Nearing 7 billion!

Population growth in billions

Do you know when the population hit the one billion mark? Perhaps not. Here we give a list of years when the population of the world increased in billions.

1804 - one billion

1927 - two billion

1960 - three billion

1974 - four billion

1987 - five billion

1999 - six billion

The population of the world is projected to reach seven billion between August and October 2011,( United States Census Bureau estimates it to happen next year) or next July.The eight billion mark is expected to be reached by 2025-2030.

There is no estimation on the exact day or month the world's population surpassed both the one and two billion marks.The day of three and four billion were not officially noted, but the International Database of the United States Census Bureau places them in July 1959 and April 1974.The United Nations did determine, and celebrate, the "Day of 5 Billion" (11 July 1987), and the "Day of 6 Billion" (12 October 1999).The International Programs division of the United States Census Bureau estimated that the world reached six billion on 21 April 1999 (several months earlier than the official United Nations day).The "Day of 7 Billion" has been targeted by the United States Census Bureau to be in July 2012, while the Population Division of the United Nations suggests 26 August 2011.

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Countries with the largest total population

China - 1344,700,000 (recorded in June this year). 19.4 per cent of the world

population

India - 1,210,193,422 (recorded in March) 17 per cent. Population is still growing

United States - 311,597,000 (recorded in June) 4.5 per cent.

Indonesia - 238,400,000 (recorded in May 2010 ) 3.38 per cent

Brazil - 194,830,000 (recorded in Feb ruary2011) 2.81 per cent

Pakistan - 176,400,000 (recorded in June 2011) 2.55 per cent

Bangladesh - 164,425.000 (2010) 2.37 per cent. Population is fast growing

Nigeria - 158.259,000 (2010) 2.28 per cent

Russia - 141,927,297 (January 2010) 2.05 per cent

Japan -127,380,000 (June 2010) 1.84 per cent. Population is declining

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Which continents have the largest population?

Asia is the continent with the largest population with China as the most populous country and Tokyo as the most populous city.

Africa comes next with Nigeria as the most populous country and Cairo as the most populous city in the continent.

Europe has the third highest population and the most populous country and city are Russia and Moscow respectively.

North America - The United States of America is the most populous country with Mexico City being the most populous city.

South America has the fifth highest number of people in the world and the most populous country is Brazil with Sao Paulo as the most populous city.

Oceania - Australia is the country with the highest number of people in this continent with Sydney ranked as the most populous city.

Antarctica - As there are no cities or permanent inhabitants in this region Antactica is the most populous country with 3,687 nonpermanent inhabitants.

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Theme for 2011

UNFPA's theme for this year is, "Seven billion people counting each other". Seven messages have been developed and these focus on young people, women and girls, poverty reduction, reproductive health, environment, ageing populations and urbanization. The theme is a call for action and an opportunity to engage with people about what it means to live in a world of seven billion and what they can do to ensure that everyone achieves their present and future potentials.

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What is world population?

The world population is the total number of living humans on the Planet Earth, currently estimated to be 6.93 billion by the United States Census Bureau.

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What is population density?

Population density is a term that refers to how many people are living in a certain unit of space. This is usually measured in how many people are living per square mile. To find the population density of a country you would take the population and divide it by the total square mileage of the country.

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when and where will the seventh billion babay be born?

The number of people living on Earth has increased by many millions over the last few centuries creating a population boom. According to estimates by the experts Planet Earth is not far away from reaching the seven billion mark. World population is projected to reach seven billion on October 31, 2011, according to the 2010 Revision of World Population Prospects, the official United Nations population projections prepared by the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs which was released on May 3, 2011. However, according to some other experts in the field, it is projected to reach the milestone the ‘ Day of the 7 billion," somewhere between this August and next July .

It does not really matter whether the seventh billion baby is born this year or the next. The fact remains that Earth is already overpopulated.We are all going to end up with a severe shortage of food and natural resources, if action is not taken to control the population explosion or find new and alternate sources to supplement the growing needs of the booming population .

Planet Earth is not expanding and neither are its natural resources. We need to think about it seriously and conserve what we already have before it is too late.With the current world population standing at well over 6.93 billion and still counting ,we need not be told over and over again as to how serious this problem is. It is clearly evident already how this growing numbers have had a drastic impact on the quality of life as well as the environment today.

As the world population keeps growing many countries are alarmed at the rate in which the population is increasing, especially in their countries. The population in Sri Lanka stood at 21,141,413 last month .It is still growing, even though the landmass and natural resources are not.In the list of Top ten countries with the largest total population, China leads with India close at its heels.(see box) Scientists claim that this expansion in population and the increase in the usage of natural resources will heavily impact the ecosystem. Way back in 1994 when the population stood at only about 5.5 billion, the experts expressed their concern and called the growth in human numbers "unprecedented". They warned that the world would have to face many environmental issues which included the rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide, global warming and severe pollution. And today we are certainly battling with extreme weather conditions that have had a devastating impact on life and property in most parts of the world.

The rapid growth recorded in population figures in the recent past is certainly a grave issue. The world may focus its attention on this growing problem on World Population Day which falls on July 11(tomorrow) but it sure would not be of any use if the consensus reached by the leaders and experts are restricted to only proposals with no real action taken to implement them.

As the population estimates show, there is a whole new generation waiting to inherit the Earth, with over half of the total world population being under 25 years.

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Fact file

* The world population has experienced continuous growth since the end of the Bubonic Plague, Great Famine and Hundred Years Wars in 1350, when it was about 300 million.

* By 2045-2050, the world's population is currently projected to reach around nine billion, with alternative scenarios ranging from 7.4 billion to 10.6 billion.

* Annual births have reduced to 140 million since their peak at 173 million in the late 1990s, and are expected to remain constant, while deaths number 57 million per year and are expected to increase to 80 million per year by 2040.

* Current projections show a continued increase of population (but a steady decline in the population growth rate) with the population expected to reach between 7.5 and 10.5 billion in the year 2050.

* Asia accounts for over 60 per cent of the world population with more than four billion people. China and India together have about 37 per cent of the world's population. Africa follows with one billion people, 15 per cent of the world's population. Europe's 733 million people make up 11 per cent of the world's population. Latin America and the Caribbean region is home to 589 million (9 per cent ), Northern America is to 352 million (5per cent ) and Oceania to 35 million ( 0.5 per cent ).

* It is beleived that the total world population probably never exceeded 15 million inhabitants before the invention of agriculture.

* Estimates of "the total number of people who have ever lived" published in the first decade of the 21st century range approximately from 100 to 115 billion .

* 1985-1990 marked the period with the fastest yearly population change in world history.

* In the 20th century, the world saw the biggest increase in its population in human history due to lessening of the mortality rate in many countries following medical advances and a massive increase in agricultural productivity attributed to the Green Revolution.

*Globally, the population growth rate has been steadily declining from its peak of 2.19 per cent in 1963, but growth remains high in Latin America, the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa.

* It is estimated that more than 55 million people lived in the combined eastern and western Roman Empire (AD 300-400). Asia accounts for over 60 per cent of the world population with more than four billion people.