Population: 1,584,984,917
World percentage: 19.10%
Data from: 2026

Africa is the world’s second-largest and second-most-populous continent, behind Asia in both categories. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles), including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth’s total surface area and 20% of its land area. With 1.5 billion people as of 2026, it accounts for approximately 19,10% of the global population. The Mediterranean Sea surrounds the African continent to the north, the Isthmus of Suez and the Red Sea to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The continent includes Madagascar and various archipelagos. It contains 54 fully recognised sovereign states (countries), nine territories, and two de facto independent states with limited or no recognition. The majority of the continent and its countries are located in the Northern Hemisphere, with a substantial portion and several countries in the Southern Hemisphere.

Population: 5,005,339,144
World percentage: 60.31%
Data from: 2026

Asia is Earth’s largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the Eastern and Northern Hemispheres. It shares the continental landmass of Eurasia with the continent of Europe and the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with both Europe and Africa. Asia covers an area of 44,579,000 square kilometers (17,212,000 sq mi), about 30% of Earth’s total land area, and 8.7% of the Earth’s total surface area. The continent, which has long been home to the majority of the human population, was the birthplace of many of the earliest civilizations. Asia is notable not only for its large size and population but also for dense, large-scale settlements and vast, sparsely populated regions. With over 5 billion people (as of January 2026), Asia constitutes roughly 60,31% of the world’s population.

Population: 47,118,951
World percentage: 0.57%
Data from: 2026

Oceania is a geographic region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the eastern and western hemispheres, Oceania has a land area of 8,525,989 square kilometers (3,291,903 sq mi) and a population of 47 million. Located in the southeast of the Asia-Pacific region, Oceania, when compared to the continental areas, is the smallest in land area and the second smallest in population after Antarctica.

Population: 743,197,243
World percentage: 8.96%
Data from: 2026

Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. The Arctic Ocean borders it to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Asia to the east, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. It comprises the westernmost part of Eurasia. Europe is commonly acknowledged to be separated from Asia by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways of the Turkish Straits. Although the term “continent” implies physical geography, the land border is somewhat arbitrary. It has been redefined several times since its first conception in classical antiquity. The division of Eurasia into two continents reflects East-West cultural, linguistic, and ethnic differences, which vary on a spectrum rather than with a sharp dividing line. The geographic border between Europe and Asia does not follow any state boundaries: Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Kazakhstan are transcontinental countries. Spain is also transcontinental, as its central portion lies on the Iberian Peninsula (Europe). At the same time, pockets of Spanish territory are located across the Strait of Gibraltar on the North African region (i.e., mainly Melilla, Ceuta, and the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean).

Population: 621,247,959
World percentage: 7.49%
Data from: 2026

North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered by some to be a northern subcontinent of the Americas. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean, and to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea. North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 square miles), about 16.5% of the earth’s land area and about 4.8% of its total surface. North America is the third-largest continent by area, after Asia and Africa, and the fourth-largest by population, after Asia, Africa, and Europe. In 2026, its population was estimated at nearly 621 million people across 23 independent states, or about 7.49% of the world’s population, including the nearby islands (most notably the Caribbean).

Population: 440,484,603
World percentage: 5.31%
Data from: 2026

South America is a continent in the Western Hemisphere, mainly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It may also be considered a subcontinent of the Americas, as it is in the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking regions of the Americas. The reference to South America instead of other areas (like Latin America or the Southern Cone) has increased in the last few decades due to changing geopolitical dynamics (in particular, the rise of Brazil). It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east by the Atlantic Ocean; North America and the Caribbean Sea lie to the northwest. It includes twelve sovereign states (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela), a part of France (French Guiana), and a non-sovereign area (the Falkland Islands, a British Overseas Territory though Argentina disputes this). In addition, the ABC Islands of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Trinidad and Tobago, and Panama may also be considered part of South America.