A United Nations report on world population
trends has provided some interesting food for thought on the future
demographics of our planet. The world’s population is currently 6.5 billion and
is set to increase and level off to about 9 billion people. The report says
population explosions will occur in Africa and Asia, but not in the rest of the
world, “Considerable diversity exists in the expected population growth of
countries. The
population of many countries, particularly
in Africa and Asia, will increase greatly inthe
coming decades.”
Conversely, population
levels in developed countries are expected to fall, because of decreased
fertility rates caused by increased contraceptive use. The report also
indicates half of the world’s population will be city dwellers by 2007. That is
a huge jump from the figure of 30% urbanization in 1993. The five most
populated cities today are Tokyo (35 million people), Mexico City (19 million),
New York (18.5 million), Bombay (18.3 million) and Sao Paulo (18.3 million). In
1950 only Tokyo and New York had populations of more then 10 million people. By
2050 there will be 22 cities of that size.
The report concludes, “the current
population picture is one of dynamic population change, reflected in new and
diverse patterns of childbearing, mortality, migration, urbanization and
ageing. The continuation and consequences of these population trends present
opportunities as well as challenges for all societies in the twenty-first
century.”
