… It took 12 years for the world population to grow from seven to eight billion
BY PHUMELELE MKHONTA
MBABANE – The world’s population is now officially eight billion.
A week after the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) made an awareness drive of the world reaching eight billion, today, the world population has hit that mark.
The UNFPA and its staff members have been celebration this day, stating that it took 12 years for the population to grow to eight billion from seven billion.
The UNFPA Executive Director Dr Natalia Kanem said the world of eight billion people was a milestone for humanity.
“This is a result of longer lifespans, reductions in poverty and declining maternal and childhood mortality.
“However, focusing on numbers alone distracts us from the real challenge we face which is securing a world in which progress can be enjoyed equally and sustainably,” said the executive director.
Kanem further said they could not rely on one-size-fits-all solutions in a world in which the median age was 41 Europe compared to the 17 in sub-Saharan Africa.
Worth noting is that Eswatini is located within the sub-Saharan region.
“To succeed, all population policies must have productive rights at their core, invest in people and planet, and based on solid data,” said Kanem.
According to key facts and figures disbursed by the UNFPA, it took 12 years for the world population to grow from seven billion to eight billion, but the next billion is expected to take approximately 14.5 years (the year 2037), reflecting a slowdown in global growth. The world population is expected to reach a peak of around 10.4 billion people during the 2080s and remain at that level until 2100.
