Population, Mid-Year 2019: 329,065,000
Population Density (Population Per Square Kilometer), Mid-Year 2019: 36
Projected Population Mid-Year 2030: 349,642,000
Percentage of Population Under Age 25 Years, Mid-Year 2019: 32%
Percentage of Population 65 Years Or Over, Mid-Year 2019: 16%

Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2019). World Population Prospects 2019: Data Booklet (ST/ESA/SER.A/424).

Annual Population Growth Rate 2000-2018: 0.8%
Projected Annual Population Growth Rate 2018-2030: 0.6%
Proportion of Urban Population, 2018: 82%
Annual Growth Rate of Urban Population 2000-2018: 1.1%
Projected Annual Growth Rate of Urban Population 2018-2030: 0.8%

Source: UNICEF (2019). The State of the World’s Children 2019. Children, Food and Nutrition: Growing well in a changing world. UNICEF, New York.

“In July 2019 the population of the US was over 328 million (US Census Bureau, 2020), which ranks third worldwide after China and India, both of which have over 1.3 billion 1 people. The racial and ethnic make-up is quite varied, with approximately 60% White, 18% Hispanic or Latino, 13% Black or African American and the remainder other and / or mixed racial and ethnic groups (US Census Bureau, 2020). (Race and ethnicity categories are self-reported in the Census and there are no fixed criteria as to how a person identifies himself or herself.) Hispanics and Latinos are the fastest growing group in terms of numbers but recently the group with the highest percentage growth was Asian (US Census Bureau, 2017).

“The population figures reflect all people in the US, both legally and undocumented. While there is not an agreed figure for the latter, some estimates put it at about 11 million persons, a figure that has been relatively steady for almost 10 years (Krogstad, Passel & Cohn, 2018). Table 1.1 provides several demographic indicators and how they have changed from 1995 to the present time. Several are typical of high-income countries. Of particular note, however, is the decline in the fertility rate over the past decade. Unlike many European countries, fertility rates in the US had been around the generally accepted ‘replacement rate’ of 2.1 children per woman, and have been relatively steady over the past 40 years. In contrast, many OECD countries have rates below 1.5 and in Japan and Korea it is around 1.2. By 2016, however, the US rate had declined to 1.8 and by 2018 it had fallen to 1.7 (World Bank, 2020). The reasons for this are not clear, although part is likely related to women choosing to delay having children to help establish their working careers (Tavernise, 2018). Regardless, if this trend persists it will eventually translate into a smaller working-age population, putting more budgetary pressure on social spending.”

Source: Rice T, Rosenau P, Unruh LY, Barnes AJ, Saltman RB, van Ginneken E. United States of America: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2013; 15(3): 1– 431.

“The United States is projected to grow by nearly 79 million people in the next 4 decades, from about 326 million to 404 million between 2017 and 2060. The population is projected to cross the 400-million mark in 2058.

“• The population is expected to grow by an average of 1.8 million people per year between 2017 and 2060.

“• The rate of population growth is slowing. Since 2010, the population has grown by about 2.3 million people per year and it is projected to continue growing by the same annual rate until 2030. However, that rate is expected to fall to 1.8 million per year between 2030 and 2040, and continue falling to 1.5 million per year between 2040 and 2060.

“• Beginning in 2030, net international migration is expected to overtake natural increase as the driver of population growth in the United States because of population aging. That year, the United States is projected to add 1 million people by natural increase (the number of births minus deaths) but 1.1 million through net international migration. Because the number of deaths is projected to rise substantially, in 2060 the U.S. population is projected to add about 500,000 people by natural increase, whereas net international migration is expected to add more than twice that number—1.1 million—to the population.

“• The population is projected to grow more from international migration than natural increase in coming decades because of population aging. As baby boomers age into older adulthood, the number of deaths is projected to rise faster than the number of births. As a result, the population will naturally grow very slowly, leaving international migration to overtake natural increase as the leading cause of population growth, even as projected levels of migration remain relatively flat.”

Source: Vespa, Jonathan, Lauren Medina, and David M. Armstrong, “Demographic Turning Points for the United States: Population Projections for 2020 to 2060,” Current Population Reports, P25-1144, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, 2020.

Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems in the US and several other nations.

Page last updated March 25, 2021 by Doug McVay, Editor.