The world is now home to 8 billion people. The 8 billion mark has been declared as the “milestone in human development”, before birth rates start to drop, according to a projection made by the United Nations.
The figures indicated that 1 billion people had been added to the global population in just 12 years, according to the UN’s World Population Prospects 2022 report.
“This unprecedented growth is due to the gradual increase in human lifespan owing to improvements in public health, nutrition, personal hygiene, and medicine. It is also the result of high and persistent levels of fertility in some countries,” read the statement.
In the report, the international agency stated that it anticipates the population to reach somewhere near 8.5 billion by 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050, and 10.4 billion in the 2080s and remain at that level until 2100.
Middle-income states, mostly Asian countries, accounted for most of the growth over the past ten years, adding some 700 million people since 2011. India gained about 180 million people and is set to outdo China as the world’s most populous nation in the coming year.
Surprisingly, most of the 2.4 billion people to be added before the global population touches its heights will be born in sub-Saharan Africa, marking a shift away from India and China, as per the report.
Despite the global population continuing to reach new highs, demographers noted the growth rate has fallen gradually to less than 1% per year. This should retain the world from reaching 9 billion people until 2037.
Environmental Challenges
Reaching an 8 billion global population “is an occasion to celebrate diversity and advancements while considering humanity’s shared responsibility for the planet,” UN Secretary-General AntónioGuterres said in the UN statement.
Having more people on Earth will clearly put more pressure on nature, as people will compete for water, food, and space.
Furthermore, rapid population growth together with climate change is expected to cause mass migration and conflicts in coming decades, experts fear.
Resource pressure would be particularly intimidating in African countries where populations are expected to thrive at a rapid pace. African countries are also among the most vulnerable nations to climate impacts and most in need of climate finance.