UN: World population surpasses 8 billion today

The world's population will reach 8 billion people as of today, according to United Nations estimates. 

More than three-quarters of the population gain has occurred in the past 100 years, according to demographics experts. But the rate of increase is actually slowing over the next decades.

The latest projections suggest that the global population might touch around 8.5 billion in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050 and 10.4 billion in 2100. According to the annual World Population Prospects report released a day earlier, the global population is growing at its slowest rate since 1950, falling to less than 1% in 2020. While it took 12 years for the global population to grow from 7 to 8 billion, it may take 15 more years to reach 9 billion.

As of 2022, two of the most populous regions in the world were in Asia. The UN suggests that India will surpass China as the world's most populous nation in 2023. 

More than half of the projected increase in global population up to 2050 will be concentrated in 8 countries- Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tanzania.

There are also parts of the world where many nations' populations are forecast to decline over the next three decades. The biggest region of concern is Eastern Europe, with nations like Lithuania, Albania and Bulgaria expected to shrink by 15 to 20 per cent as their residents emigrate to other countries. Japan, Greece and Italy are in the top twenty mainly because of all-time low birth rates.




(Photo: United Nations/UNFPA)