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A U.N. report predicts that on Oct. 31, humanity will hit a major milestone when the seven billionth person enters the world, doubling the planet’s population from what it was in 1965. |
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| Asia and Africa are expected to see the largest population increases in the next century. |
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The world’s rapid population growth is both a good and a bad thing: it means people are living longer and healthier lives, but it also means the Earth’s resources will have to be shared among more inhabitants.
More young people than ever before
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43% of the world's population is currently under the age of 25. |
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According to the United Nations report that predicted the birth of the seven billionth person, the planet also has more young people than ever - about 1.8 billion between the ages of 10 and 24 live around the world now, and people under the age of 25 make up 43% of the world's population.
"That's the largest youth cohort in human history,” Richard Kollodge, editor of the U.N. report, told the NewsHour. “So we're advocating for making sure that all these young people have education, that they're all in good health and free of HIV, that they have opportunities, that they are empowered to drive our future economies."
Money and resources are the main obstacles to ensuring all young people receive an education and remain healthy, and the U.N. report recommends that countries make investments in those initiatives before the population grows even more.
A meteoric rise in population
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Life expectancy is on the rise around the world, leading to rapid population growth and a large population of elderly people. |
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Instead of growing by roughly the same amount each year, the world’s population has been growing exponentially, meaning that the future population is growing in proportion to the current population (see the graph below). The U.N. predicts that the world population will hit 8 billion by 2025, 9.3 billion by 2050, and more than 10 billion by the end of this century.
This meteoric population rise is happening because people used to have much shorter life spans. According to U.S. government statistics, Americans were expected to live an average of just 50 years in 1900, and today, they are expected to live about 80 years.
Life spans are expected to continue to increase around the world as more people get access to health care and preventative care.
Growth varies by region
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Africa's population is expected to grow the fastest of any region, making famine a more likely occurence. |
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Southeast Asia and Africa are experiencing the fastest population growth in the world - Africa's population is expected to more than triple, from 1 billion in 2011 to 3.6 billion in 2100, according to the United Nations. And Asia's population, currently at 4.2 billion, is expected to remain the highest during the 21st century.
The problem with such rapid growth in those parts of the world is that economic growth is not keeping up, so many of those people will continue to live in poverty and struggle to find work. And, governments are having a hard time keeping up with education and health services that their people need.
In other parts of the world, populations are stabilizing, such as in Latin America, or even shrinking, like in Japan and parts of Europe. Some say this could trigger an eventual population shift from countries with more people to countries with fewer.
“(Countries with shrinking populations) are also dealing with issues of migration and asking questions of, 'If our populations are shrinking, should we invite more people from other countries to come in and meet labor shortages?” said Kollodge.
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| --Compiled by Veronica DeVore for NewsHour Extra |
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| Students From Around the US Debate Gun Control |
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| Ellie, Student Reporting Labs |
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