Named the country with the largest population: the planet is aging

The world’s population will reach eight billion, and forecasts show where the population is growing the fastest. But while there are more people on Earth than ever before because people are living longer, the population growth rate is the slowest since the 1950s, according to UN data.

According to forecasts by the United Nations Population Division, the eight billionth inhabitant of the Earth is born these days, reports Sky News.

The world’s population has reached eight billion—that’s three times what it was in 1950—and while there are more people on Earth now than ever before because we’re living longer, the population growth rate is the slowest in 70 years.

In 2020, the world population growth rate has fallen below 1%. Much of this is due to declining birth rates as women are having fewer children due to widespread contraception and better education and mobility for women and girls.

The world’s population is also aging – 10% are over 65 years old, and by 2050 this figure will increase to 16%. By 2050, the number of people over 65 will be twice as many as those under five.

The two fastest growing regions in the world are East and Southeast Asia, with 2.3 billion people; and in Central and South Asia with a population of 2.1 billion. Currently, China and India are the most populous countries in the world, each with 1.4 billion people. But, according to UN forecasts, India will surpass China in terms of population for the first time next year.

More than half of the projected world population growth by 2050 will be concentrated in eight countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania.

Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to account for more than half of the growth expected through 2050. It is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania that the largest increases in growth rates will occur, with populations expected to double in the next 30 years. Elsewhere in Africa, the biggest growth spurts will be in Nigeria, Ethiopia and Egypt.

In Asia, with the exception of India and China, the largest growth will occur in Pakistan and the Philippines.

More generally, the world’s 46 least developed countries will have the highest population growth rates through 2050. Most of this growth (two-thirds) will be due to what has already happened and the youth structure of the current population.

The world’s population is growing more slowly than in recent decades due to long periods of low birth rates. More than two-thirds of the population lives in countries where women give birth to an average of 2.1 children or fewer. This is about the level that will ensure zero growth worldwide.

About 61 countries will see their populations decline by 1% or more between now and 2050, either due to declining birth rates or increased levels of migration.

Overall life expectancy has dropped from 72.8 years before the pandemic in 2019 to 71 years in 2021. However, the impact of COVID has not been the same for all regions. Central and South Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean were hardest hit, with life expectancy reduced by about three years.

But in Australia and New Zealand, which have closed their borders and implemented a zero-COVID policy for most of the pandemic, life expectancy has increased by 1.2 years due to lower risk of death from other causes during successive lockdowns.

The coronavirus may have led to some short-term reduction in pregnancies, UN experts said, but there was no evidence of an overall decline.

The world population will continue to grow, to around 8.5 billion by 2030 and to 9.7 billion by 2050. It will peak at around 10.4 billion people in the 2080s and remain at that level until 2100. After that, trends are uncertain, experts admit.