31 World Population Facts: Total Number Of Humans Currently Living

Are you curious to know what the world's population was in the first century?

No concrete evidence has been found regarding the actual population size in the first century. However, it's estimated that it was close to 255 million!

Researchers have found that population trends across nations and continents are different. For instance, Africa has a higher fertility rate than Europe, which has an extremely low birth rate.

In 2015 the global life expectancy was 71 years of age, but some researchers predict that number is on the rise, with life expectancies expected to reach a global average of 77 years of age in the coming years.

As the mortality rates become more and more identical, we may see fewer variations between nations. There are several social and economic factors, besides governmental controls, that can help shape a favorable global population.

Interestingly, Christianity is the world's largest religious group, making up 31.1% of the total population, while Jewish people make up only 0.2% of the current world population!

Keep reading to know more about the world population! If you like this article, why not check out population facts for Brazil or the Republic of Ireland to discover more interesting facts!

Predicted Population Growth

There has been a rapid growth of the world population in recent years. Ever since October 2011, when the world's population hit the 7 billion mark, population rates have increased rapidly.

Currently, the world's population stands at 7.9 billion people. In comparison, between 1950 and 1990, the population of the world doubled from 2.58 billion people to 5.3 billion people!

Population expansion is currently booming, with a global population growth rate of 1.10% per year. In other words, with 83 million additions per year, it is expected that the global population will reach 8.6 billion in 2030, 9.8 billion by the year 2050, and 11.2 billion in 2100.

However, according to the United Nations Census Bureau, the population division is not the same across all nations.

There is currently a rapid expansion of people living in developing countries, in continents such as Latin America, Africa, and Asia.

In comparison, other continents like Europe are seeing population numbers dwindling. However, considering the drastic expansion of populations worldwide and the increase in life expectancy, it is almost inevitable that we may run out of resources to adequately provide for the growing population in the coming decades.

Predicted Population Decline

Although many researchers have predicted that the population will continue to multiply for the next few decades, another group believes there is likely to be a population decline by 2100. These researchers hold to the view that everything that rises dramatically will one day witness a massive fall.

Their findings show that although the human population will peak in 2064 with a density of 9.7 billion, it will then reduce to 8.8 billion by 2100.

A population decline may arise from many social impacts, for example, high death rates in older generations, extreme poverty, or migration within significant regions of the world.

However, population size may also be impacted by the substantial decline in populations of developed countries within Europe. These countries are seeing a decline due to strict family planning and advanced education related to sexual activities and birth control.

With very few babies being born in Europe, currently as low as 2.1 births per woman, this is likely to contribute to a shrinking global population.

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(Nearly 27% of the world's population is made up of millennials.)

The Importance Of Population Planning

With growing population trends worldwide, governments need to draft a policy to control and track population dynamics. For example, several United Nations reports show that first-world countries of Europe have a declining population trend.

In contrast, the population trends of developing countries, namely, Niger and Burundi, are currently exploding. Several social and economic aspects can play a massive role in shaping the population size of a nation.

For example, in some developing nations, women give birth at a younger age, which may be a result of societal arrangements such as child marriage, which unfortunately still exists in some countries. Child marriages can lead to more children and contribute to increased global birth rates.

These increased rates may lead to more younger people than older people in the population, impacting other societal factors, for example, climate change at a global level.

Poverty, especially in developing countries such as Africa, can directly affect life expectancy. Therefore, programs for men and women that raise awareness and education about gender equality may help reduce population growth.

Overpopulated Countries

The difference in life expectancy and the average age in continents such as Africa and Northern America is likely to reduce by 2050 as healthcare facilities, hygiene, and poverty are monitored and controlled. China, India, and the United States are currently the top three most populated countries. However, it's predicted that India, China, and Nigeria will soon replace these.

The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs has listed Nigeria as the fastest-growing population. The growth rate in Nigeria is 2.6% per year, and it is predicted that Nigeria's population will overtake the United States by 2022.

Despite being the largest country globally, Russia accounts for only 140 million people, while the population in Egypt is expected to explode by 2030 with as many as 128 million people.

In a continent like Africa, due to the increased birth rate and median age below 20, young people far outweigh the older generation. As a result, the population is expected to witness a dramatic expansion by 2050.

Low Population Countries

As we know, the world's population is not equally spread across nations. While most developing countries are predicted to witness population expansion in the coming years, the population size of European nations is experiencing a sharp decline.

Some major European countries such as Vatican City, Monaco, and San Marino are scarcely populated, resulting in a higher mortality rate and shrinking fertility rate. The fertility rate of these nations is as low as 1.6%, a concerning trend to watch when considering the importance of maintaining population levels across countries.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our world population facts then why not take a look at World Bank facts, or creepy facts about the world.