Funny world is this place: We have double the passwords than world population

Figure out these numbers: 16,000,000,000 and 8,005,176,000. 16 billion denotes stolen passwords, and over 8 billion counts as the world’s population. These numbers speak of the online or the virtual world and the real or the physical world as we see around us. Passwords in the world are double the population. A team of researchers has exposed the largest data breach of leak of 16 billion login credentials, passwords, and sensitive data from major online platforms.
Cybersecurity researchers have been investigating data leak since early 2025 and found a huge set of stolen data just about every major online service.
The leaked data appears to be the result of various attacks—malicious software designed to quietly collect usernames, passwords, and other sensitive data from infected devices.
The leaked credentials reportedly include login information for social media accounts, VPNs, developer tools, and major online services, including Apple, Google, Facebook, GitHub, Telegram, and even government portals.
Why could this stolen data be dangerous for the users? Because most of the stolen info is formatted as simple URL links followed by usernames and passwords, which means, if you’ve ever logged into anything online, your information could be in this leak.
A strong password is a deterrent. Users should invest in password management solutions and dark web monitoring tools more than ever. The first and foremost duty is to choose strong and unique passwords and implement multi-factor authentication. People need to remain vigilant of any attempts to steal login credentials.
Meanwhile, to put in perspective the real world, the current world population is about 8,005,176,000, or, to put it simply, it is over 8 billion. Globally, about 25 percent of the population is under 15 years of age, and 10 percent is over 65 years of age.
Africa has the youngest population worldwide. In Sub-Saharan Africa, more than 40 percent of the population is below 15 years, and only three percent are above 65, indicating the low life expectancy in several of the countries. In Europe, on the other hand, a higher share of the population is above 65 years than the population under 15 years.
On the other side of the spectrum is the Fertility rate. The high share of children and youth in Africa is connected to the high fertility rates. For instance, South Sudan and Niger have the highest population growth rates globally.
Ironically, about 50 percent of the world’s population lives in countries with low fertility, threatening their very existence. In Europe, the majority of the population was previously working-aged adults with few dependents, but this trend is expected to reverse soon, and it is predicted that by 2050, the older population will outnumber the young in many developed countries.