UN says World’s population is now 8 billion.
According to a United Nations projection, there are currently eight billion people living on Earth.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a press release that the milestone was an opportunity to celebrate diversity and advancements while taking into account humanity’s shared responsibility for the environment.
The UN attributed the increase to human development, noting that people are living longer as a result of advancements in nutrition, personal hygiene, public health, and medicine.
“It is also the result of higher fertility rates, particularly in the world’s poorest countries — most of which are in sub-Saharan Africa — putting their development goals at risk,” Guterres stated.
Natalia Kanem, head of the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF), commented on the notion that the world is overpopulated. “Some express concerns that our world is overpopulated. I am here to say clearly that the sheer number of human lives is not a cause for fear.”
Compared to the 2.5 billion people who called the world home in 1950, the population today is more than three times larger.
From a peak of 2.1 percent between 1962 and 1965 to less than 1% in 2020, annual growth has decreased.
The United Nations predicts that due to a continued decline in fertility rates, that number could potentially drop even further to around 0.5% by 2050.
According to UN estimates, the population will reach 8.5 billion in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050, and peak at 10.4 billion in the 2080s.
