Population of South America
Current population of South America
440,546,191
Live estimate, extrapolated from the latest official figures
- Births today
- 3,241
- Deaths today
- 1,689
- Change today (UTC)
- +1,424
Continental figures are sums of the member countries' official statistics — see methodology.
- Population
- 437,788,241
- sum of 2025 estimates
- World share
- 5.3%
- Countries & territories
- 12
- Annual growth
- +0.57%
- population-weighted
- Land area
- 17,383,551 km²
- Density
- 25 /km²
South America population: overview
South America is home to about 437.79 million people (2025 estimates) — 5.3% of the world's population of 8.22 billion — spread across 12 countries and territories. The figure is the sum of each member's latest official population estimate.
Brazil dominates the continent's demography with 212,812,405 people; the three largest — Brazil, Colombia, Argentina — together account for about 71% of South America's population.
Growth has slowed to about 0.57% per year. Beneath the total, trajectories diverge: 1 of its 12 members are currently losing population.
Across 17,383,551 km² of land, average density works out to about 25 people per km² — though the continent-wide average hides enormous internal contrasts between dense population belts and near-empty interiors.
South America population, 1960–2025
Sum of member countries reporting data in each year (World Bank series; Taiwan from UN WPP 2024).
Countries in South America by population
| # | Country | Population | Yearly change | World rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil | 212,812,405 | +0.38% | 7 |
| 2 | Colombia | 53,425,635 | +1.01% | 28 |
| 3 | Argentina | 45,851,378 | +0.34% | 35 |
| 4 | Peru | 34,576,665 | +1.04% | 48 |
| 5 | Venezuela | 28,516,896 | +0.39% | 53 |
| 6 | Chile | 19,859,921 | +0.48% | 66 |
| 7 | Ecuador | 18,289,896 | +0.85% | 71 |
| 8 | Bolivia | 12,581,843 | +1.35% | 79 |
| 9 | Paraguay | 7,013,078 | +1.20% | 108 |
| 10 | Uruguay | 3,384,688 | −0.06% | 134 |
| 11 | Guyana | 835,986 | +0.59% | 165 |
| 12 | Suriname | 639,850 | +0.85% | 169 |
South America population FAQ
What is the population of South America in 2026?
South America's population is estimated at about 440.55 million in 2026, based on the sum of the latest official estimates for its 12 countries and territories (437,788,241 at the 2025 reference point).
What share of the world's population lives in South America?
About 5.3% of everyone alive lives in South America.
Which country in South America has the largest population?
Brazil is South America's most populous country with 212,812,405 people (2025 estimate).
How many countries are in South America?
This site tracks 12 countries and territories in South America — sovereign states plus dependencies that international statistics report separately.