The Population Reference Bureau (PRB) is giving us little warning of little wiggle room. If you plan on being around in 32 years from now, expect the planet to be more populated than ever. According to their staggering stats, "The world population will reach 9.9 billion by 2050, up 2.3 billion or 29 percent from an estimated 7.6 billion people now."
Based on the global TFR (Total Fertility Rate), meaning the average births per female over their lifetime, the current number is 2.4. While this average has gone down over recent decades, it still gives way to a steady growth in overall global population. So much so, that by '50, the population will be edging on 10 billion. Personal space? Please.
So, where will this pop in population be most prevalent? More than half of it will be attributed to Africa. As the PRB reports, "Africa's population will more than double to 2.6 billion by 2050 and account for 58 percent of the global population increase by that date." Asia will explode too, with 5.3 billion to be around by '50, up by 717 million. The Americas will see a less significant increase from 1 billion to 1.2 billion and Oceana (New Zealand/Australia) will hike to 64 million from 41 million.
The U.S. specifically will come in among the top eight as far as population growth goes with a 1.6 million person increase by '50, reaching 390 million total. India is #1 on the planet with a 308.8 million increase expected, and Nigeria is next with a 214.7 million increase in the cards.
There will be declines in certain areas of the world as well. China will see the biggest dip, plummeting by 49.9 million by '50. Japan is behind them with a projected 24.7 million dip.
Not only will the population (in total) soar, but the average age across the world will increase too. As PRB reports, "By midcentury, projections indicate that 16 percent of the world population will be ages 65 and older, up from 9 percent now. The percentage of people in this age bracket in the world's more-developed countries is projected to reach 27 percent, up from 18 percent now, while the percentage of adults ages 65 an older in less-developed countries is projected to double to 14 percent." As for the U.S., "The percentage of the population ages 65 and older in the United States is projected to increase from 15 percent in 2018 to 22 percent in 2050. The percentage of the U.S. population under age 15 is projected to decrease from 19 percent in 2018 to 17 percent by 2050."
For more insight on this population projection by the PRB, see the full report. 'Till then, enjoy your arm's distance.
