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Saturday, May 06, 2006
Posted by Roberto
9:25 AM 0 comments

GLOBAL POPULATION GAINS

The world population - currently at around 6.45 billion people - is expected to grow to a total of 9.1 billion people by 2050, according to the United Nations estimates. That represents an increase by just over 2.6 billion over the next 45 years.

It should be noted that the UN's projection assumes falling fertility levels in most countries. If fertility stayed constant at current levels in all countries, the global population would nearly double by 2050 - reaching 11-7 billion people, according to the UN Population Division.

People living in developing countries account for four out of every five people in the world today. By 2050, their total will increase by 2.6 billion people - from today's 5.25 billion to 7.8 billion people. In other words, 99% of the world's expected population growth is going to take place in the developing world.

China (with its population of 1.3 billion) and India (1.1 billion people) together had a population of just over 2.4 billion people in 2005. The two most populous countries on earth thus have a combined population almost as large as the expected 2.6 billion increase in the global population by 2050. However, while China's population will rise only slightly, India's will increase by almost half. Together, the two Asian countries will have three billion people by 2050 - and will still account for around one-third of all people on earth.

In 1950, just over a half century ago, the entire world population only amounted to 2.5 billion people. That total was less than the expected 2.6 billion increase in the world population between now and 2050. While developed countries accounted for close to one-third of the world population back in 1950, they will have just over 15% of the total by 2050.

Source: The Globalist