Did you know that the word 'number' can be used as a verb as well as a noun?
- to number - present verb
- numbered - past verb
- the number of - noun
- to outnumber - verb
Example sentences:
- Cars produced in Japan number around 9 million units at present
- Car production in Japan numbered around 9 million units last year
- Coal exports in The USA outnumbered steel exports throughout the whole period.
- In September 2017, the total number of EU migrants to the UK was just under 100,000.
- The number of cars produced in Japan last year stood at around 9 million, outnumbering the USA (7 million).
For 'people' we also use the word 'number of' as 'people' is a countable noun.
- The number of + countable noun
The number of people living in London has risen to around 10 million since 1970.
- When comparing things or people you can also use the word outnumber
The number of users on Facebook last year reached around 2 billion,
outnumbering Twitter which stood at 1.5 billion users'
Note: A good way of paraphrasing '
the number of' is to use
'the proportion of..' so I can also write:
The proportion of users on Facebook last year reached around 2 billion,
outnumbering Twitter which stood at 1.5 billion users.