Global Demographics and Population Projections
SUMMARY Global population has more than doubled since 1970, going from 3.7 billion to the current (November, 2023) total of 8.0 billion (UN numbers). The Lancet long-term projection is that world population will peak around 9.7 billion in the 2060s and then begin to decline, reaching around 8.8 billion people in 2100. In the most recent United Nations projection (2024), global population is expected to peak at about 10.3 billion sometime in the 2080s and then fall to 10.2 billion in 2100. Compared to the present, Africa is expected to have about 2.2 billion more people in 2100. The rest of the world is expected to see a decrease of about 1.4 billion people. One billion of the decrease will occur in China and India. The rest of the decrease will occur mostly in Europe, southeast and southern Asia, and Japan. The United States and Latin America (because of increasing population in Mexico) will see little change. Nigeria’s population growth will be so great that the country w