World Population

Eight billion people and counting: Why it's harmful to control population

While eight billion people is a significant milestone for the world, its magnitude is misleading. The population growth rate peaked 50 years ago (around 1962-65) and is now less than one per cent per year

Eight billion and counting: World will take another 15 years to add next billion

By 2050 a human will live an average of 77.2 years. On the other hand, women live an average of 5.4 years longer than men. Their average age has been estimated at 73.4 years and that of males at 68.4 years

India projected to surpass China as world's most populous country during 2023, says UN report

The latest projections by the United Nations suggest that the world's population could grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050

China’s one-child time bomb: 16 percent over 60 in five years

China's one-child policy has prevented almost half a billion births but has turned into a demographic time bomb as the population ages, storing up huge economic and social problems for the country.

World Population Day 2020: Human population expected to hit 8.5 bn in 10 yrs, say UN estimates

A UNFPA report, State of World Population 2020, said that more than four million girls are likely to be subjected to female genital mutilation and 12 million may be forced into marriage this year.

Focus aid efforts on women, girls in war zones: UN

The agency appealed for stepping up assistance to women in war zones or disaster areas in its annual State of the World Population report.

World population will increase to 8.1 billion by 2025: UN report

The report, released Thursday, said most of the population growth will occur in developing regions which are projected to increase from 5.9 billion in 2013 to 8.2 billion in 2050.

World will have more cell phone accounts than people by 2014

There are already more than 100 countries where the number of cell phone accounts exceeds their population, according to the ITU's "Measuring the ...

The next challenge: not too many people, but too few?

If the world follows the demographic habits of Europe - and that's a big if - by the year 2200 it could be home to a population of less than half its current level, living in housing built for almost three times that number.

Experts call China's severe family planning unscientific

A Chinese claim that without its government's severe family planning limits world population would have hit the 7-billion mark years earlier is drawing fire from demographers who call it baseless and unscientific.