The story so far: Coinciding with the World Population Day on July 11, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, released the World Population Prospects 2022, an estimate on likely trends in global population. The global population, which stood at almost 7.9 billion in 2021, is projected to reach 8 billion on November 15, 2022, the report underlines, with India expected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country in 2023.
What are the highlights of the report?
The projections suggest that the world’s population could grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050, before reaching a peak of around 10.4 billion in 2100. The population is expected to remain at that level until 2100. Globally, life expectancy reached 72.8 years in 2019, an increase of almost 9 years since 1990. Further reductions in mortality are projected to result in an average longevity of around 77.2 years globally in 2050.
