The world’s population has reached eight billion people, the United Nations has said, warning of more hardship in store for regions already facing resource scarcity because of climate change.
According to international media reports, reaching eight billion people is “a sign of human success, but it’s also a great risk for our future,” said John Wilmoth, the director of the UN’s population division on Tuesday.
Middle-income countries, mainly in Asia, accounted for most of that growth, gaining some 700 million people since 2011.
India added about 180 million people and is set to surpass China as the world’s most populous nation next year.
Births have been steadily declining in the United States, Europe, and Japan. China, too, has struggled with the legacy of its One Child Policy programme and last year urged families to have a second and even third child as it also limited access to non-medical abortions.
But some of the world’s poorest countries, most of which are in sub-Saharan Africa, witnessed spikes in population as a result of higher fertility rates, putting their development goals at risk.
“The milestone is an occasion to celebrate diversity and advancements while considering humanity’s shared responsibility for the planet,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement.
The global population has increased eight-fold since 1800, from an estimated one billion to eight billion, largely due to the development of modern medicine and the industrialisation of agriculture, which boosted global food supplies.
The development of vaccines was key, especially the smallpox jab which helped to eradicate one of the world’s biggest killer diseases.
