Forms of rule through history
How has humanity been governed? This stacks the world's population by the form of rule people lived under — from stateless societies to monarchies, empires, colonies, modern authoritarian states and democracies — and counts the enslaved as their own band.
DemocraciesAuthoritarian regimesColonial subjectsMonarchies & empiresNon-state societiesEnslaved people
Informed estimates, not precise figures — world population totals are well established, but the split by form of rule (and the count of enslaved people) is approximate, and the categories blur in practice. Time points are spaced evenly, not to scale. Hover for a breakdown; switch between share and absolute population above.