Headcount (FlightQ)
Rate itDraw one loop on a night map of the world to capture exactly the day's target number of people.
on flightq.app
Headcount is a daily population game from FlightQ. The world map shows where people live as lights, and each of five rounds gives a target, such as 200,000,000 people; you draw a single loop anywhere and score up to 100 points by how close the real population inside it comes.
About Headcount (FlightQ)
Headcount shows the world at night, where every warm dot is people: cities blaze and deserts and oceans stay dark. Each round names a target number of people, and you draw one loop of any shape and size around the people you want: hug a coastline, ring a metro area or carve out part of a continent. Move mode lets you pan and zoom, and you can drag your shape to move it before you lock it in.
The official attempt is drawn blind, with no live count, and only the area of your shape in square kilometres is shown. Once you lock it in, the game counts the real population inside your loop from the EC Joint Research Centre's GHS-POP grid and scores the round out of 100 on a ratio curve: 9.4 million against a 10 million target scores 97.3, half or double the target scores 69.9, and ten times off scores zero. Five rounds make a total out of 500, and a daily leaderboard compares totals.
Every day has five new targets, the same for all players, and the day is numbered. After the five official rounds, practice rounds give new targets with the same scoring. The daily is free with no account; ads run on the page, and FlightQ's Premium tier removes them and adds unlimited practice and extra stats. The page can be switched to 17 languages.
Headcount is one of FlightQ's many games about flights, airports, cities and maps. It suits players who like map puzzles and estimating at once.
How to play Headcount (FlightQ)
- Read the round's target, such as 200,000,000 people.
- Use Move to pan and zoom to a part of the map, then switch to Draw.
- Trace a loop around the lights you think add up to the target; drag inside it to move it.
- Press Lock it in to see the real count and your score out of 100.
- Play all five rounds for a total out of 500, then try practice rounds if you want more.
Screenshots
Tips
- For small targets, ring a single city of about the right size rather than a stretch of countryside.
- Large targets are easier in thinly populated regions, where a loose loop changes the count less.
- Half or double the target still scores about 70, so aim for the right order of magnitude first.
Questions
How is a round scored?
Out of 100 on a ratio curve: 100 times one minus the distance in powers of ten between the real count and the target, floored at zero. Half or double the target scores 69.9.
Where does the population data come from?
From GHS-POP R2023A (2025 epoch) by the EC Joint Research Centre, a global grid of about 1 km cells, as credited on the map.
Is Headcount free?
Yes. The daily rounds are free with no account. The page shows ads, and FlightQ Premium removes them and adds unlimited practice and extra stats.
Can I play more than once a day?
The five official rounds are once a day. After them, practice rounds give new targets with the same scoring.
Ratings and reviews
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