The world’s population will hit eight billion tomorrow, the United Nations has estimated.
The UN said we should marvel at the improvements in healthcare that makes such a feat possible.
And next year India’s population will outstrip that of China, as India will match and start to overtake the Chinese population figure of 1.4billion, the UN said in its World Population Prospects report.
It has taken the global population 12 years to grow from 7 to 8 billion.
The report said it will now take approximately 15 years — until 2037 — for it to reach 9 billion, which shows the overall growth rate of the global population is slowing.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said: ‘This year’s World Population Day falls during a milestone year, when we anticipate the birth of the Earth’s eight billionth inhabitant.
‘This is an occasion to celebrate our diversity, recognise our common humanity, and marvel at advancements in health that have extended lifespans and dramatically reduced maternal and child mortality rates.
‘At the same time, it is a reminder of our shared responsibility to care for our planet and a moment to reflect on where we still fall short of our commitments to one another,’ he added.
The world’s population is now growing at its slowest rate since 1950, with the rate dropping to below 1 per cent in 2020.
The latest projections by the UN suggest that the world’s population could grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050.
It is projected to reach a peak of around 10.4 billion people during the 2080s and to remain at that level until 2100.
World Population Prospects 2022 states fertility has fallen markedly in recent decades for many countries.
Today, two-thirds of the global population lives in a country or area where lifetime fertility is below 2.1 births per woman, roughly the level required for zero growth in the long run for a population with low mortality.
The populations of 61 countries or areas are projected to decrease by 1 per cent or more between 2022 and 2050, owing to sustained low levels of fertility and, in some cases, elevated rates of emigration.
More than half of the projected increase in the global population up to 2050 will be concentrated in eight countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania.
Countries of sub-Saharan Africa are expected to contribute more than half of the increase anticipated through 2050.
India’s billionth baby was born in 2000. Aastha Arora was officially designated the country’s billionth child.
Now 22, Aastha told the BBC that India has a population problem.
She said: ‘India must do something to control its population,’, adding ‘it’s our cultural preference for sons that’s got us here’.
Couples keep having babies until they have a son, she said.
A baby born in India in 2011 was declared the world’s seven billionth person by child rights group Plan International.
Baby Nargis was born at 07:25 local time (01:55GMT) in Mall village in India’s Uttar Pradesh state on October 31, 2011.
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