The two pie charts illustrate the distribution of the global population across various regions in 1900 and 2000, during which time the total population rose from 1.6 billion to 6 billion.
Overall, Asia remained the dominant region in terms of population share, although its percentage declined over the century. Conversely, regions such as Africa saw a notable increase in their relative contribution to the world total.
In 1900, Asia accounted for 60% of the world's population, followed by Europe (including Russia) at 25%. North America represented 5%, while Africa and Latin America made up 4% and 3% respectively, with 3% classified as others. By 2000, the Asia Pacific region (including former Soviet Asia) still held the largest share at 54%, though this was a 6% decrease from the 1900 figure. Europe’s proportion dropped significantly to 14%.
In contrast, Africa’s share more than doubled, rising from 4% in 1900 to 10% in 2000. Latin America and the Caribbean also grew to 8%, while the Middle East and North Africa emerged as a distinct category at 6%. North America remained stable at 5%, while the 'others' category remained at 3%.