AmDDRed

In this article I'd like to gather some numbers and to theorize a bit where it's possible.

Contents

1. The Sources
2. Changelog
3. Before Hiigaran Landfall
4. After Hiigaran Landfall
   • Hiigaran Kushan Population
   • Hiigaran Taiidan Population
   • Taiidan Population
5. Age of S'jet
   • Kiithless & Kiithid
   • Imogen & Isaac
6. Outro
7. Read More

The Sources

• HW1 - Homeworld 1, manual, game
• HWC - Homeworld Cataclysm/Emergence, manual, game
• HWCO - Homeworld Cataclysm, outtakes
• HWWOS - HW and HWC ship descriptions, well of souls
• HW2 - Homeworld 2, manual, game
• HW2PR - Homeworld 2, Prima Official eGuide
• HWDOK - Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak, Expedition Guide, game
• HWR - Homeworld: Revelations RPG
• HWRS - Homeworld: Revelations RPG Story Seeds
• HWM - Homeworld: Mobile, homeworldsource.net
• HW3 - Homeworld 3
• HWDST - Homeworld Dust Wars drafts

Changelog

• 27.05.24 - split the article due to going out of available characters per article;

Before Hiigaran Landfall

You can find this info here, at Homeworld: Population I.

After Hiigaran Landfall

And Yahweh spoke to me, saying, "I have seen this people, and look, it is a stiff-necked people. Leave me alone, and I will destroy them, and blot out their name from under the heavens, and I will make you become a nation mightier and more numerous than they."
(c) Deuteronomy 9-13

Hiigaran Kushan Population

HWC tells us about the population of Hiigara (though it will be corrected a bit in HWM):

Nearly 550,000 of us survived the Exodus from Kharak…
(c) HWC, p.4, HISTORY OF THE HIIGARAN LANDFALL

One of the most difficult aspects of the Hiigaran Landfall was the revival of our so-called “Sleeper Kiithid”, the 92% of our current population who traveled from Kharak to Hiigara in cryogenic suspension.
(c) HWC, p.6, THE RUDE AWAKENING

We do know that 600k of Sleepers is a loose reference to the Moses Exodus:

The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Sukkoth. There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children.
(c) Exodus 12:37

Usually it's said about 603550 men with uncounted Levi's priest in count of 22300 men. Though there are doubts that it could be possible, and there's even a theory that it's a mistake of translating old texts that has some words double meanings that are not actual today, and it could be not 600k but 600 families, but we do not need to dig too deep here.

But that hint of 623850 men could be an unsuspected hint about the crew of the First Mothership - 600k sleeps, 24k people working! But of course, that just an awkward assumption.

There is even more detailed statistics, but I wouldn't recommend to stick too much to this information as in the end it's a reference, not a source.

But somewhat these numbers match the numbers about the strongest kiithid of AHL.

…six great Fleets <…> of Manaan, Soban, Naabal, LiirHra, Paktu and Kaalel take turns patrolling the outer systems, guarding our trade routes, and defending Hiigara itself.
(c) HWC, p.4, HISTORY OF THE HIIGARAN LANDFALL

The Paktu, the Manaan, the Sjet, Naabal, LiirHra, Kaalel and Soban are by far the largest kiith groupings in existence, and their combined numbers come to almost 300,000.
(c) HWC, p.5, HISTORY OF THE HIIGARAN LANDFALL

NAABAL

<Naabal> have a slightly higher percentage of Sleepers among the colonists, having argued that their expertise would be needed on their homeworld if it was found uninhabited.(c) HWR, p.210, Kiith Naabal, Naabal History

KAALEL

Thanks to their specialized knowledge of communication technologies, encryption and linguistics, Kiith Kaalel had a disproportionate number of crew members and Sleepers onboard the Mothership. Nearly half of their Kiith survived the Burning of Kharak, some 50,000 men and women!
(c) HWCO, Kiith Kaalel

LIIRHRA

The upstart kiithling LiirHra went on to be a forerunner in Kharak's conquest of space, and they were key contributors to all aspects of manufacture and research of the Mothership. Among the Sleepers, LiirHra had a presence of nearly 50,000 souls, and since the return to Hiigara they have put many of the technological advances we made during the Exodus to good use.
(c) HWCO, Kiith LiirHra

Upon landfall on Hiigara, Kiith LiirHra absorbed the survivors of Kiith Hraal to bolster their numbers
HWR, p.224, Minor and Vassal Kiith, Kiith LiirHra

PAKTU

Kiith LiirHra would compete with Kiith Paktu for aerospace technological prowess, and it was anyone's guess which Kiith would prove the stronger. When Kharak was destroyed in 1216 KDS, Kiith Paktu had a greater number of Sleepers and active personnel on the Mothership.
HWR, p.224, Minor and Vassal Kiith, Kiith LiirHra

SOMTAAW

…only 15,000 Somtaaw awakened on Kharak, less than a twentieth of their number, and the vast majority of these were men. During the Somtaaw/Naabal debate, dispossessed members of many Kharak's devastated kiithid joined the Somtaaw as family members, swelling their ranks from 15,000 to nearly 25,000 in a few short months.
(c) HWC, p.9, Kiith Somtaaw

SIIDIM

Only 200 Siidimi were accepted on the Gold List to become colonists.
(c) HWR, p.217, Kiith Siidim, The Chosen One

It was one of the great ironies of the landfall on Hiigara that some of the few Siidim that remained joined
with Kiith Manaan to survive.
(c) HWR, p.231, Modern Era Alliances, Kiith Mannan, Kiith Siidim

...Kiith Siidim's numbers had diminished too far to stand on their own, becoming absorbed by Kiith Somtaaw after landfall.
(c) HWR, p.217, Kiith Siidim, Aliens Origins

TAMBUUR

No one embodies the Kushan hatred of Imperials more perfectly than the man now known as Iifrit Tambuur'sa. Iifrit is the last living member of the Tambuur kiith, and for the past twelve years he has lived largely in the new Taidan Republic.
(c) HWC, p.7, The Rude Awakening

Only twelve members were selected for the Gold List, and of them only Ifriit Tambuur survived after the
cryo-trays were attacked by the Taiidan.
HWR, p.222, Minor and Vassal Kiith, Kiith Tambuur

S'JET

Lacking the influence of the larger Kiithid, only six hundred of their number were selected for the Mothership Program, and after landfall on Hiigara they once again became vassals to Kiith S'jet simply to survive.
HWR, p.222, Minor and Vassal Kiith, Kiith Sagald

Following landfall on Hiigara, Kiith Jaraci was absorbed into Kiith S'jet. Remarkably, they split again seventy-five years later to once again focus on signals technology, with a preference in Progenitor sciences.
HWR, p.224, Minor and Vassal Kiith, Kiith Jaraci

TO SUM UP

• Hiigaran Kushan population is 600k large;
• Paktu, Manaan, S'jet, Naabal, Soban, LiirHra & Kaalel in sum are about 300k;
• Nabaal - ~50k++ (have slightly higher percentage than others);
• Kaalel - ~50k;
• LiirHra - ~50k + kiith Hraal;
• Paktu - ~50k+ (Sleepers count is bigger than LiirHra's);
• Somtaaw - ~15k + 10k of other small kiiths, including Siidim members;
• Siidim - 200 people, joined Somtaaw and Manaan;
• Tambuur - 1 man survived of 12 Sleepers, probably more to join his Pauura for Taiidani sculps;
• Sagald - 600 Sleepers, joined S'jet;
• Jaraci - joined S'jet and 75 years later splintered out;

Hiigaran Taiidan Population

BB: I imagine back in Hiigara, once the Kushan or the Taiidan came back, whicever race you played as, they didn't kill all the people who were already on in the planet. Those people just stayed on Hiigara.
AK: Yeah, and they probably cross-pollinated the designs - the same way Britain started building fighters based on Germany's Focke-Wulf 190 at the end of WWII. The Sea Fury is basically a British version of the Focke-Wulf 190
(c) Homeworld Artbook

HWM has introduced a new Khaaneph - the Kiithless, Hiigaran Taiidans that have not left Hiigara.

31 million people was there initially, and even we count that about 1/3 of it, those who had money to leave - check the wealth pyramid diagrams, has gone in a direction of Taiidan Civil War, still it's around +20 millions to Hiigara population.

So, with this Kiithless retcon, we have a situation of approx. 600k Kushan Hiigarans vs. approx. 20 millions Taiidan Hiigarans, that no one was writing about in AHL 15, only about the situation with Kiith Somtaaw being wannabe consumed by Kiith Naabal.

I believe that leads to a very unpleasant conclusion that Kushans have created their own version of Golden Million System: with Kiithid members being above all the others, thus strengthening the Kiithid political system. Of course, such people rights disbalance would unleash Siidimism seeds, having Hiigaran Taiidans as the 2nd sort citizens, leaving them to live in a situation of growing unemployment, poverty, criminality, corruption, marginalization, radicalism, thus creating a prejudice of "What good can come out of Taiidan?".

With the constant threat of Imperialist rule, for many Kushan, the only good Taidani is a dead one and even the moderates are pushing for the annexation of nearby former Taidan worlds in the name of security for Hiigara.
(c) HWC, p.6, C1 Historical Brief, The Rude Awakening

Finally, the racism is pretty fractal in it's essence, so in the end the Kiithid would fight for power trying to find out who's the Kushaniest of all the Kushanid, and is most righteous Kiith to become the Sa-Kiith, a leader kiith, and why can't it consume a bit more kiithid for this goal? As we saw in HWC, if you don't have a Battle Fleet, you'd be easily lost in the Game of Kiithid.

Taiidan Population

A powerful group of military, political and economic figures had been plotting a coup in secret for years, staying only steps ahead of one purge or another as they looked desperately for the trigger that could sway 360 billon souls against their God-like Emperor.
HWC, p.14, The Taidan Republic, The End of the Imperial Era

The Taidan Empire of Year 0 AL (9510 Galactic Standard Year) held 150 star systems in its grip...
HWC, p.14, The Taidan Republic, The End of the Imperial Era

So, this is what we know about the Taiidan Empire population: 360 billion people, 150 star systems.

But what about the Taiidan Republic?

After 5 years of skirmishes and all-out battles, the Taidan Republic finally stabilized and established an uneasy peace within itself...but by the time the shooting stopped, only 60 out of a 150 star systems were willing to call themselves Taidani. Most of these loyal worlds are centered in the Galactic Core, while the spiral regions of the old Empire have splintered into a variety of small kingdoms, duchies and independent democratic states.
HWC, p.15, The Taidan Republic, The Taidan Republic

So, we we might only guess how big is the remaining population - if the population would be spread evenly across all the star systems, it would be 60:150*360 ~= 144 billions. But I believe, that the world on the edge of Taiidan Empire had less population than the core worlds. So my guesstimate would be around 60% to remain Taiidani.

At the Empire's fall there were 137 Saarkin Cho on active duty, and by the time the ashes of the civil war cooled approximately 70 of these heavy carriers were still active, 19 of these flying the colors of the Imperialist faction.
HWC, p.15, The Taidan Republic, The Taidan Republic

Another guesstimate is that this power proportion - 19/51 - might tell us the difference of star systems and population number between Taiidani Republic and Imperialists. But again, this is a linear function which might be not very correct in this case.

Interesting that 360 billion Taiidan Empire kept 137 carriers and it was called:

Emperor Riesstiu IV-2's increasing paranoia led to a prohibitively large and expensive military
(c) HWC, p.14, The End of Emperial Era

The same time Hiigaran Kushans, having ~500k citizens and 31 million of Taiidan non-citizens, had this:

Manned by a skeleton crew of 8,000 engineers, the Mothership <…> has given birth to over 30 carrier-class ships since the Hiigaran Landfall. The result of this phenomenal output has been a new Hiigaran navy, which consists of six great Fleets...
(c) HWC, p.4, HISTORY OF THE HIIGARAN LANDFALL

Well, Hiigaran Kiithid really looks like very militarized - "sobanized".

Age of S'jet

A 5-light-year sphere of influence was also granted the new Hiigarans, in recognition of their aid to the Republic during the dark days of the Coup
HWC, p.15, The Taidan Republic, The Taidan Republic

Under the guidance of Karan S'jet, the Hiigarans have forged an empire spanning the Inner Rim.
(c) HW2, Gameplay Guide, p.2, The Hiigarans

I'm not that tempted in politics, but do you know if an Empire can be a Republic?

They were a proud people with an even prouder past, and no longer mere Exiles, but Hiigarans. They had faced endless trials and bitter enemies, and yet in the face of every challenge they had built a republic spanning nearly 40 worlds at its height
(c) HW2PR, p. 167, Appendix C: The History of Hiigara, Rebuilding

Once there were questions if it was possible to make HW2 180 million population of Hiigara out of 600k Sleepers with eventual approximal calculations approving it's possible, but now we can see that it was a wrong question: it appears that 180 millions belonged to just 1 world of 40, thus the total number grows bigger. And it seems that those Taiidan Hiigarans could play a role in this, making this task easier.

I think, due to gravity issues - Kharak/Mars vs. Hiigara/Earth gravity - at least the first Sleeper generation should have preferred to live on Angel's Moon - so, it's at least 1 planet of Hiigaran Empire.

As well, it seems that some of these 40 worlds were taken from Taiidan borderland while while they were busy with their Civil War...

…even the moderates are pushing for the annexation of nearby former Taidan worlds...
(c) HWC, p.6, C1 Historical Brief, The Rude Awakening

Kiithless & Kiithid

“The two dark ships became one with the darkness, separated by the Solar System and drifting further apart. Carrying with them the entirety of human thoughts and memories, and embracing all of the Earth's glory and dreams, they quietly disappeared into the eternal night.”
(c) Liu Cixin, The Dark Forest

However, as those with no Kiith gained power on Hiigara, the ancient clans turned their ambitions outward.
<…>
Each Kiith and clan began to construct their own fleets once again. Though the Hiigaran people were unified by destiny, new ambitions began seeking different paths. All of the Kiith were going their own way.
<…>
Cast out of their world, the old Kiith clans departed. Some would never return.
(c) HWM Intro cutscene

It's interesting to see how Vaygr War has shifted a structure of Hiigaran society: kiithless has prevailed and kiithid used new opportunities to find their ways somewhere completely outside. But it doesn't feel like it was something peaceful in its essence:

"After reinforcing their rule over Hiigara's central government, the Kiithless moved to gain control over the Hiigaran navy"
<…>
"the Kiithless have begun launching their own treasure-seeking expeditions"
<…>
"Hiigaran Special Service Forces – a new operations force in the Hiigaran navy which is rapidly becoming the militant arm of the Kiithless Hiigarans"
(c) HWM, Ambitions and Vectors

And while administrative part is pretty clear - kiithless have managed to prevail after a century of oppressions - the military power division has its issues: it looks like the new Hiigaran administration is smart enough to not let it loose to the brink of a civil war, irritating the ones with the guns, but they are happy to blow off steam to another galaxy.

So, I assume that post Vaygr War power positions on Hiigara are following:

• KIITHID FLEETS
  those who hold to good old' Kharakian traditions, Hiigaran Kushans; are they like Yakuza now?..
  Those Warrior Kiiths from HWC - Naabal, S'jet, Soban, Manaan, Paktu, Kaalel, LiirHra, Somtaaw and other kiithid;
  

  While many of the established Kiith accused Somtaaw of further undermining the ancient social systems for their own benefit, the result was Somtaaw was granted access to the Mothership Station for a period of six months.
  Mothership access for other lesser Kiith soon followed.
  (c) HWC, Historical Brief, p.12, Kiith History: Somtaaw

• UNIFIED HIIGARAN FLEET
  those who are tired of the old Kharakian traditions; Hiigaran Kushans with Hiigaran Taiidans;
  These guys are controlled directly by the Great Daiamid, but a century of apartheid politics would have added some kiithid-supporting and/or kiithless not supporting guys to the top of command building their own trusted men lines, so Hiigaran Navy obedience is also pretty fragile thing;
• KIITHLESS FLEET
  those who want to break enslaving Kharakian traditions, Hiigaran Taiidans, in general;
  A new power controlled by the Great Daiamid majority powers, this time without "but's". Technically, is a part of Hiigaran Navy but in time would consume it by putting trusted men to the key positions. At least in the HW Original Galaxy.

It seems that in the Original Galaxy Hiigaran population is getting into a natural order: they are becoming Taiidans with forced influence of Kushan culture. The Hiigarans. Interesting what relations do they have with the post-Vaygr War Taiidan Republic?..

Nimbus Galaxy seems to receive a bit of all those guys: kiithid guys, the "Kharakians", UHF guys, the "Old-Hiigarans" and kiithless guys "New-Hiigarans", and probably the amount of them would be the "traditional" number of around half-million people. At least, they managed to establish a separate Hiigaran state of Medea.

Probably, militarized nationalistic corporatocratic traditionalist neo-feodal - well, fascist - Kiithid leaving into Nimbus establishing Medea state is a best way to preserve that old Kharakian culture, leaving OG to Taiidans that have consumed both old Hiigarans, new Vaygrs and whoever there was in the middle.

As well, we know some Vaygr forces managed to sneak-in to Nimbus, with their number uncertain.

Imogen & Isaac

It is worse than a crime, it is a mistake. (c)

But it's interesting how HWM and HW3 are having conflicting messages: HWM tells us a story of Kiithid system fall with the kiith traditionalists self-exiling to the Nimbus galaxy, Kiithless prevail and all-Hiigaran unification, but HW3, a century later, still exploits the kiithid feature with Imogen S'jet and Isaac Paktu.

Well, probably, according to the languagial history, Naabal's Northern Coalition spiritually became an owner of Hiigara, and Paktu's Southern Federation descendants still competed it, but being the minority they became kiithid traditionalists.

And S'jet… I guess, S'jet-sid didn't want to let the power strings loose thus remaining a "good ol' Levi's tribe of Kharak". Well, those two kiiths seemed to be pretty much liberal, but it seems that it only seemed - like in those optic illusions when the same color does not feel the same only because of the contrasting color nearby; and in this case the Heresy Wars of Gaalsien and Siidim made Northern Coalition and Southern Federation look brighter but the Shadow of Kharakian culture is always to remain, unconsciously repeating learned patterns thus old systems and their problems - like, "artist-creation" issue when you can't hide from yourself.

As well, it looks like Imogen and Isaac are a sort of new Hiigaran Kushan aristocrats, so we still have here Homeworld "princess" situation... How was it came that S'jet-Sa descendant and a genius hyperspace physics scientist gone through the Navigator connection surgery and got a place of a battle Fleet Command? As a specialist she should have been a Fleet Intelligence or just a consultant. Feels like there's more of a "S'jet descendant" in this approval than anything else.

After successfully lobbying the Daiamid with the aid of the S'jet Kiith-Sa…
(c) HW3 manual, p.23
While true AI continues to be prohibited technology by Daiamid Edict…
(c) HW3 manual, p.44
…Smart Missiles seem more advanced than any other Incarnate AI systems and there are reports of microscopic traces of Incarnate organic matter being found at Smart Missile impact sites...
(c) HW3 manual, p.71

I wonder if the Imogen was a secret product of S'jet Tech willing to create their own Ender/Muad'dib to surpass human brain limitations in understanding hyperspace technologies. Like, they forbade AI to leave their rivals behind (like Somtaaw that made an AI-leap in the Beast Wars and currently blade-walking with RC drones), they gained new data from The Beast remains, and continued their Kharak-started biotech researches started with xenogenesis, cryopods, neurosciences and going forward... For sure, Riesstiu IV cloning chambers would look interesting for S'jet… What if Karan S'jet was living so long not because of a mystical Progenitor "dust" - the official propaganda - but because she was the first successful public figure of this genetically modified line of Homo Sjetticus applied to Sjet-Sa family, thus Karan's will to become the Fleet Command was also an act of Power not Sacrifice...

Looks like kiith S'jet has won this Game of Kiithid, having The Great Mother Karan on their side for 200+ years. The spice of the situation is that not the kiith Naabal but their lesser rivals Paktu are near S'jet: thus S'jet had been shadowy puppeteering the balance of the situation AHL when they countered the same Naabal with lesser Kiithid access to Mothership Shipyard resulting in Somtaaw revival, and then blowing off the steam of the Kiithless public discontent thus still saving wealth and power of the Kiithid century later.

Looks like back on Kharak it was S'jet who infiltrated into Naabal and Gaalsien rage on them had a reason. Kaalel could tell a lot of stories about their ex-suzerain but the 'truth is a precious commodity" (c). What could the Angel Moon of S'jet flag tell us about the old days?..

And thus, the Kushan Atlas, that shrugged the Old Taiidan War, Kharakian Ecocide, Heresy Wars, Kadeshi Slaughter, Taiidan Civil War, The Beast War, Kiithless Apartheid and reignited the Anomaly, continues to go baldly into the HWU.

Outro

Of course, there is no answers to a lot of thing in HW Universe, as there are blank creative spaces yet to be written, but some of these gaps could be shrunk by analyzing existing data, following the hints.

For example, there are still questions:

• where are those hundreds of Exile ships gone? Are they Turanics or Vaygr now, for example?
• what about population of the Frerrn Aggregate that rivaled with the Taiidan Empire?
• how many Vaygrs was there, if they've managed to conquer half of the galaxy, including Taiidans?
• what about the other HW original galaxy factions?
• what about the other 3 galaxies?
• and so on...

Read More Of Homeworld

• Homeworld: Timeline
• Homeworld: The Stranger Things
• Homeworld: The Stranger Things II
• Homeworld: Cartography
• Homeworld: XenoLanguage
• Homeworld: XenoLanguage II
• Homeworld: Population - BHL
• Homeworld: Population - AHL
• Homeworld: Hyperspace Technologies
• Homeworld: Endless
• Homeworld: Bentusi
• Homeworld: Kadeshi
• Homeworld: The Beast
• Homeworld: Kiithid
• Homeworld: Kiith S'jet
• Homeworld: Kiith LiirHra
• Homeworld: Hiigarans
• Homeworld: The Sajuuk-Khars
• Homeworld: Swords of Kharak
• Homeworld: Karan Sjet Ain't Getting Younger
• Homeworld: Taiidani Fleet - The Key to a Victory
• Homeworld: Baserunners
• Homeworld: Vast Reaches
• The Pitch. Homeworld 2: Taiidani Mod
• The Pitch. Homeworld 2: Emergence Mod
• The Pitch. Homeworld 2: The Beast Mod
• The Pitch. Homeworld: Kharak Total War
• Gamedesign: Homeworld Series As An Example of RTS Unit Systems
• Games: 3DS RTS