statistics and demography - events

c. 8000 BC	world	The population of the world is over 5 million.
c. 325 BC	Europe	The population of the British Isles is around half a million.
7 BC	world	The population of the world is around 250 million.
120	Roman Empire	Rome is the largest city in the world, with an estimated population of more than 1 million.
200–700	Central America	The Zapotec site of Monte Albán in Central America is at its peak in this period. It may have had 30,000 or more inhabitants. It is the centre of a complex of public buildings, temples, and dwellings that cover 40 sq km/15 sq mi.
1087	England	The Domesday Book, compiled for William I the Conqueror, King of England and Duke of Normandy, records 5,624 water-mills for corn south of the rivers Trent and Severn, roughly one mill for every 400 people, some stamping-mills for crushing iron-ore, and hammer-mills. It estimates the population of England at between 1 and 1.5 million, with East Anglia the most populous region.
1170	England	The population of London, England, is around 30,000.
1377	England	The population of England is estimated at 2 million; before the Black Death (a form of bubonic plague) it was between 3.5 and 5 million.
1400	England	The population of London, England, stands at around 50,000.
1546	England	The population of England is more than 4 million.
1558	England	The population of London, England, is around 200,000.
1606	Pacific	The Australian aboriginal population is around 300,000.
1648	Germany	At the end of the Thirty Years' War, the population of the German states has gone down from 21 million to less than 14 million.
1650	UK	With a population of 400,000 people, London, England, is the biggest city in Western Europe. The huge increase in population has been caused by a flood of people from outside London looking for employment.
1740	North America	The estimated total nonindigenous population of the European colonies in North America reaches 889,000.
1750	world, Europe	The population of the world is around 750 million. In Europe it is 140 million.
1760–1770	North America	The estimated population of the North American colonies is 1,593,625 including 325,806 black slaves.
1770–1780	America	The estimated population of the American colonies is 2,780,369 including 575,420 black slaves.
1770	America	The population of Britain's 13 American colonies has risen from 1.6 million to an estimated 2.2 million in a decade.
1790	USA	The distribution of the white population by origin in the USA is: 61% English; 8% Scottish; 10% Irish; 9% German; 3% Dutch; 2% French; 0.7% Swedish.
1790	USA	The population of the city of New York City reaches 30,000.
1800	USA	US census data show a 35.1% increase in the population, which has climbed to 5.3 million since 1790.
1800	world, Europe	The population of the world is estimated at 870 million, with over 20% of people living in Europe.
1800	UK	The population of England and Wales is an estimated 8.7 million, up from just over 5 million in 1700.
1801	Italy, Spain, UK, Ireland, USA, France, Austria, Germany	The first accurate censuses, taken in 1800 and 1801, provide population statistics for: Italy, 17.2 million; Spain, 10.5 million; Great Britain, 10.4 million; Ireland, 5.2 million; the USA, 5.3 million; also for London, England, 864,000; Paris, France, 547,756; Vienna, Austria, 231,050; Berlin, Germany, 183,294, and New York City, 60,515.
1801	China, India, Japan, France, Germany, UK, Spain, USA	Populations in millions: China, 295; India, 130; Japan, 15; France, 27; the German states, 14; Britain, 10; Spain, 10; USA, 5.
1811	UK	London, England, is the first city to have a population of more than 1 million.
1811	UK	The population of Great Britain is 12.5 million, an increase of 2.1 million during the previous decade. The population of London, England, exceeds 1 million.
1821	France, UK, Italy, Austrian Empire, Germany	France has a population of 30.4 million; Britain, 20.8 million (of which Ireland comprises 6.8 million); the Italian states, 18 million; the Austrian Empire, 12 million; the USA, 9.6 million; and the combined populations of Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, and the duchies, principalities and free cities of Germany, 26.1 million.
1821–1830	USA, UK, Ireland	Emigration to the USA from Britain is 27,489, and from Ireland, 54,338.
1827–1838	Ireland, Germany, USA	A period of Irish and German migration to the USA begins due to a severe winter in 1829, increased legislation against German Jews, economic stress in Ireland, and Irish factionalism.
1830	world	The world population is around 1 billion.
1831	USA, UK	The population of Britain is 12.2 million, Ireland, 7.7 million, and the USA, 12.8 million.
1831–1840	USA, UK	Emigration to the USA is 75,810 from Britain and 207,381 from Ireland.
1841	UK, Ireland, USA, France, Austria, Germany	Populations: Great Britain 18,534,000; Ireland 8,175,000; USA 17,063,000. Principal cities: London, England 2,235,000; Paris, France 935,000; Vienna, Austria 357,000; Berlin, Germany 300,000; New York City 313,000.
1841–1850	USA, UK	Emigration to the USA is 267,044 from Britain and 780,719 from Ireland.
1851	China, Germany, France, UK, Ireland, Italy, USA, Austrian Empire	Populations (in millions) are China, 430; German States and free cities, 34; France, 33; Britain, 20.8; Ireland, 6.5; Italy, 24; USA, 23; Austrian Empire, 16.
1851–1860	USA, UK	Emigration to the USA from Britain is 423,964, and from Ireland, 914,119.
1858	USA	About 100,000 Americans move west in reaction to the discovery of gold at two sites in the Colorado territory.
1861	UK	The population of Britain is over 23 million.
1861	Russian Empire, USA, UK, Italy	The population of Russia is 76 million, 32 million in the USA, 23.1 million in Britain, 5.7 million in Ireland, and 25 million in Italy.
1861–1870	USA, UK, Ireland	Emigration to the USA from Britain totals 606,896; from Ireland it is 435,779.
1870	UK	The British newspaper the Daily Telegraph has the largest circulation in the world, with sales in excess of 250,000 copies.
1871	Germany, USA, France, Japan, UK, Ireland, Italy	Populations of selected countries (in millions): Germany, 41; USA, 39; France, 36.1; Japan, 33; Great Britain, 26; Ireland, 5.4; Italy, 26.8.
1881	USA, Germany, France, Italy, UK	Population in the USA stands at 53 million, in Germany, 45.2 million, in France, 37.6 million, in Italy, 28.4 million, in Britain, 29.7 million, and in Ireland, 5.1 million.
1881	UK, France, USA, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Japan, Russian Empire, Belgium	Populations of the chief European and North American cities stand at 3.3 million in London, England, 2.2 million in Paris, France, 1.2 million in New York City, 1.1 million in Berlin, Germany, 1 million in Vienna, Austria, 0.8 million in Tokyo, Japan, 0.6 million in St Petersburg, Russia, and 0.1 million in Brussels, Belgium.
1881–1890	USA, UK	Emigration to the USA is 807,357 from Britain and 655,482 from Ireland.
1889	UK	The British are the largest consumers per capita of sugar in the world.
1900	USA	The population of the USA is more than 75 million.
1900	world	The world population stands at 1.6 billion.
1901	United Kingdom	A fall in the death rate in Britain leads to an increase in the population, to over 40 million people. Over 6.5 million people live in London.
1905	USA	The population density in the slums of New York City reaches 1,000 persons an acre, higher than in Bombay (now Mumbai), India.
1907	USA, Austria-Hungary	More than 338,000 Austro-Hungarian immigrants arrive in the USA.
1910	USA	Less than half the population over 25 in the USA has a high school education and just 4% are college graduates.
1911–1914	USA, Mexico	82,500 Mexicans emigrate to the USA.
1920	USA	The average life expectancy in the USA is 54 years, up from 49 years in 1901.
1931	USA	In the USA, unemployment figures reach 8 million.
1933	Germany	The German birth rate begins to increase, as a result of Adolf Hitler's economic incentives to ‘Aryan’ Germans to have children.
1933	USA	The average life expectancy in the USA is 59 years, as opposed to 49 years in 1900.
1935	USA	US businesses spend $1.7 billion on advertising: $762 million in newspapers; $136 million in magazines; and $112 million on radio.
1935	Japan	Despite emigration and a falling birth rate, overpopulation causes concern in Japan: the population has effectively doubled in size since 1872 and stands at more than 70 million.
1936	China, India, USSR, USA, Japan, Germany, UK, France	Populations (in millions): China, 422; India, 360; USSR, 173; USA, 127; Japan, 89; Germany, 70; Great Britain, 47; France, 44.
1936	USA	38% of families in the USA live below the poverty line designated by the government.
1938	USA	During 1938, there are 32,000 automobile-related deaths in the USA, one-third involving pedestrians.
1940	world	The population of the world is estimated at 2.229 billion.
1940–1949	USA	Immigration into the USA for the period 1940–49 stands at 856,608.
1940	UK	The populations figures for the United Kingdom are (in millions): England 39.2; Wales 2.5; Scotland 4.9; Ireland/Northern Ireland 1.3.
1947	USA	In the USA, 18% of white males and 16% of white females finish four years of high school; the corresponding figures for blacks are 8% and 9%.
1947	USA	In the USA, 5.4% of white men and 3.7% of white women complete four years of college; the corresponding figures for blacks are 2.3% and 2.6%.
1950	USA	US businesses spend $5.7 billion on advertising: $2.1 billion in newspapers; $605 million on radio; $515 in magazines; and $171 million on television.
1950	USA	The US population reaches 150,697,361 and the centre of the nation's population moves westward into Illinois.
1950	USA	The average family income in the USA is $3,319; $3,455 for whites and $1,869 for blacks and other minorities.
1960	USA	The median income for families in the USA is $5,620, or $5,835 for white families and $3,233 for blacks and other minorities.
1960	USA	In the USA, 22% of white males and 29% of white females have finished four years of high school; the corresponding numbers for black males and females are 12% and 15%.
1961	USA	US cigarette manufacturers spend over $110 million on television advertising, compared to $40 million in 1957.
1965	world	The world population is over 3 billion.
1965	USA	The rate of population growth in the USA stands at 1.2%, the lowest since 1945, the year before the baby boom.
1970	USA	In the USA, 31% of white males and 39% of white females have completed four years of high school; the corresponding numbers for black males and females are 22% and 25%.
1970–1979	USA	The number of one-parent families in the USA increases 79%, representing one in five of all families.
1970	USA	Women's median income in the USA is $5,440; that of men is $9,184.
1970	USA	In the USA, the lowest-earning fifth of the population earns 5.4% of the total income; the second fifth earns 12.2%; the third fifth earns 17.6%; the fourth fifth earns 23.8%; and the highest-earning fifth earns 40.9%.
1970	world	The population of the world is about 3.7 billion.
1970–1979	USA	There are over 4 million immigrants to the USA in the period 1970–79, coming mainly from Asia and the Americas.
1971–1978	USA, North America, Asia, Europe, South America, Africa	Immigration patterns in the USA: 38% from North America (Mexico, Caribbean); 35% from Asia; 19% from Europe; 6% from South America; and 2% from Africa.
August 1971	UK	Provisional returns from the 1971 British census show a considerable decrease in the populations of London, England, and other big cities.
1972	USA	The US birth rate – 15.8 per thousand of the population – is the lowest since records began in 1917.
1974	UK	Social and educational composition of the British Cabinet in a Labour government: aristocrats 1; middle class 16; working class 4; attendance at public school 7 (none at Eton); attendance at University 16 (including 11 at Oxford or Cambridge).
1975	USA	Women outnumber men in the USA for the first time due to longer life spans for women, who live an average of eight years longer than men.
1975	USA	The average female worker in the USA earns 57% of what the average male earns. Average annual salaries of female faculty members in universities are about $4,000 lower than those of men at the same institution.
1975	Africa, Asia, South America, Central America, North America, Europe, USSR	The percentage of government seats held by women is 4% in Africa; 13% in Asia; 3.4% in Latin America; 3.6% in North America; 13% in Europe; and 32% in the USSR.
1975	USA	Out of 34,083 doctors' degrees awarded in the USA, 7,266 are to women.
30 May 1975	USA	Unemployment in the USA reaches 9.2%, the highest rate since 1941.
31 January 1976	world	The population of the world reaches 4 billion.
1977	USA	There are 4,311 black elected officials in the USA, up from 1,469 in 1970.
1978	USA	In the USA, 49% of all women work, up from 31% in 1950; 48% of married women work, double the percentage in 1950.
1978	UK	The British take 48 million holidays: some 9 million of these are holidays abroad, with 30% of holidaymakers going to Spain.
1978	USA	The birth rate in the USA is 15.3 per 1,000 population, a decline from 24.1 in 1950.
1978	USA	Life expectancy in the USA is 70.2 years for men and 77.8 years for women, up from 64.4 and 69.5 in 1945.
1979	UK	The British House of Lords has 51 women out of 1,107 members, and the House of Commons has 19 women out of 635 members.
1980	USA, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt	Over 1.5 million abortions are performed in the USA; there are 3 million illegal abortions in Brazil and 280,000 in Colombia; in Egypt, a quarter of all pregnancies are aborted.
1980	USA	Over 18% of births in the USA are to unmarried mothers; over 40% of births are to women under 20.
1980	world	The population of the world is 4.45 billion.
1980	UK, England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland	Estimated population of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: England, 46,787,000; Wales, 2,816,000; Scotland, 5,194,000; Northern Ireland, 1,533,000.
1980	USA	The population of the USA is 226.5 million compared to 76 million in 1900.
3 January 1980	UK, Europe	A report shows that half of married British women go out to work, the largest proportion anywhere in the European Community.
1981	China, India, USSR, USA, Indonesia, Brazil, Japan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Pakistan, Mexico, West Germany, Italy, UK, France	Populations (in millions): China, 991.3; India, 690.2; USSR, 268.0; USA, 229.8; Indonesia, 149.5; Brazil, 120.5; Japan, 117.6; Bangladesh, 90.7; Nigeria, 87.6; Pakistan, 84.5; Mexico, 71.2; West Germany, 61.7; Italy, 56.2; Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 56.0; France, 54.0.
1981	world	The world population stands at 4.5 billion, up 2 billion since 1950.
1981	USA	Divorces in the USA reach their highest to date at 1,210,000 this year.
1981	India	It is estimated that the average woman in India has eight pregnancies in her lifetime; 3.5 million Indian women are sterilized each year.
1982	Spain, Sweden, China, East Germany, UK, USA	Women as a percentage of the workforce: Spain, 29%; Sweden, 46%; China, 36%; East Germany, 50%; UK, 42%; USA, 43%.
1982	China	The population of China rises to over 1 billion.
1983	world	Illiteracy levels in selected countries (percentage of adult population): Afghanistan, 81.8; Angola, 59.0; Argentina, 6.1; Bangladesh, 70.8; Brazil, 22.2; China, 34.5; Egypt, 61.8; Ethiopia, 37.6; India, 59.2; Indonesia, 32.7; Iran, 45.2; Israel, 8.2; Malaysia, 30.4; Mexico, 17.0; Pakistan, 73.8; Peru, 18.1; Saudi Arabia, 48.9; Sri Lanka, 13.2; Sudan, 68.6; Tunisia, 49.3.
1983	USA	The US Census Bureau reports the highest level of persons living in poverty in the USA in 18 years (35,300,000).
1984	USA	The US Census Bureau estimates the population of the USA at 236,158,000.
1985	France, Germany, UK, USA, USSR	Divorce rates (divorces per 1,000 of the population): France, 1.95; Germany, 2.10; Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 3.08; USA, 5.0; USSR, 3.36
1985	USA	Social statistics reveal that in 1985 US women spend an average of 27 hours a week doing housework; US men spend 12.
1985	world	The average literacy rate of women worldwide is 97%. In developing countries, however, only 55% of women are literate.
1986	USA	For the first time, the number of women in the USA holding professional jobs is greater than that of men, by 29,000.
1986	USA	The US Census Bureau reports 2,220,000 unwed couples.
1987	world	The number of divorces (as percentage of marriages contracted): Australia, 34; Belgium, 31; Canada, 43; Czechoslovakia, 32; Denmark, 44; Finland, 38; France, 31; West Germany, 30; Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 41; Greece, 13; Netherlands, 28; Italy, 8; Japan, 22; Norway, 40; Sweden, 44; USA, 48.
1987	USA	Women own 30% of US businesses.
11 July 1987	world	The world population reaches 5 billion – double that of 1950.
1988	USA	The number of births in the USA is 3,829,000, the highest in 25 years.
1989	USA	There are over 6 million immigrants to the USA in the period 1980–9, coming mainly from Asia and the Americas. This compares with over 4 million in the period 1970–79.
1990	USA	The population of the USA is 249,632,692.
1990	Asia, Europe, Africa, USSR, South America, North America	World population distribution by continents, in percentages of the total world population (compared with percentages in 1950) is as follows: Asia, 58.8 (54.7); Europe, 9.4 (15.6); Africa, 12.1 (8.8); USSR, 5.4 (7.2); Latin America, 8.5 (6.6); North America, 5.2 (6.6)
1990	UK	Estimated population of Great Britain and Ireland/Northern Ireland: England 47,838,000; Wales 2,881,000; Scotland 5,102,000; Ireland/Northern Ireland 1,589,000.
1990	USA	According to the US Census Bureau, 28% of Americans are obese, including 30% of women and 38% of black Americans.
1991	USA	The US Census Bureau reports that from 1984 to 1988 the income of the richest 20% grew by 14% but that nationwide the median income dropped from $37,012 to $35,752.
1991	USA	Studies reveal that one in four babies in the USA is born out of wedlock.
1991	USA	A study in the USA reveals that women hold 45% of all government jobs, but just 31% of upper-level positions in government agencies.
1991	world	The world population is 5.5 billion, compared with 3.63 billion in 1970.
25 January 1991	USA	US federal health officials announce that 100,777 people have died from AIDS since the discovery of the disease in 1981.
1992	USA	973,977 people immigrate to and settle in the USA.
1993	USA	In the USA, 68% of black babies and 24% of white babies are born to unmarried mothers.
1993	USA	The infant mortality rate in the USA is 8.4 per 1,000 live births, down from 12.6 in 1980. The rate is 16.5 for black babies and 6.8 for white babies.
1993	USA	A US survey reveals that 51.1 million workers, or 46% of the labour force, use computers for their work; the most popular application is word processing.
1993	USA	The average US family donates $880, or 2% of total income, a year to charity, up from $790 in 1987.
1994	USA	Of the 804,000 people who immigrate to the USA, 161,000 come from Europe, 293,000 come from Asia, 272,000 come from North America, and 47,000 come from South America.
1995	USA	According to the US Census Bureau, the average size of a US household is 2.65 people, down from 3.33 people in 1960.
1995	USA	In the USA, 64% of married women with children under six work, as opposed to 45% in 1980 and 19% in 1960.
1995	USA	The average per capita income in the USA is $22,788, up from $18,666 in 1990.
1995	USA	In the USA, 33.7 million people subscribe to cellular phone services.
1995	USA	In the USA, 23% of people older than 25 have a college degree, up from 11% in 1970.
30 October 1995	USA	A survey finds that 17% of adults in the USA and Canada have access to the Internet and that 11% of adults have used the Internet in the previous three months. The survey also finds that two-thirds of Internet users are men.
12 April 1998	USA	The US Census Bureau reports that 26 million Americans, nearly one in ten, is an immigrant. Most come from Central or South America.
18 July 1999		The US Census Bureau reports that the world population has reached 6 billion.
29 April 2001	UK	The 10-yearly census in the UK takes place amid controversy about questions on ethnicity and nationality and reported bureaucratic failings.