The United Nations has revealed that Ethiopia alongside Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, India, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tanzania will occupy more than half of the projected increase in the global population up to 2050.
This was disclosed in a UN report which stated that the world’s population could grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050, before reaching a peak of around 10.4 billion people during the 2080s and expected to remain at that level until 2100.
The UN also warned that the COVID pandemic had an effect on population change as global life expectancy at birth fell to 71 years in 2021 (down from 72.9 in 2019) and also produced short-term reductions in numbers of pregnancies and births.
Population in the world is, as of 2020, growing at a rate of around 1.05% per year , down from 1.08% in 2019.
Annual growth rate reached its peak in the late 1960s, when it was at around 2%. The rate of increase has nearly halved since then, and will continue to decline in the coming years.
MG/as/APA