What was the world population at the time of Christ's first advent?
At the time of Christ's first advent, the population of the then-known world was probably less than 500 million—only half a billion. This figure stood after roughly 4,000 years of human history and about 2,400–2,600 years after the Flood. Compared to modern billions, that was very small.
Les explains that at Christ's first advent, there were probably fewer than 500 million people in the whole then-known world—only half a billion. He notes that this was after 4,000 years of human history and about 2,400–2,600 years after the Flood. Compared to the over 5 billion on the planet in his day, rushing toward 5.5 or 6 billion, that number was nothing. He also points out that this 500 million did not double and become a billion until about 1860.