New Delhi: The world’s population has reached 8 billion today, November 15. According to a United Nations report, a new estimate shows that by 2030, the world population will reach about 8.5 billion. The UN has also calculated that the world population will reach 9.7 billion by 2050 and 10.4 billion by 2100. The increase in birth rate is mostly seen in countries where per capita income is very low.
According to this UN calculation, India will achieve another milestone in 2023 and the country will overtake China to become the most populous country in the world. Currently China’s population is 1.44 billion and India’s population is 1.39 billion. These are the two most populous countries in the world. But, worryingly, for the first time since the 1950s, there has been a period when the rate of population growth has slowed down significantly. The population growth rate in 2020 is less than 1 percent. According to this UN estimate of population in the year 2022, fertility has declined rapidly in many countries over the past few decades. Two-thirds of the world’s population lives in areas where the female fertility rate is less than 2.1 percent.
61 countries will have a population growth rate of less than 1%
It took 12 years for the world’s population to grow from 7 billion to 8 billion. But now it will take about 15 years in 8 billion to 9 billion. This shows that the rate of population growth in the world is decreasing. According to the United Nations, the population of 61 countries or territories is projected to decline by 1 percent between 2022 and 2050. The reasons are being cited as persistent lack of fertility and, in some cases, forced migration.
Important contribution of Indo-Chinese population
According to a UN report, in 2022, Asia will have the 2 largest populations in the world. It includes South-East Asia (2.3 billion) and the Central-South Asia region with a population of 2.1 billion. China and India are also responsible for the high population in these two areas. The population of both countries is estimated to be over 1.4 billion. By 2050, world population growth will be concentrated in 8 countries. They include India, Pakistan, Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Philippines and Tanzania.
Mortality also decreased
Population growth occurs partially when the death rate decreases. Death rates have also decreased globally. As of 2019, the world’s average mortality rate is 72.8 years. Since 1990, there has been an increase of about 9 years. It may reach about 77.2 years by 2050. That means the death rate will decrease further and the average age of a person will increase in the future.
Rapidly growing population in poor countries
If we look at the global population statistics, the rate of population growth has increased in poor countries. Most of them are sub-Saharan African countries. According to the United Nations, it is necessary to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement to prevent the increase in global temperature. In this, it is necessary to balance the Sustainable Development Goals and production as well as consumption targets. Reducing the population growth rate can also help to reduce environmental damage faster.