The world's population will reach 8 billion by November 15, 2022, according to the World Population Prospects 2022 report released today by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Reaching this milestone is both a cause for celebration and an urgent call to humanity to overcome the challenges we face today.
Humanity faces daunting challenges: intergenerational issues such as climate change, conflict, and COVID-19 disproportionately affect the neediest and most vulnerable among us. Millions of people continue to live in poverty, suffer from hunger and malnutrition, lack access to health care and social protection, and lack access to quality primary and secondary education. Women around the world are still denied the fundamental right to make decisions about how to control their bodies and shape their futures, and we have seen a disturbing trend of regression in women's rights in many countries.
Despite these challenges, the $8 billion milestone and how we got there is a success story. We have reduced poverty and made impressive gains in health care. We are bigger than ever before, in part by increasing life expectancy and reducing infant and maternal mortality.
"This is a success story, not an end-of-the-world scenario. In our world, despite all the challenges, more people are being educated and living healthier lives than ever before," said Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of the UN Population Fund. - Focusing solely on overall population size and growth rates misses the point, and often leads to forced and counterproductive measures and human rights violations. In fact, people are the solution, not the problem. Experience shows that investing in people, in empowering them, is the way to a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable society.
As we approach November 2022, UNFPA will continue to work with our partners and communities to harness the potential of 8 billion people as part of our mission to achieve the goals outlined in the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development back in 1994. By protecting the rights and choices of all people to live healthy and fulfilling lives, humanity holds the key to unlocking the unlimited potential of people everywhere to meet the challenges facing their communities as well as the global challenges that threaten us all.
We are not alone in this journey--there are many examples of solidarity and personal heroism, and we must all work together to combat the poverty, discrimination, violence, exclusion, and other barriers that deny millions of people around the world their rights and choices.
This point requires both vision and action. Governments can implement people-centered population policies with a focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights. The business community can find creative solutions, harnessing the power of innovation and technology for the benefit of all humanity. Artists and creative thinkers around the world can use their skills and talent to inspire and help us realize the promise of our world of 8 billion.
Together we open up endless possibilities for action, growth, and change. Creating a more just and sustainable world requires that the world move forward with equal rights and opportunities for everyone and for all of us.
Key findings of "World Population Prospects 2022"
- The world population is projected to peak at 10.4 billion in the 2080s and remain at that level until 2100.
- The population has increased from 7 to 8 billion in about 12 years, a period almost as long as the growth from 6 to 7 billion. Another billion more population growth is expected in about 14.5 years (in 2037).
2. Half of the world's population growth to 8 billion is due to the population explosion in Asia. Africa is the second largest contributor (almost 400 million).
- Ten countries accounted for more than half of the population growth from 7 billion to 8 billion. India contributed the most, followed by China and Nigeria.
- Africa and Asia will remain the drivers of population growth until they reach 9 billion in 2037.
3. Today, two-thirds of the world's population live in countries or regions with a lifetime fertility rate of fewer than 2.1 births per woman (also known as "replacement fertility").
- Life expectancy at birth globally reached 72.8 years in 2019, almost 9 years longer than in 1990. In 2021, however, life expectancy in the least developed countries was 7 years behind the world average.
- In many developing countries there has been an increase in the share of the working-age population (25 to 64 years).
Media contact information:
Kanat Kubatbekov, Communications Officer, United Nations Population Fund in Kyrgyzstan, kubatbekov@unfpa.org, +996 557 241 092
