H069
How many of the world's people live north of the equator?
The equator divides Earth's surface into two equal halves. It is easy to picture people split roughly evenly too.
Half the globe, most of the people
Share of each total north and south of the equator
The equator splits the globe evenly, but it doesn't split the people. About 87% of humanity lives north of the equator. The north holds about two-thirds of the land, including almost all of Asia, Europe, and North America, while much of the south is ocean. So a "typical" person on Earth has winter in January, sees the Big Dipper, and lives north of the line.
An even split of space rarely means an even split of what fills it. Before assuming a boundary divides things in half, check what is actually on each side.
Try it somewhere else
Your calendar says summer begins in June.
For roughly how many people on Earth is that true?
Who lives in the south
The biggest populations south of the equator are in Brazil, the island of Java in Indonesia, South Africa, Tanzania, Argentina, and Australia. Even so, the whole Southern Hemisphere holds roughly as many people as India alone. Hemisphere shares vary a little by source and year; most estimates put the north between about 87% and 90%.
Related exhibits
Sources: Population share by hemisphere: World Population Yearbook, as summarized by Wikipedia ("Northern Hemisphere"). Land share: National Geographic Society. World population: United Nations, World Population Prospects 2024.