[ad_1]
The world’s population is expected to reach 10.3 billion by the 2080s, after which it will begin to decline.
A new United Nations report released Thursday estimates that the world’s population will grow by more than 2 billion in the coming decades, peaking at around 10.3 billion.
But the population will peak in the 2080s and then begin to decline, the report said.
The report points out that “although the countries that have reached their peak population are mainly in Europe, among the countries and regions that may reach their peak population in the next 30 years, Latin America and the Caribbean have the largest number of countries and regions, reaching 19 countries, accounting for 40% of the total.”
The new data represents a significant shift in forecasts for global population growth, which had previously been predicted to continue beyond the 21st century. However, projections now show an 80% chance that the global population will peak earlier, this century, followed by a more significant decline.
“This is a significant change from the UN’s forecast a decade ago, which gave about a 30 percent chance that the world’s population would peak, thus ending growth in the 21st century,” said John Wilmoth, director of the UN Population Division, which compiled the report.
In many countries, including the United States, immigration is expected to be the main factor in population growth in the near future. If immigration rates decline for some reason, these countries may reach their population peak sooner, the report notes.
“Migration is projected to be the main driver of population growth in 52 countries and territories by 2054 and in 62 countries and territories by 2100,” the report said. “These countries and territories include Australia, Canada, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United States.”
For countries that have already reached their population peak, including Russia, immigration is seen as the main factor slowing their population decline, the report said. “For some countries, net immigration has helped to curb population decline. Without immigration, 19 countries, including Germany, Japan, Italy, the Russian Federation and Thailand, would have reached their population peak earlier and at lower levels.”
Most countries in the world have experienced the same transition to lower fertility and longer lifespans, with only a few expected to see significant population growth in the coming decades. “Nine countries – Angola, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger and Somalia – are likely to see exponential population growth, doubling in size or more between 2024 and 2054,” the report states, adding that these nine countries are expected to account for more than a fifth of the projected global population growth.
（RT.com）
[ad_2]
Source link
