The Human Population Reaches 8 Billion.

News | David Wu | November 18th, 2022.

November 2022 is a very significant time in human history. For the first time, there are eight billion humans on planet Earth. The United Nations reports that November 15th, 2022 has become the 8-billion milestone date and projects the human population to reach the 10-billion milestone around 2080. This article will explore the meanings of the United Nations report and the implications of human demographic developments in daily life.

The most significant figure in the report highlights the decreased birth rate, especially in developed economies. Taiwan, a highly developed market economy, has the lowest fertility rate of 1.07 children/woman, starkly contrasting to the 2.4 children/woman global average. Due to sustained low fertility rates, 61 nations are predicted to see their population decrease by one percent over the next three decades. Developed countries have lower fertility rates for three significant reasons: birth control, children's economic burden, and the employment paradox. Specifically, educated married couples increasingly consider childbearing as an expensive and tedious process involving housing, education, and other costs. Additionally, women in developed countries have more employment and collegiate educational opportunities, which leads to many prioritizing their careers and decrases the incentive to bear children.

On the contrary, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and countries of sub-Saharan Africa are expected to contribute most of the population increase for the next three decades. These African countries are usually undeveloped or developing countries and sustain fertility rates at around 4.7, double that of the global average. The lack of birth control supplies and reproduction education in Africa drives the sustained population increase. Additionally, families are established four years earlier than usual, which makes adolescent childbearing a common sight. The intractable increase in the African population has made the global effort to introduce sustainable development in developing countries difficult; a significant amount of resources are diverted to assist in humanitarian aid instead.

Low fertility rates in developed countries cause setbacks as well. The government must increase social security and general welfare spending to prepare for the aging population. Lower rates of children growing up to receive an education are detrimental to the national economy because the labor force needs labor supply for production and economic growth. Still, the workforce now suffers from a substantial shortage of workers, especially in the manual sectors.

The population data has its good news, though. Humans are expected to live longer. In 2019, the average life expectancy was 72.8 years; however, by 2050, the life expectancy will be around 77.2 years. Although COVID-19 drastically decreased the life expectancy at birth to approximately 71.0 years, the advancements in medical technology and artificial intelligence will help humans prosper.

Furthermore, although eight billion seems like a large number, the current agriculture strata indicate that the world can feed every human being. Hopefully, there will be substantial improvements in environmental and agricultural engineering and sciences considering the increasing implementation of advanced technology and experts in these fields. Consumption could also be limited in overly abundant regions. As developing countries reach high living standards, there will be considerable environmental concerns. Nonetheless, with proper logistics, industrial regulations, and distribution, the resources will get to those who need them.

Since the first industrial revolution, the human population has skyrocketed. Although the growth has looked exponential since the 1800s, the projections demonstrate the plateau of the total population by the end of the 21st century. Although there are concerns about the demographic and resource data, we should look forward to sharing a planet with eight billion other unique human beings.