In 2022, the two most populous regions were both in Asia: Eastern and South-Eastern Asia with 2.3 billion people and Central and Southern Asia with 2.1 billion. China and India, with more than 1.4 billion each, accounted for most of the population in these two regions.
More than half of the projected increase in global population up to 2050 will be concentrated in just eight countries: Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tanzania. Disparate growth rates among the world's largest countries will re-order their ranking by size.
According to UN estimates, India is projected to surpass China as the world's most populous country during 2023.
The United Nations projects that the world population will hit a mark of 8 billion on November 15, 2022. At present, the population is 7,999,959,816. The report was released on World Population Day. Also, the global population is projected to peak at around 10.4 billion in the 2080s.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, "This year’s World Population Day falls during a milestone year when we anticipate the birth of the earth’s eight billionth inhabitant. This is an occasion to celebrate our diversity, recognise our common humanity, and marvel at advancements in health that have extended lifespans and dramatically reduced maternal and child mortality rates."
He said, "At the same time, it is a moment to reflect on where we still fall short of our obligations to one another and a reminder of our shared responsibility to care for our planet."
According to the United Nations, global population growth has slowed to its smallest rate since 1950 and will reach just 1% by 2020. According to the UN, the population of the globe could increase to 8.5 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050.
The UN predicted that by the 2080s, the world population would reach the 10.4 billion milestone and would stay there until 2100.
FERTILITY FELL MARKEDLY: UN
According to the UN World Population Prospects 2022, fertility has declined sharply in recent decades for several nations. Currently, two-thirds of the world's population reside in nations or regions with lifetime fertility rates below 2.1 children per woman.
Given the low levels of fertility, it is predicted that the population of 61 countries or regions will decline by 1% or more between 2022 and 2050. In other instances, as a result of the high emigration rates.
Notably, the UN has also predicted that the world's population will rise until 2050 and will be concentrated in eight nations.
- Congo
- Egypt
- Ethiopia
- India
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- Tanzania
