How to play
A mystery country is shown only as its population pyramid — the breakdown of its people by age and sex — plus its total population. Your job is to name it in six guesses.
Reading the pyramid
The pyramid is the whole puzzle, so it pays to read it:
- Wide base, narrow top — a young, fast-growing population (high birth rates). Common across much of sub-Saharan Africa.
- Barrel or column shape — a mature, slow-growing population (think much of Europe and East Asia).
- Top-heavy — an ageing, often shrinking population with more older people than children.
- Lopsided male/female bars — a clue in themselves: a big male surplus at working ages often means migrant labour (e.g. the Gulf states).
New to these shapes? Start with How to read a population pyramid.
The hints
After each wrong guess you get three clues pointing from your guess toward the mystery country:
- Distance — how many kilometres your guess is from the answer.
- Direction — an arrow (➡️ ↘️ ⬆️ …) pointing from your guess toward the target.
- Proximity % — closer to 100% means geographically closer. 🎉 100% means you found it.
The bonus round
Once you've solved the country, an optional four-question quiz appears with quick demographic facts about it — projected population in 2100, fertility, life expectancy and more. It's scored separately and doesn't affect your country streak, so it's pure curiosity.
Daily puzzle & practice
A new puzzle drops every day at midnight UTC, and it's the same country for everyone — so you can compare with friends. Tap Daily ⇄ Practice to play unlimited random rounds without touching your streak.
Sharing
After you finish, hit Share result to copy an emoji grid of your guesses (no spoilers) — the same way Wordle does it. It's the easiest way to pull friends in.