Languages and Population History of China, India, and others, contrasted with the West

The population estimates are taken mainly from www.populstat.com and www.worldometers.info and here for ancient China and here for ancient India.

Intro: World Population in 1 AD

Estimated Total is 200 million
China estimated at 60 million, India 60 million, and the Parthian Empire (modern day Iran) between 7 - 20 million
Click here for the start of the Persian (and after 247 BC the Parthian) empire under Cyrus the Great, as recorded in Daniel.
With regards to Iran, a census in 1857 showed Persia (as it was again known) to be just 4 million. Since 1857 Iran has grown to 80 million.

In this Roman Empire estimate from 14 AD, the eastern region shows Anatolia (modern day Turkey) with 8 million, Egypt and Libya 5 million, Syria and Judaea 4 million, the Greek Peninsula 3 million, totalling 20 million.

In the West, Italy including Rome shows 7 million, Gaul (ie Britain & France) plus Germany 6 million, Iberia (Spain) 5 million, Danube Region (ie Austria-Hungary & Slavic peoples) 3 million, Maghreb (Northern Africa) 3 million, Others 1 million, totalling 25 million.

The population of the other individual nations / tribes in the rest of Asia was probably less than one million. This was also the case in much of Africa, in Australia, and also America, in their "pueblos" as the Spanish later called their villages. Where every tribe with their own languages and in most cases, their own scripts settled after the flood. People as now moved to where education, farms and townships, trade roads and ports predominated, and where business contracts could be made.

Regarding ancient maps 400 BC to 400 AD

• Map 1. Click here for a Greek map of the world, about 400BC. In the far north can be seen Hyperboreans (super northerners) and Aramaspi, both of which were legendary tribes that Josephus does not honour with the slightest mention. The "Maeotis" that is seen north of "Euxinus Pontus" (the Hospitable Sea) or Black Sea is the Sea of Azov.
• Map 2. Click here for a map about the time of Josephus and Christ, put together by Greek geographer Strabo, who lived in Pontus (near the Black Sea) in modern day Turkey. It includes the island of Britain (missing in Map 1) and shows early latitude lines based on the length of its longest day (in hours) at the summer solstice, about 21st June. Thus the equator shows 12 "equinoctial" hours (equal both night and day), Jerusalem is in between zone 3 and zone 4 or about 14¼ hours, while London's zone is "adiectus" — "furthest reach" (from Rome) — about 16½ hours of sunlight in summer (and very long winter nights).
• Map 3. Click here for a map of the East showing trade routes recorded by the Egyptian geographer Ptolemy, about 150AD (click here for more detail).
• Map 4. Click here for a more detailed map of the West, about 400AD.

End intro

In the columns below, India includes the modern countries of Pakistan and Bangladesh up to 1900.

Click here for a History of India, a most diverse country, with numerous languages and scripts.

Click here for some Background to China, by 1800 easily the largest kingdom in the world with its own language and script.

Click here for Moscow in 1283, traditionally the year of its first monastery. With relation to the history of the Ukraine, the country was incorporated into Russia during the years 1654-1795, and except for a short period in 1918-1921, not achieving independence until the breakup of the USSR in 1991. Click here for other Soviet Republics.

Click here for the History of Canada, Mexico and the US, and their breaking away from Europe while retaining the French language to some extent in Canada, Spanish in Mexico, and English in the US. Through the US's predominant influence in the United Nations (at least initially), in Banking, in Media and in Computers, US English today has become the defacto international language.

	China Han Chinese	India	Pakistan	Bangladesh	Indonesia	Japan	Russia & USSR(1922‑1991)
Area Sq.Kms.	9.5 million	3.3 million	880,000	150,000	1.9 million (Java 128,000)	378,000	17 million USSR(22.4 million)
Main Language after 1800	Mandarin	Hindi	Punjabi & English	Bengali	Javanese & Indonesian	Japanese Nippon/Nihon	Russian Russkiy
Population in millions
2000 BC	Unknown	6
500 BC	12	25
1 AD	60	60			< 1	< 1	< 1
1500	61	100				8	6
1600	51	130				12	14
1700	210	170				26	15
1750	180	180				26	23
1800	300	200			16	26	35
1850	430	240			23	27	68
1900	400	295			43	44	133
1930	490	280	23	36	61	64	161
1950	555	350	40	42	70	83	181
1960	660	450	50	52	88	93	214
1970	820	555	60	67	115	105	243
1980	1000	699	83	88	147	118	265
1990	1170	873	112	110	181	124	288
2000	1290	1057	142	129	212	127	146
2010	1360	1234	187	153	243	128	143
2020	1436	1372	218	164	272	127	146

Other large countries 50 million+ in Middle East, Asia, South America and Africa

1. Iran 4 million in 1850, 10 million in 1900, 20 million in 1958, 40 million in 1982, 83 million today.
2. Turkey 5 million in 1800, 10 million in 1885, 20 million in 1949, 40 million in 1975, 84 million today.

Asia

1. Philippines 600,000 in 1565, 2½ million in 1830, 7 million in 1898, 20 million in 1950, 50 million in 1980, 109 million today.
   Philippines was ruled by Spain from 1565 until 1898 when it became a US Territory. Commonwealth status (a transition phase towards independence) was granted in 1935. The country was conquered by Japan 1942-1945, and then gained full independence in 1946.
2. Vietnam 14 million in 1900, 30 million in 1954, 60 million in 1985, 97 million today.
   Vietnam was split into north and south after the Japanese left in 1945, until reunited in 1975.
3. Thailand 4 million in 1800, 5 million in 1850, 6 million in 1900, 10 million in 1927, 20 million in 1951, 30 million in 1964, 40 million in 1974, 50 million in 1984, 60 million in 1996, 70 million today.
4. Myanmar (Burma) 4 million in 1800, 5 million in 1900, 10 million in 1910, 20 million in 1954, 30 million in 1975, 40 million in 1989, 50 million in 2003, 54 million today.
5. South Korea In 1900 the country was undivided and South Korea's share of the population was about 5 million. In 1910 Japan annexed the whole country. Following Japan's defeat and with Soviet troops advancing, the country was divided at the 38th parallel by US troops on 10 August 1945. The south's population share was then about 16 million, and Seoul became its new capital city. South Korea grew to 20 million in 1950, 51 million today.

   While North Korea is about 26 million today.

   In 1900, its share of the population was about 7 million, and in 1945 about 9 million. At least 400,000 refugees fled south with Korea's division, though the figure may have been as high as 4 million over the five years 1945-1950. In May 1946 it became illegal to cross the 38th Parallel without a permit. In 1950 North Korea invaded South Korea with the aid of Stalin and Mao. Both sides lost between 1 - 1½ million people each during the following three year war, the UN, well, mainly the US, assisting the south.

South America

1. Brazil To go to the "New World" and its info click here. Population 212 million today. Ruled by Portugal until 1825.
2. Colombia 1½ million in 1800, 4 million in 1903, 12 million in 1953, 51 million today. Ruled by Spain until 1810.

Africa

1. Nigeria 15 million in 1900, 30 million in 1948, 60 million in 1972, 120 million 1998, 203 million today.
   Independence from Great Britain came in 1960. With Great Britain's war against the slave trade, it had annexed Lagos back in 1861, and then the colony of Nigeria in 1900.
2. Ethiopia 10 million in 1900, 20 million in 1955, 40 million in 1982, 75 million in 2005, 113 million today.
3. Egypt 2 million in 1700, 4 million in 1800, 7½ million in 1880, 15 million in 1930, 30 million in 1965, 50 million in 1985, 101 million today.
4. Congo (Democratic Republic) 4 million in 1900, 10 million in 1937, 20 million in 1971, 45 million in 1997, 88 million today.
   Independence from Belgium came in 1960. Belgium had earlier annexed the Congo in 1908 following pressure from Great Britain. That had followed a declaration of "private ownership" of the property of what became known as Congo Free State by King Leopold of Belgium at the West Africa Conference in Berlin in 1885. Named Zaire from 1971-1997.
5. South Africa 5 million in 1900, 12 million in 1949, 32 million in 1984, 59 million today.
   Independence from Great Britain came in 1961. The British had been in the Cape Colony (Cape of Good Hope) since 1795. Great Britain's military invasion there had followed the French Revolution, when French troops had entered and then taken over the Dutch Republic — which at that time stretched from Holland – next door to France – via the Cape of Good Hope as far as Batavia (Java) in the East Indies. In 1910 Cape Colony combined with three other British colonies to form the Union of South Africa.
6. Tanzania 4 million in 1900, 8 million in 1949, 20 million in 1984, 59 million today.
   Independence from Great Britain came in 1964 when Tanganyika (on the mainland) united with Zanzibar (a coastal archipelago) to form Tanzania. From 1885 to 1919 Tanganyika had been part of German East Africa.
7. Kenya 1 million in 1900, 3 million in 1930, 8 million in 1960, 20 million in 1985, 53 million today.
   Independence from Great Britain came in 1962. It was earlier known as British East Africa, following missionary and later commercial activity (in 1888), then becoming a British protectorate in 1895.

England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain

Click here for inner London's population growth, from perhaps 30,000 in 60AD to 50,000 in 1340 to 200,000 in 1600 to 1 million in 1800 to 4½ million in 1900. In 2011 inner London was about 3 million, outer boroughs were 5 million, totalling 8 million

	England	France	Germany	Italy	Spain
Area Sq.Kms.	130,000	644,000	357,000	300,000	505,000
Main Language after 1500	English	French Francais	German Deutsche	Italian Italiano	Spanish Espagnol
Population in millions
1 AD	1½	3	1½	7	5
1100	2	11	6	7
1200	4	13	8	8
1300	5	Bubonic Plague (Black Death in England) 1348-1349 and 1361-1362
1400	2	14		10
1500	2	16	12	11	8
1600	4	20	15	12	8
1700	5	24	15	13	7
1800	8	29	25	17	10
1850	16	35	35	24	13
1900	30	40	56	32	18
1950	39	42	68	47	28
2000	49	60	83	57	41
2020	55	65	84	61	47

Scotland, Wales and Ireland, historically low populations, relative to England

	Island of Ireland
	Ireland	Northern Ireland	Scotland	Wales
Area Sq.Kms.	70,000	14,000	80,000	20,000
Main Language before English	Irish Gaelic before 1840		Scottish Gaelic before 1600-1700	British Celtic before 1911
Population in millions
1 AD	Unknown
1200	1
1500	2		0.5	0.25
1600	2		0.8	0.35
1700	3		1	0.4
1770	4		1.4	0.5
1840	6.53	1.65	2.6	1
1844-46	Great Potato Famine, a time when 3 million people in Ireland were dependent on the potato crop as a food source, disease probably from the US wiped it out during three years. By 1851, 22,000 had died from starvation, a conservative figure of 400,000 had died from famine-related diseases (diphtheria, dysentery, cholera, smallpox, influenza), and one million had emigrated, mostly to the US.
1851	5.11	1.44	2.9	1.1
1870	4.05	1.36	3.4	1½
1920	2.97	1.25	5	2½
2000	3.9	1.68	5	3
2020	4.9	1.9	5.3	3.1

New World

Australia, USA, Canada, Mexico and Brazil

	Australia	USA	Canada	Mexico	Brazil
Area Sq.Kms.	7.7 million	9.8 million	10 million	2 million	8.5 million
Main Language after 1800	English	English	English (& French)	Spanish	Portuguese
Population in millions
1 AD			Unknown
1800		5		5	4
1820		10		6
1840		17	2	7
1860	1	31	3	8	8
1880	2	50	4	10	12
1900	4	76	5	14	18
1920	5	106	9	14	27
1940	7	132	12	20	41
1950	8	151	14	28	54
1960	10	179	18	38	72
1970	13	203	21	52	95
1980	15	227	25	69	121
1990	17	249	28	85	149
2000	19	281	31	102	175
2010	22	309	34	117	197
2020	25	330	38	128	212

Click here for What about the billions who have never heard about Jesus

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