CityReads│10 Facts About World Population You Might Not Know

153

10 Facts About World Population You Might Not Know

Throughout human history, 107.7 billion people have been born. Today, 7 billion, or 6.5 percent, of them are still living.

United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2017). World Population Prospects: The 2017 Revision, Key Findings and Advance Tables. Working Paper No. ESA/P/WP/248.

Source: https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Publications/Files/WPP2017_KeyFindings.pdf

Alex Gray, 11 facts about world population you might not know, July 4, 2017

Source: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/07/11-facts-about-world-population-you-might-not-know/

The 2017 Revision of the World Population Prospects is the twenty-fifth round of official United Nations population estimates and projections, which have been prepared since 1951 by the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat. The 2017 Revision builds on previous revisions by incorporating additional results from the 2010 and 2020 rounds of national population censuses as well as findings from recent specialized sample surveys from around the world. The 2017 Revision provides a comprehensive set of demographic data and indicators to assess population trends at the global, regional and national levels and to calculate many other key indicators commonly used by the United Nations system.

The world’s population numbered nearly 7.6 billion as of mid-2017, implying that the world has added approximately one billion inhabitants over the last twelve years. Sixty per cent of the world’s people live in Asia (4.5 billion), 17 per cent in Africa (1.3 billion), 10 per cent in Europe (742 million), 9 per cent in Latin America and the Caribbean (646 million), and the remaining 6 per cent in Northern America (361 million) and Oceania (41 million).

At the global level, the numbers of men and women are roughly equal, with the male population being slightly larger than the female population. Currently, in 2017, there are 102 men for every 100 women.

The median age of the world’s population is 30 years old, which means half of the world’s population are younger than 30 years of age, while the other half are aged 30 years or older.

Distribution of the world’s population by age and sex, 2017

But population trends are wildly uneven - some countries are rapidly expanding, others are shrinking.

Each scenario brings its own challenge for governments. Countries whose populations are declining have to think about how to support older people when there fewer young workers to pay into government funds. Countries with a booming young population have to grapple with how to feed them and provide education and healthcare.

Three major things affect population. Fertility is the main factor, followed by mortality and then migration. Here are some key facts about the world’s population.

1. By 2024 India will overtake China as the world’s most populous country

China currently has 1.4 billion inhabitants, closely followed by India with 1.3 billion. Together they make up 37% of the world’s population.

In 2024, both countries are expected to have roughly 1.44 billion people. Thereafter, India’s population is projected to continue growing for several decades to around 1.5 billion in 2030 and approaching 1.66 billion in 2050, while the population of China is expected to remain stable until the 2030s, after which it may begin a slow decline.

2. Nigeria has the world’s fastest growing population

Among the ten largest countries of the world, one is in Africa (Nigeria), five are in Asia (Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, and Pakistan), two are in Latin America (Brazil and Mexico), one is in Northern America (United States of America), and one is in Europe (Russian Federation).

1 China 1 397 029

2 India 1 309 054

3 United States of America 319 929

4 Indonesia 258 162

5 Brazil 205 962

6 Pakistan 189 381

7 Nigeria 181 182

8 Bangladesh 161 201

9 Russian Federation 143 888

10 Japan 127 975

Nigeria is currently 7th on the list of most populous countries, but before 2050 it will have made third place, overtaking the US.

3. Fertility has fallen all over the world

Since the 1960s, the global birth rate has fallen to an average of 2.5 births per woman. However, that average is made up of highly diverse figures: in Africa its 4.7 births per woman, in Europe it’s 1.6 births per woman.

Low-fertility countries now include all of Europe and Northern America, plus 19 countries of Asia, 15 in Latin America and the Caribbean, 3 in Oceania and 2 in Africa. The largest low-fertility countries are China, the United States of America, Brazil, the Russian Federation, Japan and Viet Nam (in order of population size). In 2045-2050, it is expected that 69 per cent of the world’s population will live in countries where women give birth to fewer than 2.1 children on average.

4. Half of the population growth will take place in 9 countries

Today, the world’s population continues to grow, albeit more slowly than in the recent past. Ten years ago, the global population was growing by 1.24 per cent per year. Today, it is growing by 1.10 per cent per year, yielding an additional 83 million people annually. The world’s population is projected to increase by slightly more than one billion people over the next 13 years, reaching 8.6 billion in 2030, and to increase further to 9.8 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion by 2100.

From 2017 to 2050, India, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan, Ethiopia, the United Republic of Tanzania, the United States of America, Uganda and Indonesia will contribute the most to population growth. This means that the population of Africa is set to roughly double between now and 2050.

5. Europe’s population will decline

In Europe, 25 per cent of the population is already aged 60 years or over and that proportion is projected to reach 35 per cent in 2050 and 36 per cent in 2100.

Between 2015 and 2050, the excess of deaths over births in Europe is projected to total 57 million, whereas the net inflow of international migrants is expected to be around 32 million, implying an overall reduction of Europe’s population by about 25 million.

Many countries that will experience population decline are located in Europe. The populations of another 51 countries or areas of the world are expected to decrease between 2017 and 2050. Several countries are expected to see their populations decline by more than 15 per cent by 2050, including Bulgaria, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine and the United States Virgin Islands

6. Almost half the world’s population live in countries with low fertility

Between 2010 and 2015, 46% of the world’s population lived in 83 countries where the fertility level was below the threshold of 2.1.

In 2045-2050, it is expected that 69 per cent of the world’s population will live in countries where women give birth to fewer than 2.1 children on average.

7. The world is getting older

Globally, population aged 60 or over is growing faster than all younger age groups. An increasing number of people are living to a ripe old age. In 1950, there were far more young than old. In 2017, there are fewer young and more older people. By 2050, the numbers will even out.

In 2017, there are an estimated 962 million people aged 60 or over in the world, comprising 13 per cent of the global population. The population aged 60 or above is growing at a rate of about 3 per cent per year. Currently, Europe has the greatest percentage of population aged 60 or over (25 per cent). Rapid ageing will occur in other parts of the world as well, so that by 2050 all regions of the world except Africa will have nearly a quarter or more of their populations at ages 60 and above.

8. We are living longer

Overall, life expectancy is increasing. On a global level, life expectancy at birth rose by almost 4 years, or from 67 to 71 years, between 2000 and 2015.

All regions shared in the rise of life expectancy over this period, but the greatest gains were in Africa, where life expectancy rose by 6.6 years between 2000 and 2015. Life expectancy in Africa in 2010-2015 stood at 60.2 years, compared to 71.8 in Asia, 74.6 in Latin America and the Caribbean, 77.2 in Europe, 77.9 in Oceania and 79.2 in Northern America.

Several Eastern European countries experienced reductions in life expectancy at birth in the late 1980s and 1990s. By 2010-2015 life expectancy in the sub-region had recovered substantially. Nevertheless, with an average level of 72 years, life expectancy in Eastern European countries lags far behind the levels found in Western Europe. At about 70 or 71 years, the Republic of Moldova, the Russian Federation and Ukraine have the lowest levels of life expectancy at birth in Europe.

It is projected to rise to around 77 years in the period between 2045 and 2050, and eventually to 83 years in the period between 2095 and 2100.

9. Net migration is declining

Overall, between 1950 and 2015, the regions of Europe, Northern America and Oceania were net receivers of international migrants, while Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean were net senders.

Migration peaked in 2005-2010 to 4.5 million people per year moving between major regions of the world. Between 2010 and 2015 the figure was 3.2 million.

10. Throughout human history, 107.7 billion people have been born. Today, 7 billion, or 6.5 percent, of them are still living. 

Related CityReads

CityReads ∣Notes On Cities

"CityReads", a subscription account on WeChat, 

posts our notes on city reads weekly. 

Please follow us by searching "CityReads"  

Or long press the QR code  above