World’s Global Population has reached 8 billion people today, Tuesday November 15 as projected by the United Nations.
Gatekeepers News reports the 8 Billion mark is a historic milestone for humanity as the U.N. praised population growth as mortality levels decline and life expectancy continues to increase.
As of 2019, the global life expectancy was 72.8 years but with the current population, current projections believe the life expectancy could be 77.2 years by 2050.
“This is an occasion to celebrate our diversity, recognize our common humanity, and marvel at advancements in health that have extended lifespans and dramatically reduced maternal and child mortality rates,” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement.
“At the same time, it is a reminder of our shared responsibility to care for our planet and a moment to reflect on where we still fall short of our commitments to one another,” he continued.
The U.N. projected in its World Population Prospects 2022 report, released in July, the milestone would be reached on Nov. 15.
In 1974, World’s Population hit 4 billion, it increased to 7 billion in 2011 and in a year more than a decade, it hit the 8 billion mark.
Lower-middle income and low-income countries contributed the most to the population reaching 8 billion, officials said. Asia and Africa contributed the most to the growth, while Europe’s population will soon decline.
India contributes the most to the population growth in Asia and is set to overtake China as the most populated country in the world at some point in the next year. China is projected to have a population decrease in the next few decades.
In 2020, The U.N. however said it may be a little longer for us to reach another billion people on this planet as the global population growth rate fell below 1% for the first time since 1950.
Currently, fertility rate is at 2.3 births per woman, down from the average five births per woman in 1950. By 2050, it’s expected to slightly fall to 2.1 births per woman.
The global population is projected to reach 9 billion in 2037 and 10 billion in 2058, signaling population growth is slowly declining.
The U.N. estimates the global population will reach 10.4 billion people in the 2080s, but it will stay at that level through the end of the century.
Despite the positive trends in life expectancy hailed in the U.N. report, Guterres said in an opinion piece for USA TODAY, billions of people continue to struggle and gaps must be closed to end inequalities, citing climate change, famine and wars in the Middle East and Ukraine.
“We are setting ourselves up for an 8-billion-strong world filled with tensions and mistrust, crisis and conflict,” he said.
