World population expected to reach 8 billion by mid-November

The step will soon be taken. The world population is expected to reach 8 billion people on November 15, according to a UN projection released on Monday July 11. The study also projects that India will overtake China as the most populous country in the world in 2023. In a statement, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres sees this as “a reminder of our shared responsibility to care for our planet” and “a chance to celebrate our diversity, recognize our common humanity, and marvel at advances in health that have extended lifespans and dramatically reduced maternal and child mortality rates”.

According to the UN department that authored the forecast, the world’s population is currently growing at its slowest rate since 1950. The world population could reach around 8.5 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050, peaking at around 10, 4 billion people in the 2080s before remaining at this level until 2100. While a net drop in fertility is observed in several developed countries, the population increase expected in the coming decades will be concentrated for more half in eight countries : the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tanzania.