UNITED NATIONS, July 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The world’s population is expected to reach eight billion on November 15, the UN forecast in a report that said India will surpass China as the most populous country on earth in 2023.
That overall population milestone “is a reminder of our shared responsibility to care for our planet and a moment to reflect on where we still fall short of our commitments to one another,” Secretary General Antonio Guterres said, without citing specifics.
“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,” he added.
The forecast by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs said the world’s population is growing at its slowest pace since 1950.
It should hit 8.5 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050, peaking at around 10.4 billion people in the 2080s before steadying at that level until 2100.
While a net drop in birth rates is observed in several developing countries, more than half of the rise forecast in the world’s population in the coming decades will be concentrated in eight countries, the report said.
China has long been the most populous country, but that isn’t expected to last long, with India projected to be the world’s most populous country in 2023. Each country currently has a population over 1.4 billion people, accounting for over 35% of the global population, but China’s population is expected to start declining as early as next year.
By 2050, India is projected to have 1.6 billion people, while China is projected to have 1.3 billion people.
India is just one of eight countries – including the Philippines, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Pakistan and the United Republic of Tanzania – expected to see major population growth by 2050. The increase in several sub-Saharan countries is expected to result in the population doubling in the area.
On the other side of the population spectrum, 61 countries are expected to have a population decrease of at least 1%. Of that list, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Serbia and Ukraine are projected to lose at least 20% of their population.
North America is projected by the U.N. to reach its peak population in the late-2030s and then start declining “due to sustained low levels of fertility.” But that won’t affect the population of the U.S.
The U.S. population is currently 337 million people and it is projected to be at 375 million people in 2050, still making it the third most populous country in the world, behind India and China. — NNN-AGENCIES