Inside the question engineOpen the field notes
Country pairs are matched by total population. The later the question, the closer the population gap becomes.
The population quiz: how it works
This quiz tests your feel for demographics: from a pair of countries you pick the one where more people live. A country's size on the map helps little here, because large areas can be sparsely populated and small ones very crowded.
How does the quiz pair countries by population?
Each round has 10 questions. Pairs are drawn from 196 countries and territories that have verified data and an outline on the map. The population gap between the answers shrinks at each stage: from 50% to 150% in the first questions to only 2% to 8% in the last ones.
Where does the population data come from?
Population comes from the World Bank (indicator SP.POP.TOTL), which is based on UN Population Division data and national statistical offices.
A fact: the most populous countries
The most populous countries in the data are India (1,463,865,525), China (1,406,585,000) and the United States (341,784,857).
Frequently asked questions
Does the largest country have the most people?
No. The country with the largest area in the pool is Russia (17,098,246 km²); by population it ranks 9th, and the most populous country ranks 7th by area.
Does the quiz include countries with very few people?
Yes. The fewest people in the pool live in Nauru (12,025), Palau (17,663) and San Marino (34,109).
Which year does the population data come from?
All values in the pool share one reference year: 2025. So you compare countries on a single edition of the data, not on censuses from different years.