Population Pyramids of the World from 1950 to 2100

Northern America Population Pyramid 1978

Northern America
Afghanistan Africa Albania Algeria Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Asia Australia Australia/New Zealand Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia (Plurinational State of) Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Caribbean Central African Republic Central America Central Asia Chad Channel Islands Chile China China, Hong Kong SAR China, Macao SAR Colombia Comoros Congo Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curaçao Cyprus Czech Republic Côte d'Ivoire Dem. People's Republic of Korea Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominican Republic Eastern Africa Eastern Asia Eastern Europe Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Europe Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran (Islamic Republic of) Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao People's Democratic Republic Latin America and the Caribbean Latvia Least developed countries Lebanon Lesotho Less developed regions Less developed regions, excluding China Less developed regions, excluding least developed countries Liberia Libya Lithuania Luxembourg Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Melanesia Mexico Micronesia Micronesia (Fed. States of) Middle Africa Mongolia Montenegro More developed regions Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Northern Africa Northern America Northern Europe Norway Oceania Oman Other non-specified areas Pakistan Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Polynesia Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Republic of Korea Republic of Moldova Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Réunion Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South America South Sudan South-Central Asia South-Eastern Asia Southern Africa Southern Asia Southern Europe Spain Sri Lanka State of Palestine Sub-Saharan Africa Sudan Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic TFYR Macedonia Tajikistan Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United Republic of Tanzania United States Virgin Islands United States of America Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) Viet Nam Western Africa Western Asia Western Europe Western Sahara World Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe
1978
Population: 249,484,155

Year

-5 -1   1978  +1 +5

Country

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
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Summary

Northern America in 1978

The population of Northern America in 1978 was 249,484,155. A decade earlier, in 1968, the population was 223,843,844; it has grown by 11.5% since.

With a median age of 29.5 years, Northern America had a youth dependency ratio of 35.3 and an old-age dependency ratio of 16.0 per 100 people of working age. This is a constrictive pyramid — its base is narrower than its middle, the signature of sustained low birth rates and population ageing.

Share of the population by age group, 1950–2100

Data source: United Nations World Population Prospects, 2024 revision (medium variant) — last updated July 2024.

Key indicators for Northern America
Population
249,484,155
Median age
29.5
0-14 %
23.3%
65+ %
10.6%
Child dependency
35.3
Old-age dependency
16.0
Pyramid shape
Constrictive
What is driving the change
Births per woman

The World Bank does not publish this indicator for regions or continents.

Life expectancy at birth

The World Bank does not publish this indicator for regions or continents.

People supported per 100 workers
Dependency ratios, 1950–2100
Children Older adults
15304560
19502100
Migration to and from Northern America
Where immigrants come from (2024)

57,685,262 immigrants live in Northern America.

Mexico11,383,181
India4,181,453
China3,260,813
Philippines3,101,422
Puerto Rico1,924,799
Where emigrants live (2024)

4,529,925 people born in Northern America live in other countries.

United States of America950,387
Mexico837,933
United Kingdom325,415
Canada256,571
Australia171,998
Explore
Immigration statistics

Source: United Nations International Migrant Stock 2024.

Frequently asked questions about Northern America's population
What was the population of Northern America in 1978?
Northern America had a population of 249,484,155 in 1978.
How old is the population of Northern America?
The median age in Northern America is 29.5 years — half the population is younger, half older.
What share of Northern America's population is over 65 or under 15?
In Northern America, 23.3% of people are under 15 and 10.6% are 65 or older.
What shape is Northern America's population pyramid, and what does it mean?
Northern America has a constrictive pyramid: cohorts of children are smaller than those of their parents, reflecting low fertility and an ageing population.

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