population is
only l.3O per square mile.
In Europe there are more females than
males, ,0I9 females TO each $50 males;
in the United States there are but 952 fe-
males 10 each 900 males. The difference
in this case Is mainly due to the fact that
more males migrate than females. Ia
those nations which have a fairly accurate
registration of births, the birth rates vary
in different years, ranging from 2I.S per
600 in France in 1895 to 4j.3 per LOCO i'll
Hungary in 1884. Taking the averages for
the twenty years lSll-g0, the birth rate
was, for England and Wales, "a; for Scot
land, j3.G: for Ireland, 249; for Denmark,
BIZ; for Austria, $50, for switzerland,
29.4; for the German Empire, 3S.l; for the
| Netherlands, 3j.2; for Italy, 31.3: for
Belgium, 81; and for France. 24.6 per ,O00.
The birth rate fer the nited States dur
ing the same period was probably about
81 per eco. Ia almost all civilized coun-
tries the birth rate is diminishing; thus
for 1880 the following figures represent
, ing these ratios may G compared with
those given above as the average of the
last twenty years, viz a.: England and
Wales. 30.2; Scotland, 5U.0%; Ireland, -. 3;
Denmark, 50.6; Austria, 3j.7; Switzerland,
266; German Empire, 35.I; y Nelheriauds,
329 Italy, 800; Belgium, 2-.7; France,
DIS The death rates are also diminish
ing. but not so much a. the birth rates
they vary from IS to 30 per 600. The
high birth rates and the high death rates
usually go together; high death rates are
chiefly due TO excessive mortality among
infants.
In 1860 Riccioli estimated the total
population at l,OJO,00O,0JO; il 1870 AIalte-
, Brun gave it as GlU,gJ0,OO0; in 1910,
Bernouli gave it as 7j4,oO0,0O0; in lS5s,
Dieterici estimated it ut l,ZS3, ,O0J, ,0O0:
and in 1865 kolb gave it as 20, ,00O GOO.
, In 1872 Benin and Wagner issued the first
of their reports on this subject, estimat-
ing it at l,37I, 100000. In 1850 they
reached the figure OF l.556, 900 900. In
. 1852 they rejected the result OF the So
: called census OF China in 1872, taking
$50, ,O00,0OJ instead of 40j 900, 900 as its
population, which reduced the total re-
; suit to l,434, 100000, equivalent to
: ,40l 10000 in 1850. In the figures OF
Wagner and Supan for 1891, further re-
, duction is made Of 450O0,0O0, 3S,OOJ,O0J
being dropped from Africa alone. Ac-
, cording to these revised estimates, the
? population OF the earth increased in
, eleven years from l,355,OJU,UO0 TO
| / ,4S0, 1000 ,0J0, giving an average annual
increase of 0.S4 per cent. Taking into
: consideration the fact that excessive
death rates prevail in semi-civilized and
barbarous nations, it seems probable that
: the average annual increase by excess oil
, births over deaths is certainly less than
= per cent. Of the population OF the earth
DR.. J. S. Billings in the Chautauquan.