International Database: Countries and Areas
International Database: Countries and Areas
Geographic Standards
The International Database (IDB) includes population estimates and projections and other demographic indicators for over 200 countries and areas of the world with populations of 5,000 or more.
The IDB reflects U.S. government policy. Country names used in the IDB are consistent with federal government standards established by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN). Country codes shown in the IDB are from the Geopolitical Entities, Names, and Codes (GENC) standard. Geopolitical Entities, Names, and Codes (GENC) standard (preferred). Land boundaries presented in the IDB are from the Large-Scale International Boundaries dataset released by the U.S. Department of State.
Countries and Areas
Below is a table of all 227 countries and areas presented in the IDB. This table includes the 2-character GENC code (GENC-2), country or area name, and year last revised for each country or area.
In December 2020, the IDB extended projections for all countries and areas to the year 2100 (unless a more recent year is shown in the table). The revision dates shown below reflect the most recent year in which the base population, components of population change, or both were researched, reassessed, and adjusted.
Countries are updated based on available funding and discovery of new demographic information.
- *United States data are based on official estimates and projections. All population estimates and projections are for the resident population. Population estimates for 1950-2009 are from historical intercensal estimates, 2010-2019 from the 2010-2020 Intercensal Estimates, and 2020-2024 from the Vintage 2024 Population Estimates. Population estimates for 2020-2024 were developed from a “blended base” for April 1, 2020 which integrates the results of the 2020 Census, the 2020 Demographic Analysis estimates, and the Vintage 2020 estimates series (for more details, see the Vintage 2024 population estimates methodology statement at this URL: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/technical-documentation/methodology/2020-2024/methods-statement-v2024.pdf). Population data for 2025-2100 are drawn from the 2023 National Population Projections. The U.S. population components shown in the IDB may not match the official population components for the United States due to differences in how they are displayed (calendar year versus midyear-to-midyear estimates). Revised official population estimates are released each year (https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest.html). Therefore, the U.S. population estimates (official compared with IDB) may not match due to differences in the timing of their release. Population density calculations for 1950-1958 use land area from the 1950 Census before Alaska and Hawaii became states in 1959. The rest of the time series (1959-2100) uses land area from the Vintage 2024 Population Estimates.
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