Rank
Country/Territory
Population c. 1900 estimate
Percentage of World Population
—
World
1,700,100,000[1]
100%
1
British Empire
British Asia – 301,041,000
India – 241,000,000
Bangladesh – 30,000,000
Pakistan – 23,000,000
Ceylon – 3,912,000
Malaya – 900,000
Straits Settlements – 550,000
Sarawak – 500,000
Hong Kong – 325,000
North Borneo – 300,000
Cyprus – 240,000
Bahrain – 70,000
Trucial Oman – 70,000
Maldives – 57000
Aden Protectorate – 45,000
Sheikhdom of Kuwait – 40,000
Brunei – 22,000
Qatar – 11,000
British Africa – 44,587,195
Egypt – 10,000,000[2] [3]
Northern Nigeria – 8,500,000
Southern Nigeria – 7,500,000
Anglo-Egyptian Sudan – 5,588,000
Cape Colony – 2,500,000
Uganda – 1,649,000
Gold Coast – 1,486,400
Kenya – 1,352,000
Sierra Leone (including protectorate) – 1,027,000
Colony of Natal – 925,100
Northern Rhodesia – 770,000
Nyasaland – 717,000
Southern Rhodesia – 692,000
Basutoland – 383,000
Mauritius – 375,000
Somaliland – 300,000
Zanzibar (UK and Oman) – 250,000
Gambia – 165,000
Bechuanaland – 90,000
Swaziland – 90,000
Seychelles – 22,000
Witu Sultanate – 15,000
Saint Helena – 4,500
Ascension Island – 100
Tristan da Cunha – 95
United Kingdom – 44,498,900 Canada – 5,301,000 Australia – 3,765,700
British West Indies – 1,685,000
Jamaica – 720,000
Trinidad and Tobago – 320,000
Barbados – 182,000
Grenada – 70,000
Bahamas – 55,000
Saint Lucia – 50,000
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – 49,000
British Honduras – 45,000
Saint Kitts and Nevis – 45,000
Antigua and Barbuda – 35,000
Dominica – 32,000
Bermuda – 20,000
Montserrat – 12,000
Turks and Caicos Islands – 5,500
British Virgin Islands – 5,000
Cayman Islands – 5,000
Anguilla – 4,500
New Zealand – 802,200 British Guiana – 300,000 Newfoundland – 230,000 Western Pacific Territories – 375,689 Malta – 195,000 Gibraltar – 29,000 Falkland Islands – 2,300
~400,800,000[citation needed ]
23.51%
2
Qing China
400,000,000[citation needed ]
23.5%
3
Russian Empire
136,305,900[citation needed ]
8.0%
4
United States
78,816,167[citation needed ]
4.6%
5
French Empire
French Third Republic – 38,900,000 French Indochina – 15,164,500
French West Africa – 11,439,000
French Sudan – 2,672,000
Upper Volta – 2,222,000
Colony of Niger – 1,459,000
French Guinea – 1,459,000
Ivory Coast – 1,355,000
Senegal – 1,200,000
Colony of Dahomey and Dependencies – 570,000
Colony of Mauritania – 502,000
French North Africa – 5,575,000
Colony of Madagascar and Dependencies – 2,539,500
French Equatorial Africa – 1,825,000
French India – 280,000 French West Indies – 375,000
Leased Territory of Guangzhouwan – 185,000 New Caledonia – 54,000 French Somaliland – 50,000 New Hebrides – 50,000 French Polynesia – 30,000 French Guiana – 24,000 Wallis and Futuna – 6,000 Saint Pierre and Miquelon – 5,000
78,790,700[citation needed ]
4.6%
6
German Empire
Germany – 56,367,178 Kamerun – 3,500,000 German East Africa – 3,500,000 Ruanda-Urundi – 2,700,000 Togoland – 920,000 German South West Africa – 210,000 German New Guinea – 188,000 Kiaochow – 60,000 German Solomon Islands – 50,000 German Samoa – 37,000 Caroline Islands – 36,000 Micronesia – 15,000 Marshall Islands – 15,000 Palau – 4,000 Neutral Moresnet – 3,000 Mariana Islands – 2,500 Nauru – 1,500
67,609,178[4]
4.0%
7
Dutch Empire
47,980,100[citation needed ]
2.8%
8
Austria-Hungary
Hungary – 6,800,000 Austria – 6,000,000 Bohemia – 6,000,000 Galicia – 5,300,000 Moravia – 3,000,000 Slovakia – 2,700,000 Transylvania – 2,100,000 Bosnia – 1,600,000 Dalmatia – 1,300,000 Carniola – 1,200,000 Croatia-Slavonia – 1,000,000 Südtirol – 500,000
47,295,100 [citation needed ]
2.8%
9
Empire of Japan
46,605,000[5]
2.7%
10
Kingdom of Italy
33,095,000[citation needed ]
1.9%
11
Ottoman Empire [a]
Turkey – 14,000,000 Yemen – 2,500,000 Kosovo – 1,600,000 Aleppo – 1,500,000 Salonica – 1,300,000 Manastir – 1,000,000 Damascus – 1,000,000 Eastern Rumelia – 900,000 Baghdad – 800,000 Hiyaz – 600,000 Beirut – 530,000 Tripoli – 500,000 Scutari – 350,000 Cretan State – 310,000 Mosul – 300,000 Basora – 200,000 Zor – 100,000
31,706,300[citation needed ]
1.9%
12
Sokoto Caliphate
10-20,000,000[6] [7] [b]
0.6-1.1%
13
Spanish Empire
18,834,000[citation needed ]
1.1%
14
Brazil
17,984,000[citation needed ]
1.1%
16
Korean Empire
17,082,000[8]
1.0%
17
Belgian colonial empire
15,426,500[citation needed ]
0.9%
18
Mexico
13,607,000[citation needed ]
0.8%
19
Portuguese Empire
Portugal – 5,450,000 Portuguese West Africa – 4,790,000 Portuguese East Africa – 2,239,000 Portuguese India – 475,000 Portuguese Timor – 300,000 Azores – 260,000 Guinea – 200,000 Madeira – 160,000 Cape Verde – 140,000 Macau – 80,000 São Tomé and Príncipe – 61,000
12,434,000[citation needed ]
0.7%
20
Ethiopian Empire
12,180,600[9]
0.7%
21
Qajar Iran
9,860,000[citation needed ]
0.6%
22
Philippines
7,409,000[citation needed ]
0.4%
23
Union between Sweden and Norway
7,354,400[citation needed ]
0.4%
24
Morocco
7,000,000[10]
0.4%
25
Siam
6,320,000[citation needed ]
0.4%
26
Romania
6,000,000[citation needed ]
0.4%
27
Afghanistan
4,550,000[citation needed ]
0.3%
28
Argentina
4,542,000[citation needed ]
0.3%
29
Jabal Shammar [c]
~4,218,000[citation needed ]
~0.2%
30
Colombia [d]
4,157,000[citation needed ]
0.2%
31
Bulgaria
3,744,300[citation needed ]
0.2%
32
Nepal [e]
3,599,000[citation needed ]
0.2%
33
Switzerland
3,315,400[citation needed ]
0.2%
34
Chile
3,110,100[citation needed ]
0.18%
35
Peru
3,000,000[citation needed ]
0.18%
36
Serbia
2,579,800[f] [citation needed ]
0.15%
37
Danish Empire
2,569,000[citation needed ]
0.15%
39
Venezuela
2,445,000[citation needed ]
0.14%
40
Bolivia
1,766,000[citation needed ]
0.1%
41
South African Republic
1,400,000[citation needed ]
42
Ecuador
1,271,900[citation needed ]
43
Uruguay
943,000[citation needed ]
44
Guatemala
885,000[citation needed ]
45
El Salvador
801,000[citation needed ]
46
Liberia
641,000[citation needed ]
47
Paraguay
635,600[citation needed ]
48
Dominican Republic
600,000[citation needed ]
49
Honduras
543,700[citation needed ]
50
Muscat and Oman
500,000[citation needed ]
51
Nicaragua
429,300[citation needed ]
52
Orange Free State
400,000[citation needed ]
53
Costa Rica
341,600[citation needed ]
54
Montenegro
320,000[citation needed ]
55
Bhutan [g]
280,000[citation needed ]
56
Luxembourg
252,000[citation needed ]
57
Monaco
19,000[citation needed ]
58
San Marino
11,000[citation needed ]
59
Liechtenstein
10,000[citation needed ]
60
Andorra
6,000[citation needed ]