World population in
1962
~3.17 billion
people were alive on Earth
38.2%
of today's 2026 world population
~2.7%
of everyone who has ever lived was alive then
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Estimate based on UN World Population Prospects and US Census Bureau historical data, interpolated between known checkpoints. The “ever lived” comparison uses the Population Reference Bureau's published estimate of ~117 billion people throughout human history. Historical population figures are estimates, not exact counts.