Global Population to Hit 8 billion; Pinoys Major Contributor

The global population is projected to hit 8 billion on November 15. And the Philippines is one of the countries expected to contribute to the increase in the coming decades, according to the United Nations.

The UN’s “World Population Prospects 2022” report said that based on projections, the global population could reach 8.5 billion in 2030, and 9.7 billion in 2050.

It also said India is expected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country by 2023.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the birth of the world’s eight billionth inhabitant “is an occasion to celebrate our diversity, recognize our common humanity, and marvel at advancements in health that have extended lifespans and dramatically reduced maternal and child mortality rates.”

This comes amid the slowest growth rate in the global population since 1950, which fell to under 1 percent in 2020.

The UN said fertility rates in many countries had fallen markedly in recent decades. The populations of 61 countries or areas are projected to decrease by 1 percent or more between 2022 and 2050, due to sustained low levels of fertility and increased cases of emigration in some cases, it said. 

But the Philippines is one of eight countries seen to contribute more than half of the projected increase in the global population up to 2050, along with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, and the United Republic of Tanzania.

Based on UN estimates, the Philippine population is at 112.5 million as of this year.