Global population surpasses eight billion for first time
Ryan King
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For the first time ever, the living human population blew past eight billion people Tuesday, according to projections from the United Nations.
As humanity soars to population levels unseen in known history, adding one billion newcomers over the past 11 to 12 years, the rate of growth appears to be subsiding with humans reproducing at a dramatically lower clip than before and starting to age out. Experts believe it will take 15 years to add another billion.
GLOBAL AVERAGE SPERM COUNT HAS MORE THAN HALVED SINCE 1973
“The milestone is an occasion to celebrate diversity and advancements while considering humanity’s shared responsibility for the planet,” Antonio Guterres, United Nations secretary-general, said.
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Countries with advanced economies tend to have lower fertility rates than their developing peers, which means many newborns are more likely to grow up in poorer conditions. For example, in sub-Saharan Africa, home to 738 million people, the population is projected to soar by 95% heading into 2050, per the Institute for Economics and Peace.
Still, global life expectancy appears to be swinging up, increasing by roughly nine years to 72 between 1990 and 2019, per the U.N. That figure dipped to 71 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, but experts believe those born in 2050 will likely enjoy an average life expectancy of 77.
Analysts expect humanity’s population to swell to nine billion by around 2037, and to begin a slow decline by 2085. Much of the future population growth is expected to be uneven and concentrated in Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Philippines, and Tanzania, Forbes reported.
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About two-thirds of the global population live in regions where birth rates are not expected to retain their population sizes, including in 61 countries foretasted to endure a decrease of about 1% by 2050, per U.N. estimates.
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China reigns as the most populous nation in the world, but the U.N. is projecting that India will dethrone it within the coming year. They are home to 1.41 billion and 1.39 billion people respectively, according to estimates.
Meanwhile, the United States, which sits as the third most populous country, is expected to sink to fourth place by 2050, per U.N. estimates. By 2100, the U.S. is foretasted to plunge to sixth place.