Planet Earth welcomes 8th billion inhabitant

Planet Earth welcomed its 8th billion inhabitant on Tuesday, a remarkable milestone for humanity that is set to propel India to become the world’s most populous country next year, surpassing China amid rising global challenges. The population clock flashed 8,000,000,000 on November 15, with the world having added one billion people in the last 12 years. “8 billion hopes. 8 billion dreams. 8 billion possibilities. Our planet is now home to 8 billion people,” the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) tweeted. “As we become 8 Billion Strong, @DieneKeita explains how a world of 8 billion is a global success story. Together we can build a world that allows 8 billion of us to thrive,” it said in another tweet. The UN described the global population reaching eight billion as a “remarkable milestone” given that the human population numbered under one billion for millennia until around 1800, and that it took more than 100 years to grow from one to two billion. “The growth of our population is a testament to humanity’s achievements, including reductions in poverty and gender inequality, advancements in health care, and expanded access to education,” the UNFPA said. “These have resulted in more women surviving childbirth, more children surviving their early years, and longer, healthier lifespans, decade after decade,” it said. By comparison, the increase of the world’s population over the last century has been quite rapid and despite a gradual slowing in the pace of growth, global population is projected to surpass nine billion around 2037 and 10 billion around 2058, according to UN estimates. World population is projected to reach a peak of around 10.4 billion people during the 2080s and to remain at that level until 2100, said the World Population Prospects 2022 released by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division in July this year. The year 2023 could well be a landmark year for India as it is projected to overtake China as the world’s most populous country with prospects to reap the demographic dividend as the median age of an Indian this year was 28.7 years, compared to 38.4 for China and 48.6 for Japan against a global value of 30.3 years, according to official data. The population prospects report had said that India’s population stands at 1.412 billion in 2022, compared with China’s 1.426 billion. India is projected to have a population of 1.668 billion in 2050, way ahead of China’s 1.317 billion people by the middle of the century. According to UNFPA estimates, 68 per cent of India’s population is between 15-64 years old in 2022, while people aged 65 and older were seven per cent of the population. As per UN estimates, over 27 per cent of the country’s population is between the ages of 15-29 years. At 253 million, India is also home to the world’s largest adolescent population (10-19 years). UNFPA has noted that India has its largest ever adolescent and youth population. According to UNFPA projections, India will continue to have one of the youngest populations in the world till 2030 and India is experiencing a demographic window of opportunity, a “youth bulge” that will last till 2025.