In 1950, world population was estimated at 2.6 billion. It passed the 8 billion milestone on , 2022. Since then, global population has already grown roughly 2.5% to 8.2 billion. The new UN report’s medium projection indicates global population will increase by roughly another 25% or 2.1 billion people, reaching 10.3 billion in the mid-2080s, before declining to 10.2 billion by the end of the century.
Commenting on these projections, Kathleen Mogelgaard, President and CEO of the Population Institute, made the following statement:
“’s revision of global population projections released by the UN Population Division underscores an increasing demographic divide around the world. It identifies more than 100 countries whose populations have already peaked or that will likely peak in the next thirty years. It also shows an even greater number of countries whose populations will continue to grow beyond the next thirty years—some even doubling. Many of those countries are among the world’s least developed nations.
“Examining these population trends helps us better understand how and where demographic trends affect people’s lives. For example, the UN report shows how persistent population growth in some countries is linked to child marriage and early childbearing, which curtails life opportunities and human rights. In 2024, an estimated 4.7 million babies will have been born to girls under age 18.
“The report also underscores that embracing gender equality and women’s empowerment—including by removing barriers to family planning—helps counter rapid population growth.
“Reproductive autonomy—the ability to freely determine whether and when to have children–is a basic human right. Yet it remains out of reach for too many women and girls. Many are pressured into marriage and having children while they are still children themselves.
“Thirty years ago, 179 nations came together for the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), where they agreed on a broad set of priorities and actions to advance human rights, including reproductive rights, as an approach to pursuing population and development goals. The ICPD was groundbreaking in its assertion that empowering women and girls was both the right thing to do and one of the most reliable pathways to sustainable development and improved wellbeing for all.
“The new UN population projections should prompt the international donor community revisit ICPD commitments and direct more attention and resources to the chronic inequities it sought to address. More support for family planning and educating and empowering girls could dramatically lower regional birth rates, generate strong economic returns, and improve prospects for a more just and sustainable future.”