The World Population Prospects 2019 report by the United Nations makes the following observations:
- The world’s population is expected to increase by two billion people from 7.7 billion currently to 9.7 billion in 2050.
- More than half of the projected increase in the global population by 2050 will be concentrated in nine countries, led by India and followed by Nigeria, Pakistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Indonesia, Egypt and the US.
- Due to increasing life expectancy and falling fertility levels, the world’s population is growing older.
- One in six people in the world will be over age 65 (16 per cent), up from one in 11 in 2019 (9 per cent) by 2050.
- In 2050 the number of persons aged 80 years or over is projected to triple, from 143 million in 2019 to 426 million.
- The fastest growing populations would be concentrated in the poorest countries. The population growth will bring an additional challenge in efforts to eradicate poverty, achieve greater equality, combat hunger and malnutrition and strengthen the coverage and quality of health and education systems to ensure that no one is left behind.
- Large numbers of countries are experiencing a reduction in population size. 27 countries or areas have experienced a reduction of one per cent or more in the size of their populations, caused by sustained low levels of fertility since 2010.
India: Population Explosion
India which is expected to add nearly 273 million people between 2019 and 2050 would remain the most populated country through the end of the current century. India together with Nigeria would account for 23 per cent of the global population increase by 2050. India will overtake China as the world s most populous country by around 2027.