WHILE it previously took more than a hundred years for the world population to grow by one billion, in today’s era, advancements in medicine and healthcare, the development of modern technologies, and improvements in social living conditions along with changes in birth and death rates have gradually shortened the time it takes for the population to increase by another billion.

It took hundreds of thousands of years for the world population to grow to 1 billion, then in just another 200 years or so, it grew sevenfold. In 2011, the global population reached the 7 billion mark; it stands at almost 7.9 billion in 2021, and it’s expected to grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050, and 10.9 billion in 2100.

The sharp rise in global population has been largely driven by more people living long enough to reach reproductive age. This growth has occurred alongside significant shifts in fertility rates, increased ur­banization, and faster migra­tion—trends that are expect­ed to have lasting impacts on future generations.

While global fertility rates are declining, sparking con­cerns about a potential “pop­ulation collapse,” the real issue, according to the Unit­ed Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)’s State of World Population report, is the lack of reproductive autonomy. Many individuals, especially young people, are unable to have children when and how they want.

World Population Day 2025 draws attention to this issue, focusing on the largest generation of young people in history. Under the theme “Empowering young people to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world,” the day calls for action to en­sure youth have the rights, resources, and opportunities to shape their futures.

As the global population continues to grow, humanity is increasingly facing challenges such as food insecurity, water scarcity, climate disruptions, the spread of infectious diseases, and natural disasters like floods, storms, and cyclones. In addition, people are also confronted with rising inequality, growing poverty, and widening disparities in living standards and social classes. These issues are particularly prevalent in developing and underdeveloped countries, where such problems tend to occur more frequently and intensely.

Regarding population-related issues, many developed coun­tries are facing challenges such as declining birth rates, resulting in fewer children being born, labour shortages, and an increasing elderly population. On the other hand, some developing and un­derdeveloped countries are grappling with high birth rates, low levels of education, high unemployment, and a growing number of people living in poverty.