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by Worldwatch Institute on July 9, 2003
July 11 is World Population Day.
The human family has more than doubled since 1960. World population pushed over 6.2 billion in 2002, yet last year's growth of 1.18 percent was the lowest since rates peaked above 2 percent in the mid-1960s.
Although deaths from AIDS and lower-than-expected fertility prompted the United Nations to cut its global population projections for 2050—from an original estimate of 9.3 billion people to 8.9 billion people—the impact of population growth is anything but tapering for the world's poor. In the 49 poorest countries, populations are still increasing at 2.4 percent per year, nearly 10 times the 0.25 percent annual growth in industrial nations.
July 11 is World Population Day. The human family has more than doubled since 1960. World population pushed over 6.2 billion in 2002, yet last year's growth of 1.18 percent was the lowest since rates peaked above 2 percent in the mid-1960s.
Although deaths from AIDS and lower-than-expected fertility prompted the United Nations to cut its global population projections for 2050—from an original estimate of 9.3 billion people to 8.9 billion people—the impact of population growth is anything but tapering for the world's poor. In the 49 poorest countries, populations are still increasing at 2.4 percent per year, nearly 10 times the 0.25 percent annual growth in industrial nations.
Source:
Population Growth Slows, Vital Signs 2003, pp. 66-67.
Worldwatch Links:
Vital Signs 2003 press release
More research from Worldwatch
Additional Resources:
United Nations Population Fund
