Researchers at Aalto University in Finland have discovered that the official global population count of 8.2 billion people may be dramatically underestimated, with rural populations potentially undercounted by 53 to 84 percent across major datasets.
Postdoctoral researcher Josias Láng-Ritter led a study analyzing five widely-used global population datasets—WorldPop, GWP, GRUMP, LandScan, and GHS-POP—finding they underestimate rural populations by one-third to three-quarters in the most reliable cases.
The research team used data from over 300 rural dam projects in 35 countries as a comparison baseline, noting that dam resettlement records provide precise population counts since companies must pay compensation to affected residents.
Since 43 percent of humanity currently lives in rural areas that are difficult to track through traditional methods like satellite night-time lighting, the actual global population could be significantly higher than current estimates suggest.
The study published in Nature Communications highlights critical gaps in population data collection, particularly in developing countries and crisis-hit regions, which affects resource allocation, infrastructure planning, and disaster preparedness for billions of potentially uncounted people.
