4.1 Earth's population
The population of planet Earth is currently approximately 7,8 billion or 7 800 000 000.
The countries with the highest populations are located in Asia. Both India and China have over a billion inhabitants. The population of India has been estimated to grow even more during the next decade. All other nations are behind these two Asian countries when it comes to population. The United States of America has the third-largest population in the world at 320 million inhabitants.
Earth's population has grown at a significantly accelerated rate during the last few centuries and decades, when compared to other times in human history. During the 2020s, the planet's population will rise above 8 billion. The planet's total population has been estimated to reach 9 billion by the year 2050. Overall, Earth's population has been estimated to eventually reach 10 billion before it will begin to decline. However, as these figures are only estimates, it is difficult to tell exactly when and how this will take place.
In industrialized countries, the birth rate has steadily declined over the course of the last 50 years. The birth rate has also begun to decline in some developing countries. However, the effects of this decline are often visible only after several years. The European population is thought to continue its decline over the next couple of decades.
In China, the birth rate has declined at an alarming rate. This is thought to pose problems for Chinese society over the next few decades. In addition, China's birth rate is characterized by the fact that approximately 20 % more boys than girls are born every year. This causes problems between the sexes. In contrast, the African population has been estimated to even quadruple during the next century. This is likely to cause an increase in migration if living conditions in Africa cannot be sufficiently improved.
Population growth by continent.