Population
Facts
- The world population, currently 7.2 billion, is expected to reach 8.1 billion in 2025, 9.6 billion by 2050 and 10.9 billion by 2100 (UN-DESA 2013a).
- Population projections are uncertain, and so the global population estimates for 2050 range between 8.3 billion and 10.9 billion (UN-DESA, 2013b).
- Asia will remain the world’s most populous region in the twenty-first century. However, Africa will gain ground as its population grows from 1.1 billion in 2013 to 4.2 billion in 2100—even as its fertility is projected to drop from 4.9 children per woman in 2005–2010 to 3.0 children per woman in 2040–2045(UN-DESA 2013a).
- Growth is expected to be particularly dramatic in the least developed countries, which are projected to double in population from 898 million inhabitants in 2013 to 1.8 billion in 2050 and to 2.9 billion in 2100 (UN-DESA 2013a).
Sources and further reading
- [UN-DESA] United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 2013a. World population prospects: the 2012 revision, highlights and advance tables. New York, USA. (Available from http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Documentation/pdf/WPP2012_HIGHLIGHTS.pdf)
- [UN-DESA] United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 2013b. World Population Prospects: The 2012 Revision, Key Findings and Advance Tables. ESA/P/WP.227. New York. (Available from http://esa.un.org/wpp/Documentation/publications.htm)