Every 11 July, the world celebrates World Population Day. A day to reflect on the significant advances in medicine and the need for states to invest in human and physical capital to improve the living standards of the population. On this occasion, the new report published by the United Nations indicates that the world population is expected to reach eight billion by 15 November 2022.
The number of people on the planet has reached a new record. There have never been so many humans. According to the latest UN population figures, released today on World Population Day, there will be eight billion people on the planet by 15 November 2022. By October 2011, the figure of 7 billion people on our planet had been passed. Compared to previous data, this is one billion more than in 2011; two billion more than in 1998 and five and a half billion more than in 1950. The report further states that India is positioned as the most populous country in the world, poised to surpass China by 2023.
“As we anticipate the birth of Earth’s eight billionth inhabitant, it is “a reminder of our shared responsibility to care for our planet and a time to reflect on where we are still failing to live up to our commitments to each other,” said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. According to the report, eight countries are expected to account for more than half of all births in the coming decades. These include five African nations. These are the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Tanzania. In addition to these African countries, there are three Asian nations: India, Pakistan and the Philippines.
At the same time, the UN chief said it is also “an opportunity to celebrate our diversity, to recognise our common humanity and to marvel at the health gains that have extended life spans and dramatically reduced maternal and child mortality rates. Indeed, according to the UN study, average global life expectancy has increased from 64.8 years in the early 1990s to 70 years today. This dramatic growth is largely due to the increase in the number of people of childbearing age, and has been accompanied by significant changes in fertility rates, increasing urbanisation and accelerating migration.
According to information provided by the UN department making the forecast, the world’s population is currently growing at its slowest rate since 1950. However, it could reach about 8.5 billion by 2030 and 9.7 billion by 2050.
These trends will have important implications for future generations. For now, resources only add up while people multiply.
