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What is the population of the Star Wars Galaxy?


I have been searching around the web for approximate numbers of sentients in the Galaxy. I found the following pages: List of Star Wars species A-E, List of Star Wars species F-J but the problem is that they do not even give estimates of the number of sentient individuals in the Galaxy.


I am unaware of any canon where the numbers are estimated except in the trillions. I am looking for a more exact number (e.g. 900 trillion). I'm especially curious because of the mention of hundreds of trillions of dead sentients in the Yuuzhan Vong war and similar discreet statements.


How many sentients are there in the Star Wars Universe?



Answer



According to the endnotes for the Star Wars : The Essential Atlas guide, the population of known space is approximately 100 quadrillion sentients, a figure they seem to have reached by factoring in around 50 million populated worlds, each with an average of two billion inhabitants as well as a few mega-populated worlds like Coruscant (1 trillion) and Geonosis (100 billion).


Assuming known space represents 25% of the galaxy, we can reasonably extrapolate the total figure for Galactic population to be in the region of 400 quadrillion, give or take.




Speaking of numbers, the basic numbers for the Star Wars galaxy have wandered a bit too much over the years for the Atlas's take to satisfy everybody. A galaxy 100,000 light years across containing 400 billion stars became the baseline in the years before the Atlas - see, for instance, the New Essential Guide to Alien Species. The 2nd Edition Star Wars Roleplaying Book from West End Games is the most-specific source about the extent of civilization. It says that at its peak the Republic included "over a million member worlds, and countless more colonies, protectorates and governorships. Nearly 100 quadrillion beings pledged allegiance to the Republic in nearly 50 million systems." Shatterpoint is similarly specific, stating that the Republic has 1.2 million member worlds and the Confederacy of Independent Systems 1/10 of that number - which would be 1.32 million member worlds between them. But that's during a time in which Republic authorities has broken down in much of the Outer Rim and Hutt Space has swollen to include worlds as far coreward as Gyndine. The numbers used in the Atlas chapter were arrived at by postulating that the Empire reclaimed much of the lost Republic territory and incorporating the WEG portrayal of the Empire as having dramatically stepped up exploration and colonization.



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According the the various EU novels that follow on from Empire Strikes Back, the Vuuzhan Vong invasion is supposed to have killed around 365 trillion sentients. Although this figure sounds dramatic, it actually equates to less than .1% of the total galactic population.



Note that all of these figures are extrapolated from the Essential Atlas, Star Wars RPG and earlier atlases, none of which are now considered "canon" within the new Disney/Lucasfilm regime


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