Honestly, if you're looking for a simple, one-page chart that perfectly breaks down the percentage of races in the world, I have some bad news. It doesn't really exist. Not in the way we think of it in the U.S. or the UK, anyway. Most global organizations, like the United Nations or the World Bank, don't actually track "race" as a global category. They track "nationality," "ethnicity," or "geography."
Why? Because race is a social construct that changes depending on where you're standing.
If you ask a person in Brazil about their race, they might choose from five different categories based on skin tone. Ask someone in China, and they’ll likely identify by their ethnic group, like Han or Zhuang. But since we all want to know how the 8.3 billion people on Earth actually "look" in terms of broad categories, we have to piece the puzzle together using census data and regional demographics.
The Big Three: Breaking Down the Percentage of Races in the World
If we use the broad, somewhat old-school categories that people usually search for, the world looks a lot different than what you might see walking down a street in New York or London.
Basically, the "Global Majority" is a real thing.
1. Asian (The Massive Majority)
Roughly 60% of the world's population lives in Asia. This is the biggest slice of the pie. Specifically, Han Chinese is often cited as the largest single ethnic group on the planet, making up about 18% of all humans. When you add in the massive populations of India (which recently overtook China as the most populous nation), Pakistan, and Indonesia, it becomes clear that "Asian" is the dominant racial/ethnic category globally.
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2. African and Black Diaspora
Africa is currently the fastest-growing continent. Right now, people of African descent make up roughly 17% to 18% of the global population. But here’s the kicker: by 2050, the UN predicts that one in four people on Earth will be African. Nigeria alone is on track to surpass the United States in total population within the next few decades.
3. White / European
This is the group that’s actually shrinking as a total percentage. Estimates usually put the global "White" or European-descended population at somewhere between 10% and 15%. Low birth rates in Europe and parts of North America mean this slice of the global population is aging faster than the others.
What Most People Get Wrong About These Numbers
People often think the world is a 50/50 split between "East" and "West." It’s not even close.
If you were to put 100 people in a room representing the percentage of races in the world, 60 would be Asian, 17 would be African, 10 would be European, 8 would be Latin American, and 5 would be from other groups.
The Latin American "Mixed" Factor
Latin America is a demographic curveball. Most censuses in countries like Mexico, Brazil, or Colombia use the term Mestizo (mixed Indigenous and European) or Pardo (mixed). About 8% of the world falls into these complex categories that don't fit into a "Black" or "White" binary. Brazil, for instance, has one of the most diverse populations on earth, where over 40% of people identify as "mixed."
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The "White" Definition varies
In the U.S. Census, people from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) were historically categorized as "White." However, many people in those regions don't self-identify that way. If you shift those 500 million+ people into their own category, the "White" percentage drops significantly.
Why Geography is the New Race
We're moving toward a world where "where you live" tells us more than "what you are."
By the end of 2026, the global population is expected to hit roughly 8.3 billion. Most of that growth isn't happening in the West. It’s happening in the "Global South."
- India: 1.45 billion+
- China: 1.41 billion
- Nigeria: 230 million+
- Indonesia: 280 million+
When we talk about the percentage of races in the world, we are really talking about the shift of power and presence toward the Indo-Pacific and Africa. Europe’s share of the world population has plummeted from about 25% in 1900 to less than 10% today.
The Actionable Insight: How to Use This Data
If you're a business owner, a creator, or just a curious human, these numbers should change how you see the "default" person.
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Stop Designing for the 10%. Most media and software are still built with a Western-centric "default" in mind. But if 85% of the world is non-White, your "global" strategy needs to reflect that. Whether it's skin tone ranges in makeup or language support in apps, the "Global Majority" is your actual target audience.
Watch the "Youth Bulge." The median age in many African nations is under 20. In most European nations, it’s over 40. The future of culture, music, and trend-setting is moving to Lagos, Mumbai, and Jakarta. If you want to know what the world will look like in ten years, look at what teenagers in those cities are doing today.
Diversify Your Feed. Algorithms tend to keep us in racial and geographic bubbles. To truly understand the percentage of races in the world, you have to intentionally seek out news and creators from the regions that actually hold the majority of the population.
Understand the Multi-Racial Future. In places like the U.S., "Two or More Races" is the fastest-growing census category. The world isn't just staying in its lanes; it's blending. The percentages we use today will likely be obsolete in fifty years as migration and intermarriage continue to accelerate.
To keep up with these shifts, keep an eye on the UN World Population Prospects (the 2024/2025 revisions are the gold standard) and the Worldometer live clock. These sources provide the most accurate, real-time look at how our human family is changing every single second.