The world population continues to grow, especially in India, despite declining fertility rates in some countries. Earth could have more than 10 billion inhabitants by 2080.

A symbolic milestone. Earth will officially surpass 8 billion inhabitants on November 15, according to UN estimates, with a population peak expected in 2080. report will be out on Tuesday, World Population Day.

“We are waiting for the birth of the eight billion inhabitants of planet Earth,” said United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, warning of the trend of “our human family becoming ever more divided”.

These events should allow us to “admire the health advances that have made it possible to extend life and significantly reduce maternal and infant mortality rates”, but also sound like “a reminder of our shared responsibility to take care of our planet,” he said.

India leads

India will overtake China in the ranking of the most populous countries, Gandhi’s own country has 1 billion inhabitants. What burdens the population.

“It’s hard to travel by train because of the crowds in the morning and evening. (…) I sometimes have to struggle to get back”, testified a Bombay resident.

With this new level, the population has increased by 1 billion in 11 years. Progress has continued, but remains the slowest since 1950. The report notes that fertility has “significantly declined” in recent decades in many countries.

Down from 2100

According to UN projections, a peak of 10 billion people could be reached around 2080. However, this surge should occur differently depending on the region of the world.

“We still have 7 children per woman on average in a country like Niger and 6 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, so we may be faced with a double world”, estimated Hervé Le Bras on the BFMTV microphone. , sociologists and demographers.

Another lesson from the UN study is that this development could decline from 2100. The cause? Increase women’s access to contraception and education.