A mathematician recently explored the thought-provoking idea of compressing every person on Earth into a single, solid sphere. The result is surprisingly modest, challenging perceptions about humanity’s scale.
The calculation, based on average human body mass and density, suggests that roughly 516 million cubic meters of human mass would fit in a single sphere. This translates to a diameter just under one kilometer, equivalent to three Eiffel Towers stacked vertically. In terms of size, the ball of humanity could comfortably fit inside Central Park in Manhattan.
The mathematician also considered how this sphere would change with population growth, using the current global rate of 1.05% per year. The result is a modest annual increase in radius of about 1.74 meters. This highlights not only the sheer number of people but also their density and compactness when visualized as a single object.
This concept of visualizing humanity’s mass has been explored before, with Vsauce creator Michael Stevens sharing an image in 2014 that showed all 7.2 billion people at that time packed into the Grand Canyon. These visual representations provide unique perspectives on population numbers and physical scale, helping to bridge the gap between abstract data and tangible understanding.
As a journalist with a passion for science, Brice invites readers to reconsider humanity’s existence through this fascinating lens, challenging our perceptions of scale and density.
Source: https://dailygalaxy.com/2025/06/here-is-the-real-size-of-a-meatball-made-from-the-entire-human-race-spoiler-its-smaller-than-you-think