Population and Vital Statistics Report

This issue of the Population and Vital Statistics Report presents 2001 and 2002 estimates of world and continental population, as well as corresponding 2001 estimates for 235 countries or areas of the world, which are listed separately in the Report. Also shown for each country or area are the results of the latest nation-wide census of population (total, male and female) and, wherever possible, nationally representative statistics of live births, deaths and infant deaths (deaths under one year of age) for the most recent year available. If a nation-wide population census has never been taken, but a sample survey has, the survey results are shown in the ''Latest population census'' column until census data become available.

This issue of the Population and Vital Statistics Report supersedes all previous issues, and the data contained in it are themselves subject to future revision. For more detailed data and data relating to years not shown here, readers should consult the Demographic Yearbook. 1/

Countries or areas are arranged in alphabetical order within continents.

The table below presents United Nations estimates of the 2001 mid-year population of the world by continental divisions, as well as provisional estimates of the 2002 mid-year population. These estimates, prepared by the Population Division of the United Nations Secretariat, are published in World Population Prospects: The 2002 Revision. 2/ which includes a brief discussion of the methodology used in making these estimates. It should be noted that these aggregates do not coincide exactly with the sum of the figures for individual countries or areas because they include, in addition, adjustments for overenumeration and underenumeration, or overestimation and underestimation, and data for categories of population not regularly included in the official figures. The estimates are as follows:

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a/ Provisional estimates.
b/ Hawaii, a state of the United States of America, is included in North America rather than Oceania.
c/ Including both the Asian and European parts of Turkey.
d/ Excluding the European parts of Turkey, which is included in Asia.

1/ Demographic Yearbook 2000, United Nations publication, Sales No. E/F.02.XIII.1 and previous editions.
2/ World Population Prospects: The 2002 Revision, POP/DB/WPP/Rev.2002/1.