Latest Data Update: 2,026 (2026)
The Continuity Brief
NATION CONTINUITY
Data · Methodology

Methodology

How NATION CONTINUITY classifies, sources and presents demographic data.

Data status labels

Every key metric shows its value, unit, reference year, source, data status, last update and a link to this methodology. Status is one of:

  • OFFICIAL — a figure published by a recognised national statistical authority or international harmonised source for the stated reference period.
  • ESTIMATED — a current estimate derived by an official source where no single authoritative figure exists, or an interpolation between official points.
  • PROJECTED — a modelled future value under an explicit projection scenario (default: UN WPP 2024 medium variant).
  • NATION CONTINUITY MODEL — an analytical scenario produced by NATION CONTINUITY, clearly distinguished from official and projected figures.

Source priority

For every metric, sources are preferred in this order:

  1. Level 1 — Harmonised international — UN and UN-system sources (UN DESA Population Division, WHO, UNESCO UIS, UNFPA, UNICEF, UN Statistics Division).
  2. Level 2 — National official — national statistics offices, census bureaus, official registries and ministries.
  3. Level 3 — Supplemental — Eurostat, OECD, World Bank and research bodies, used where no primary official source exists.

Where a primary official source exists, a news article is never used as the primary statistical source.

Region definitions

Regions follow UN M49-compatible geographic codes. World (900), Africa (002), Asia (142), Europe (150), Northern America (021), Central America (013), South America (005), the Caribbean (029), Latin America and the Caribbean (419), Western Asia (145) and Oceania (009).

Central & South America is calculated as Central America + South America, excluding the Caribbean. The official UN aggregate including the Caribbean is "Latin America and the Caribbean" (419); an LAC figure is never labelled "Central & South America" without disclosure.

Middle East / Western Asia uses UN Western Asia (145) as the default statistical base. "Middle East" has no single globally standardised statistical boundary; any broader custom aggregate is explicitly identified as a NATION CONTINUITY regional aggregate.

Dual-source country view

Country pages display an internationally harmonised UN value and the latest national official value. Where they differ, both are shown with an explanation of why figures may differ — reference date, residence definition, census base, estimation method and population coverage.

Projection scenarios

The default projection is the UN WPP 2024 medium variant. The zero-migration scenario is an analytical projection that isolates migration by setting it to zero; it is not a policy recommendation. NATION CONTINUITY never presents a 2126 figure as a UN projection.

Updates

Global figures are compiled from the UN World Population Prospects 2024 and refreshed through the platform's data-compile function; national official figures are updated as authorities publish new releases. Each record carries a retrieved date and source link.