World population to hit 8 billion this year, India to surpass China in 2023

xizhimen · Jul 11, 2022

World population to hit 8 billion this year, India to surpass China in 2023

July 11, 2022

United Nations, Jul 11 (EFE).- The world’s population is expected to reach 8 billion this year while India will surpass China as the most populous country in 2023, the United Nations said in a report Monday.

The world’s estimated population should touch 8 billion by November 15, according to the UN’s Population Fund on the occasion of World Population Day.

“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,” said UN secretary general Antonio Guterres.

The milestone is set to arrive at a time when the global population is growing at its slowest pace since 1950.

From now until 2050, around half the worldwide population growth is due to occur in just eight countries — the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, India, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tanzania, the UN said.

At its current pace, the world’s population is expected to surpass 8.5 billion by 2030 and 9.7 billion by 2050.

The UN organization has predicted that the world’s population will hit 10.4 billion by 2080 and flatten out until 2100.

Fertility rates have dropped around the world in recent decades and, currently, two thirds of people live in regions where the birth rate is less than 2.1 per woman, the approximate figure required for the maintenance of population levels in countries with low mortality rates.

Between 2022 and 2050, data indicate that populations will drop in 61 countries due to low fertility rates and, in some cases, high levels of emigration.

From next year, India will be the world’s most populous country when it overtakes China, a trend in line with predictions dating back years.

Both India and China have populations of over 1.4 billion people.

Following the Asian giants are the United States with 337 million people, Indonesia (275 million), Pakistan (234 million) and Nigeria (216 million).

Nigeria has witnessed a vertiginous rise in its population in recent decades and is on track to reach 375 million people by 2050, bringing it close to being on a par with the US, according to the UN.

In 1990, Nigeria had a population of 94 million.

The UN report also underlined the considerable impact that Covid-19 had on the world’s population.

This year the average life expectancy is 71, down from 72.8 in 2019 but almost nine years higher than in 1990.

Continued waves of Covid-19 have brought birth rates down in some countries, the UN said, EFE