The world’s seven billionth person will be born somewhere on earth on Monday, United Nations forecasters say.
The number reflects rapid population growth, especially in developing countries, that will strain the planet’s resources in coming years, experts say.
It took until 1804 for world population to reach 1 billion, and until 1927 to double to two billion. Then numbers began to balloon, reaching 3 billion in 1959, and 6 billion in 1998. At current growth rates, there will be 8 billion people by 2025.
The biggest gains are happening in sub-Saharan Africa — especially in cities — which has 900 million people now and could have 2 billion in 40 years.
It’s a sharp contrast with industrialized countries in Western Europe, which have seen their populations shrink or post only tiny increases.
China remains the most populous country with 1.34 billion people, but India is set to pass it in the next 20 years, reaching a population of 1.6 billion.
(Source: NY Daily News)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
4 Responses
So then We have 3 billion ovdei avodah Zara
Hashem knows how to take care of His world and the people He puts in it. The “experts” can stop worrying!
Pru ur Vuu, HaShem said. The food is His problem and for Him it is no problem.
Barukh ha-Shem. THe more people, the more creativity. The more that gets done. Note that over the centuries, the increase in population has led to an even faster increase in standard of living. More people produce even more food. More people produce more books. More people produce even more medicines. As populations has risen, life expectancies have increased, not to mention waistlines (you’ve heard the obesity is now one of the leading public health problems in the world). Indeed, places with low birth rates now face serious economic problems as a result.
So much for the environmentatlists who decided a long time ago that we would all stgarve to death unless we banned people from having more than one child.
There is absolutely no evidence that higher populations will strain resources. The charge, which goes back to the 18th century, is merely a pretext to justify legal restrictions on people such as Jews and other minorities who like children, imposed by elites who see kids as pests.