UN says world population to peak at 10.3 billion in 2080s

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NEW YORK: Earth´s population will peak in the mid-2080s at around 10.3 billion people, then drop slightly to a level much lower than anticipated a decade ago, the United Nations said.

The current population of 8.2 billion people will rise to that maximum over the next 60 years, then dip to 10.2 billion by the end of the century, says a report released on Thursday entitled “World Population Prospects 2024.”

It said the size of the world´s population in 2100 will be six percent lower, or 700 million people fewer, than what was anticipated in June 2013.

“The demographic landscape has evolved greatly in recent years,” said Li Junhua, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.

He said the unexpected population peak stems from several factors that include lower levels of fertility in some of the world´s largest countries, especially China.

He said this lower maximum will also come earlier than previously calculated and this is a hopeful sign as the world fights global warming: fewer humans accounting for less aggregate consumption would mean less pressure on the environment.

“However, slower population growth will not eliminate the need to reduce the average impact attributable to the activities of each individual person,” this official said.