World population to hit eight billion
The United Nations Population Division predicts that today will see the birth of the eighth billionth person on earth.
Although there are more people on Earth than ever before because we are living longer, population growth is at its slowest rate in more than 70 years. By the year 2050, the world’s population will be eight billion, which is three times the size it was in 1950.
Global population growth slowed to less than 1% in 2020. Due to widespread use of contraception, improved access to education, and increased mobility for women and girls, there has been a significant decline in the birth rate, which has caused women to have fewer children.
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Additionally, the world’s population is aging; today, 10% of people are over 65, and by 2050, that number will rise to 16%.
The number of people over 65 will outnumber children under five by 2050.
Where is the fastest growth occurring?
East and Southeast Asia, which has 2.3 billion inhabitants, and central and southern Asia, which has 2.1 billion, are the two geographical areas with the highest population growth.
With 1.4 billion inhabitants apiece, China and India are currently the two most populous nations in the world.
However, according to UN estimates, India will overtake China for the first time in 2023.
Eight nations—the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, and the United Republic of Tanzania—will account for more than half of the expected growth in the world’s population by 2050.
More than half of the increase forecast through 2050 is anticipated to come from sub-Saharan African nations.
Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo will especially have the fastest growth rates, with both countries’ populations doubling over the course of the next 30 years.
The largest growth spikes in other parts of Africa will occur in Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Egypt.
Pakistan and the Philippines will experience Asia’s largest growth outside of China and India.
More generally, between now and 2050, the world’s population will rise at the greatest rate in 46 of the least developed nations.
Two thirds of this expansion will be caused by past events and the young age distribution of the existing population.
Where is there a decline in population?
Due to extended stretches of low fertility, the world population is rising more slowly than it has in decades.
In nations where women have 2.1 children or fewer, more than two thirds of people reside.
This is roughly the point at which there would be no global growth.
Between now and 2050, the populations of 61 nations will decline by 1% or more as a result of rising migration or falling birth rates.
Having COVID shortens life expectancy
Prior to the pandemic, the average life expectancy was 72.8 years in 2019; by 2021, it had dropped to 71 years.
However, the effects of COVID varied by region.
The most severely affected regions were Central and Southern Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean, where life expectancy dropped by about three years.
But in Australia and New Zealand, which both closed their borders and implemented a “zero COVID” policy during the majority of the epidemic, life expectancy rose by 1.2 years as a result of a lower probability of passing away from other causes during repeated lockdowns.
Although there may have been some temporary drops in pregnancy rates due to the coronavirus, there was no proof of a long-term decline, according to UN specialists.
What’s next?
The global population will continue to grow – to around 8.5 billion people by 2030 and 9.7 billion by 2050.
It will start to peak at around 10.4 billion people in the 2080s and remain at that level until 2100.
After that, trends are uncertain.
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