pdq - Your numbers are nicely rounded off, and the columns are quite straight, but I have no idea what numbers you're citing, how you got them, or what "ranking" you're using. Explanation?

The U.N. estimates that baby No. 8 Billion will take its first breath around 2025. According to the organization's 2010 population report, Baby 9 Billion will show up shortly before 2050, and the world will welcome its 10 billionth person by 2100.

Most of the growth will be in high-fertility countries such as those in sub-Saharan Africa: The population in these areas is likely to triple.

Meanwhile, intermediate-fertility countries such as the U.S., Mexico and India will grow by 26 percent, and low-fertility regions such as Europe will actually shrink by 20 percent.

A breakdown of populations in the "top ten countries" from US Census Bureau estimates, which differ some from the UN numbers, gives 2011 populations:

  China (mainland only)  1,336,718,015
  India                  1,189,172,906
  US                       313,232,044
  Indonesia                245,613,043
  Brazil                   203,429,773
  Pakistan                 187,342,721 
  Bangladesh               158,570,535
  Nigeria                  155,215,573
  Russia                   138,739,892
  Japan                    126,475,664

China is one of a very few countries with specific policies on population growth, and although their population is still rising, they predict the growth will slow and then decline, with the goal of having a 2050 population no larger than the current 2011 number.

India quite probably will soon pass China to become the largest population, and while they appear to be concerned, they insist that any control/influence on population growth would be "too expensive."

Russian population has been shrinking for some years how - apparently not on purpose.

John