headcountRead the number. Read the map.
Your target could be one million or two hundred million. The brighter the map, the more people call that place home.
✳ A DAILY DOSE OF PERSPECTIVE
Big world. Good guess?
Find the people, not the place. Draw a region on the map
and get as close to the population target as you can.
Five populations. One planet.A new challenge every day.
TODAY’S EDITION
THE POPULATION ATLAS
Unfolding the atlas…Preparing the population map
Draw a loop. Make an educated guess.
SPARSE DENSE
Arrow keys move · + / − resize
No peeking. The count is revealed when you commit.
YOUR COUNT
DIFFERENCE
Same targets for everyone · Resets at 00:00 UTCPersonal best — / 600
A little geography. A little intuition. A lot of people.2025 population estimates · About the data ↗
THE SHORT VERSION
The world is your
answer sheet.
No capitals to memorize. No borders to obey.
Just a feel for where we all live.
Put your intuition on the map.
Draw a loop anywhere. Cross borders, follow a coastline, or circle a city. Move and resize your region until it feels right.
Commit. Count. Get a little closer.
Reveal the population and earn up to 100 points. Feeling confident? Double down on one round for up to 200. Five rounds, 600 possible points.
FIELD NOTES / 001
Land doesn’t tell
the whole story.
A wide-open landscape can be almost empty. A thin ribbon along a river can hold millions. Headcount is a small daily reminder that the world is more surprising than its outlines.
Find your perspective ↗A FEW THINGS TO KNOW
Curious?
Good.
What makes this a daily game?
Each UTC date has its own set of five population targets, shared by everyone. Your daily attempt is saved in this browser. Come back after midnight UTC for a fresh set, or switch to Practice for unlimited challenges.
How does Double down work?
Choose one round before revealing its population to double that round’s score. An exact match is worth 200 instead of 100. You can turn it off before submitting, but once used, it’s spent for that challenge. Using it is optional.
How close is close enough?
An exact match earns 100 base points. Half or twice the target both earn 69.9; one-tenth or ten times the target earn zero. We compare proportions, so missing a small target matters just as much as missing a large one.
Can I play without drawing freehand?
Yes. Choose Circle to create a region, then click the map to place it or drag to move it. Use the size slider to adjust it. With the map focused, arrow keys move the circle and + / − resize it. Hold Shift for finer movements. In Move mode, arrow keys pan.
Where do these population numbers come from?
The map uses the European Commission Joint Research Centre’s GHS-POP R2023A, 2025 epoch. Source cells are summed into a 0.125° grid, about 14 km wide at the equator. Counts are modeled regional estimates, not a live census. A cell counts when its center falls inside your outline.
Population data © European Union, 1995–2026, used under CC BY 4.0; aggregated and rounded for this game. Map outlines and place labels: Natural Earth, public domain.
Do I need an account?
No. Your progress, personal best, and daily statistics stay in this browser. There are no accounts, advertising trackers, or server leaderboards. Clearing your browser’s site data clears your scores. Private browsing or blocked storage may prevent progress from being saved.
Is this connected to other Headcount games?
This is an independent edition adapted from our Headcount game on Play Unlimited, inspired by the population-drawing concept of FlightQ’s Headcount. This edition adds shared daily challenges and a once-per-game Double down choice. It is not affiliated with FlightQ.