Frequently Asked Questions

Here's the process, step by step:

• When you click "I'M HUMAN," your browser collects technical signals about your device (screen size, timezone, browser settings, etc.)
• These signals combine into a fingerprint, which is then cryptographically hashed (converted into an anonymous, irreversible identifier
• Your browser also solves a small "proof of work" puzzle (a mini math problem) to prove you're a real person, not a bot
• Our server checks whether your anonymous hash has been seen before. If not, it assigns you the next sequential number in the count
• You receive a shareable link with your number and a badge image you can post on social media

The whole process takes a few seconds. Your number is yours forever.

CountEveryoneOnEarth.com is an independent project built by a small team of developers and history nerds fascinated by scale, human connection, and the power of big numbers. Not affiliated with any government, academic institution, NGO, or company.

We built it because we thought it was worth building. A digital monument to the fact that 8 billion individual humans exist, each with their own life, experience, and story. We wanted to give each of them a number.

Read more on the About page.

No. Completely independent. We're not affiliated with the United Nations, any national census bureau, any government agency, or any university or research institution.

Our population statistics reference authoritative sources like the UN Population Division and World Bank, but we are not those organizations. Our count is a social experiment and creative project, not an official census.

Yes. Genuinely. Here's exactly what we collect and what we don't:

What we store:

• A 12-character anonymous hash (derived from your browser fingerprint and cannot be reversed)
• Your sequential number in the count
• Your country of origin (determined from your IP at registration time)
• A timestamp of when you registered

What we do NOT store:

• No names, emails, phone numbers, or any contact information
• No IP addresses (used only for country lookup, then discarded)
• No cookies for tracking or advertising
• No social media account data
• No device identifiers that could be linked back to you

For all the details, read our Privacy Policy.

Browser fingerprinting combines technical characteristics of your browser and device (screen resolution, operating system, fonts, timezone, browser settings) to create a semi-unique identifier.

Most websites use fingerprinting for tracking. We use it only to prevent duplicate numbers. We want each person to get one number, and fingerprinting lets us do that without requiring accounts or personal information.

Our implementation: the fingerprint is immediately hashed before being stored, so even we can't read or reverse it. There's no way to link your hash back to your specific browser or device. One-way door.

Your number is determined by when you click and the uniqueness of your browser fingerprint. Sequential. You get the next available number at the moment of registration.

We don't offer the ability to choose or change your number. That's kind of the point: it was assigned to you, not chosen by you. There's something meaningful about that.

If you're on a shared device (a household computer, school computer, etc.), there's a "shared device" option that lets multiple people get separate numbers from the same device.

Your number is linked to your browser fingerprint, not an account. If you significantly change your browser (new browser, new device, or major settings changes), your fingerprint may change and the system may assign you a new number.

This is a known limitation of anonymous, account-free systems. The benefit is that we don't need to know who you are. The tradeoff is that the link between you and your number lives partly in your browser.

This is why we strongly recommend saving your unique shareable link. That link belongs to your number permanently, regardless of what happens to your browser.

We count on. The count doesn't stop at any milestone. 8 billion, 9 billion, 10 billion, keep going.

In reality, we're unlikely to literally count every human on Earth. The goal is aspirational rather than literally achievable. But milestones are worth celebrating, and if we ever reach significant numbers, we'll mark them with special recognition for the people who hold those milestone numbers.

The current global population is about 8.2 billion. We've counted participants from dozens of countries. We've got a long way to go.

Sharing is how the count grows. Every person who shares their number has a chance of bringing in friends, family, and strangers who hadn't heard of the project. The count only approaches its goal if people spread the word.

But beyond the practical: sharing your number is a statement. It says, "I exist. I was here. I was counted." In a world of 8 billion people, there's something real about claiming your specific place in the sequence.

Your shareable link includes a badge image that looks great on social media. Try it on Instagram, X (Twitter), Facebook, WhatsApp, or anywhere you like to post.

Several layers of anti-abuse protection work together:

• Browser fingerprinting: Each unique device/browser combination can only register once
• Proof of work: Your browser must solve a small computational puzzle before each registration, making bot attacks expensive and slow
• Rate limiting: A maximum of 5 registrations per IP address per day (to allow for households with multiple people sharing a connection)
• Server-side deduplication: Even if two requests come in simultaneously with the same fingerprint, only one number is assigned

No system is perfect. But we work hard to keep the count as authentic as possible. Real humans, counted once.

We've built several resources to help you explore the numbers:

• World Population Guide: a comprehensive article on current population, history, and projections
• Population Facts: mind-blowing facts about Earth's 8.2 billion people
• Our Blog: deeper essays on population, identity, and what the numbers mean
• Country Leaderboard: see where participants are coming from

For authoritative data, we recommend the UN Population Division and Our World in Data.