Environment

World population hits 8 billion: UN

United Nations, Nov 15 (EFE).- Somewhere in the world on Tuesday a child became the 8-billionth person on our planet, according to United Nations projections.

The milestone prompted UN chief Antonio Guterres to offer a reflection on the current state of humanity.

“The world’s population will reach 8 billion in the middle of November – a testament to scientific breakthroughs and improvements in nutrition, public health and sanitation,” he said in a statement.

“But as our human family grows larger, it is also growing more divided.”

The secretary-general added: “Unless we bridge the yawning chasm between the global haves and have-nots, we are setting ourselves up for an 8-billion-strong world filled with tensions and mistrust, crisis and conflict.”

The world’s population hit 7 billion in 2011, and is expected to hit 10.4 billion by the 2080s, given that overall growth has slowed since the 1970s, and fell below 1% in 2020, according to data from the United Nations Population Fund.

Not only has population growth slowed, but fertility rates have dropped, life expectancy continues to grow, migration patterns are shaping demographics, people are living longer and women are outliving men.

Birth rates vary between countries. While some nations are witnessing a rapid growth in numbers, others are reporting a slowdown. EFE

int-rml/jt/ch

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