Just 11 years after the world population hit 7 billion, Vinice Mabansag, born on 15 November in Manila, was given the symbolic title of the 8 billionth person. The milestone prompted global reflection about the rise in the population in recent decades, driven primarily by the developing world.
It is expected that India is due to overtake China as the most populous country, A ‘youth bulge’ has presented India with the opportunity for a ‘demographic dividend’ but only if it can provide those people with education and opportunities.
Meanwhile, as Cop27 ends in Egypt, the question of whether the planet can support a population projected to reach 10 billion by the end of this century is one of the most urgent facing humanity.
Did you know that the global population grew very slowly until the beginning of the Industrial Revolution? However, the growth rate accelerated to 2.09% during the 1967–1969 period, but since then, due to the worldwide collapse of the fertility rate, it has declined to 1.05% as of 2020. This translates to a global population increase from 1 billion in 1800 to an estimated 8 billion as of 2022.
We are fast approaching what Hans Rosling called the ‘peak child,” a moment in history when the population stops increasing. Since 1950, the total number of children younger than 15 years of age has increased rapidly, from 0.87 billion children to around 2 billion today. Without access to youth to operate our global supply chains, we could face even greater challenges than global warming – not having enough labor capacity to fuel the world’s economy.
If we don’t do anything, we will certainly face a crisis in labor. Hence accelerating investments in robotics, fertility benefits, educational digital literacy acceleration in higher reproductive countries, and exploring what artificial wombs can help ensure the human race’s survival are all possibilities to explore.
