The world population surpassed 8,000,000 on Tuesday according to the United Nations and the real-time statistics website Worldometer. The exact time the 8 bn mark was crossed might not be exact, however, the fact remains the world just got a little smaller.
“This is an occasion to celebrate our diversity, recognize our common humanity, and marvel at advancements in health that have extended lifespans and dramatically reduced maternal and child mortality rates,” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said marking the occasion.
8 billion humans are living on planet Earth — a huge milestone officially being recognized Tuesday by the U.N. https://t.co/C1416WyG0S pic.twitter.com/JaFxNfMUDr
— Axios (@axios) November 14, 2022
Future projections
The latest U.N. World Population Prospects 2022 estimates that the world population will keep on growing until the 2080s, and after 2100 it will start declining.
The intergovernmental organisation projects that the world’s population could grow to approximately 8.5 billion in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050 and peak at around 10.4 billion people during the 2080s.
The world's population has reached 8 billion people.
The #UnitedNations predicts that the world's population could grow to about 8.5 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050. It will peak at about 10.4 billion people in the 2080s and remain at that level until 2100. pic.twitter.com/9SjGweFQ0S
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) November 15, 2022
Moreover, India is projected to become the world’s most populous country, after surpassing China in 2023.
Population decline
According to World Population Prospects 2022, population growth slowing and ultimately declining is caused by the fall in fertility rates around the world.
“The global population is growing at its slowest rate since 1950, having fallen under 1 per cent in 2020,” U.N. stated adding that “today, two-thirds of the global population lives in a country or area where lifetime fertility is below 2.1 births per woman, roughly the level required for zero growth in the long run for a population with low mortality.”
Nonetheless, this distant possibility of population decline is still far ahead, with enough time to change the current trend many times. Today is a day to celebrate another milestone.