World population is projected to reach 8 billion people on Tuesday, UN has estimated. The global body considers this a milestone in human development.
"This unprecedented growth is due to the gradual increase in human lifespan owing to improvements in public health, nutrition, personal hygiene and medicine. It is also the result of high and persistent levels of fertility in some countries," it stated.
The UN also projected that while it took the global population 12 years to grow from 7 to 8 billion, it will take approximately 15 years (until 2037) for it to reach 9 billion -- a sign that the overall growth rate of the global population is slowing.
Over the years, the global population growth has become increasingly concentrated among the world’s poorest countries, most of which are in sub-Saharan Africa, the global body stated, adding that countries with the highest fertility levels tend to be those with the lowest income per capita.
In current world population 2022, the two most populous regions were both in Asia: Eastern and South-Eastern Asia with 2.3 billion people and Central and Southern Asia with 2.1 billion. China and India, with more than 1.4 billion each, accounted for most of the population in these two regions.
Read more: In Pics | A look at how world population has grown since 1950
More than half of the projected increase in global population up to 2050 will be concentrated in just eight countries: Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tanzania.
According to UN estimates, India is projected to surpass China as the world's most populous country during 2023.
It also pointed out that while the rapid growth of the human population has contributed to various forms of environmental degradation -- including global warming, climate change, deforestation and loss of biodiversity --Changes in population size and composition are largely foreseeable, having been shaped by demographic processes that unfold over decades.
Informed planning for population changes can help to accelerate progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular those related to poverty, health, education, gender equality and the environment, the UN stated.
(With inputs from ANI)
Read more: World population at 8 billion humans -- and still growing
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