Crowded market place in Aurangabad.

Every year, July 11 is observed as World Population Day, as the United Nation recognises it to address issues related to the global population. First established by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989, it marked the day when the world collectively crossed the five billion population mark on July 11, 1987. It was officially celebrated for the first time on July 11, 1990, in more than 90 countries.

At present, the world holds a population of about 7.8 billion people. However, in the next 30 years, it is expected to increase by a whopping 2 billion, rising to nearly 9.7 billion by 2050.

While the worlds population overall continues to increase, this growth is uneven. For many of the worlds least developed countries, the challenges to sustainable development are compounded by rapid population growth as well as vulnerability to climate change, said Antnio Guterres, Director-General of United Nations.

The main objective of the day is to raise awareness about the importance of family planning, adoption, gender equality, poverty, maternal health, and human rights. The theme for 2020 is safeguarding the health and rights of women and girls around the world.

The World Population Day specifically calls for global attention on the designated rules set during the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development. The conference, which was attended by about 179 countries about 25 years ago, recognised the importance of reproductive health and gender equality in achieving sustainable development.

Despite progress in lowering maternal mortality and unintended pregnancies, many challenges remain. Around the world, we are seeing pushback on womens rights, including on essential health services. Issues related to pregnancy are still the leading cause of death among girls aged 15 to 19. Gender-based violence, which is rooted in inequality, continues to take a horrific toll, stated Guterres.

As per the projection estimates from the UN, every year, nearly 83 million people are added to the rapidly growing worldwide population. With this, the global population is projected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050, and 11.2 billion by 2100.

These figures are based on the medium projection variant, which assumes the decline of fertility for countries where large families are still prevalent, as well as a slight increase of fertility in several countries with fewer than two children per woman on average, read the UNs website.

The World Population Prospects 2019 has estimated China and India to be the most populated countries in the world. Currently, about 61% of the total global population lives in Asia (4.7 billion), followed by 17% in Africa (1.3 billion), and 10% in Europe (750 million).

A seven-day-old infant was discharged at Aurobindo hospital in Indore. The coronavirus test report of the infant was negative while his mother was infected with coronavirus.

Therefore, China (19%) and India (18%) account for two of the most densely populated countries in the world. The data suggests that by 2027, India is likely to overtake China in terms of population growth alone, as Chinas population growth is projected to decrease by 2.2% (31.4 million) between the years 2019-2050.

As per the UN, Africa is the fastest-growing continent in terms of numbers, and more than half of the global population growth will be taking place in Africa by 2050. On the contrary, Europe is likely to witness its population shrink, and several countries in Europe are expected to see their populations decline by more than 15 per cent by 2050.

As per the UN, three main factors which influence the population growth include fertility rates, increasing longevity, and international migration.

The fertility rate is one of the major factors which determine population growth. As per the World Population Prospects 2019 estimates, the global fertility rate is likely to fall from 2.5 children per woman in 2019 to 2.2 in 2050. The life expectancy at birth, on the other hand, is projected to increase by 72.6 years in 2019 to 77.1 years in 2050.

Overall, the population explosion remains an enormous concern, as it can impact the planet in myriad waysfrom increasing pollution to deforestation. In addition, more people would mean higher requirement of resources, which would severely impact the biodiversity and increase the carbon emissions, further intensifying climate change and global warming.

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World Population Day: Global Population to Rise by 2 Billion by 2050; India to Become Fastest-Growing Nation - The Weather Channel