2015-10-16
288
Just nine countries projected to account for more than half the growth.
In fact, fertility rates are going down in most places, except for Europe, which experienced a small bump in the last 5 years. The UN expects global fertility to drop from the current average of 2.5 children per woman to 2 children per woman by the end of the century. This will be especially noticeable for the least-developed countries, where the average will drop from 4.3 children per woman to 2.1 by 2100.
But these reductions aren’t going to just happen. The report calls for global investments in family planning and reproductive health. If fertility rates are only half a child per woman over the rates expected, the population will reach 16.6 billion by 2100.
The increase in life spans and decrease in fertility means that collectively, people are getting older. Today, about 12 percent of the population is over age 60, and that’s growing every year. By 2050, the number of children under 15 and the number of adults over 60 will be roughly equal, with potentially negative economic consequences for the work force.
Regardless of whether the population winds up exceeding, hitting, or dropping below the numbers predicted, one thing is for certain: we will all need to learn to share.
