1 in 117 Billion
About 117 billion people have been born so far. You will be born as one of them. You can't choose when, where or to whom you are born, just as you didn't in real life.
When you are born
The time of your birth is drawn according to how many people were born in each period. That makes being born between 8000 BCE and AD 1 five times as likely as being born after 1950. The region follows that period's population, and the way of life, from hunter-gatherers to factory workers, follows estimated shares for that place.
The life you will live
Each year the risk of death comes from the life table for that time and place. Your siblings, parents, spouse and children live by the same tables. Choices change the odds but never decide the outcome. At 5, 15, 30, 50 and 70 time stops and your life is set against the story of all humanity.
Where the numbers come from
Birth totals are from PRB's “How Many People Have Ever Lived on Earth?”. Regional population is from McEvedy & Jones, HYDE and Maddison; life expectancy and child mortality from Riley, Volk & Atkinson and the UN World Population Prospects 2024. Prehistoric figures are estimates.