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Rajanish Kakade / AP
A newborn baby boy is weighed on a scale at a government hospital in Mumbai, India on Oct. 5. Already the second most populous country with 1.2 billion people, India is expected to overtake China around 2030 when its population soars to an estimated 1.6 billion.
The world is about to get a little more crowded.
By the end of October, it is expected that there will be 7 billion people living on the planet, according to the U.N. Population Fund. We are hitting this milestone, even though Western Europe, Japan and Russia are currently facing population declines as a result of low birthrates and aging populations. The declines cause serious concerns about who will care for and support the elderly, with a smaller number of people in the work force contributing to taxes and welfare.
While India and China have the largest populations, it is sub-Saharan Africa that has the highest birthrates. Quickly growing countries like Nigeria, Uganda and Burundi are already struggling with the area’s limited food and water resources, combined with high poverty levels.
For more information see: 7 population milestones for 7 billion people
Ng Han Guan / AP
Children play at a square in Beijing on Feb. 3, 2010. For now, China remains the most populous nation, with 1.34 billion people. In the past decade it added 73.9 million, more than the population of France or Thailand. Nonetheless, its growth has slowed dramatically and the population is projected to start shrinking in 2027. By 2050, according to some demographers, it will be smaller than it is in 2011.
Alvaro Barrientos / AP
Two elderly men sit on benches in the small town of La Puebla de Arganzon, northern Spain on Oct. 9. Spain used to give parents 2,500 euros ($3,300) for every newborn child to encourage families to reverse the country's low birth rate. But the checks stopped coming with Spain's austerity measures, raising the question of who will pay the bills to support the elderly in the years ahead.
Rafiq Maqbool / AP
Commuters hang on the outside of a local train in Mumbai, India on Oct. 10. Already the second most populous country with 1.2 billion people, India is expected to overtake China around 2030 when its population soars to an estimated 1.6 billion.
Luca Bruno / AP
A man uses a cane as he walks among other people through an open air market in Milan, Italy on Oct. 12. In 2010, more Italians died than were born for the fourth consecutive year according to the national statistics agency. Italy's population nonetheless grew slightly to 60.6 million due to immigration, a highly charged issue across Europe. Italy's youth minister Giorgia Meloni said earlier this year that measures to reverse the birth rate require "millions in investment" but that the resources aren't available.
Andy Wong / AP
Tourists visit Tiananmen Gate on China's National Day in Beijing on Oct. 1. For now, China remains the most populous nation, with 1.34 billion people. In the past decade it added 73.9 million, more than the population of France or Thailand. Nonetheless, its growth has slowed dramatically and the population is projected to start shrinking in 2027. By 2050, according to some demographers, it will be smaller than it is in 2011.
Godfrey Olukya / AP
Ahmed Kasadha, center foreground, on the porch of his house in Iganga, Uganda, with one of his wives and six of his 14 children on Oct. 1. A polygamist, Kasadha says large families are a sign of success and God's blessing. His father had 25 children, and he wants his own family to get bigger. Uganda, and other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, have some of the world's highest birthrates - a point of concern as the world's population hits the 7 billion mark on Oct. 31, 2011 according to the U.N. Population Fund.
Rajanish Kakade / AP
The Dharavi slum in Mumbai, India at twilight on Oct. 9. Already the second most populous country with 1.2 billion people, India is expected to overtake China around 2030 when its population soars to an estimated 1.6 billion.
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You know... A couple well placed Thermo-nukes could solve the population problem in these $#!+hole, poverty stricken, countries PDQ! And then we wouldn't have to "send aid" or "help" them while they continue to over breed and drain precious resources. Just sayin'
I know it's not "PC"... But... The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few!!! And we have a few too many!!!
people are confusing overpopulation and urbanization. the world is big enought to support three times as many people as it does now, just that they all cannot be in cities.
That's right. If all 7 billion were as crowded together as the photographs show, all would fit in southern California with elbow room. Unfortunately, as the above posts display, hatred for others will eventually reduce the population and the biggest problem will be something else.
not really...the natural supplies on earth are becoming of short supplies. There is deforestation, water shortage soon to become clear. The population explosion is a disease that will not be cured. The planet should be thriving but instead it is barely surviving......wait and see. Things are about to radically change as humans try to figure out " what went wrong ? ". We abused and misunderstood our role as the keepers of that wonderful place. We became greedy , angry, intolerant and short sighted. There is a price to pay and we have not paid it yet.
they seem chunky so no one appears to be starving. In terms of quality of life.....that is not life but HELL.
The really wise thing to do right now would be to sterilize 3/4 of the population. How ? drinking water may be a solution....we know people all think their genes are unique and worth saving....Hello ! not ! No more kids for a couple of decades.....and let the old die when they want to instead of keeping them alive due to insecurities of their kids......let it go .....clean the earth. Recycle !
YYes, I am green, too. The ultimate recycling. Put protein to good use and EAT PEOPLE.
This is all Obamas fault!!
Kiss my ASS!!!!
@ Sheridan....i got the sarcasm....yours may be funniest post here. lol
For all you people who think we can squeeze more people with the kind of lifestyles you lead on our small blue planet, I suggest you try living in one of these large cities we see posted in these photographs. Try commuting, standing in line for everything, listening to your neighbors though the walls, breathing the dirty air and trying to find clean water. I have. It isn't nice. It took all of history until 1800 to reach 1 Billion. We got to 2 Billion by 1930. Now we are at 7 Billion. That is 7,000,000,000. Fish stocks are collapsing, we are losing species as if a meteor has already hit the Earth. The chicken you eat spends it's entire life in a building with no light, no windows, genetically bread to grow fat in half the normal time, so fat it can't lift itself out of it's own feces. We pack cattle into large barren lots and stuff them with corn and low grade antibiotics and when they are large enough shove them into a factory slaughterhouse staffed with illegal immigrants who suffer inhuman treatment themselves butchering the poor hapless beasts around 800 an hour. Showing you a photo of that is considered a felony in my state. A chemical company owns the patent to soybean seeds. If you want food labels, you are out of luck. What madness do we live in? Go back to your TV dinners and sporting events, you have no clue what is going on in your own back yard. You deserve the crap you eat.
WTell,you are right. Machiavelli forecast this in the 1500s."famine, pestilence, and war". In spite of having war on the planet continuously for the last 95 years, since 1914,(when it subsides in one place it breaks out in another),we have more than tripled the population in my lifetime.If a woman has no access to contraception,and is sexually active, she can have fifteen or more children in her fertile years.We had pestilence in1918. Now we have famine for the second time in Somalia, and there was famine in China in the 50s and 60s. Despite this, we fail to make the connections, and can only see the ever rising cost of living,caused by ever rising demand for life's necessities, which drives prices up.Seniors know that they earned at yesterday's rates, and pay out at today's rates.We are destroying the life of the glorious, miraculous, innocent beings with which we share this unique planet.We elect politicians without foresight, indifferent to developments beyond their political mandate.The Chinese, vilified by the world for their methods, nevertheless instituted the effective solution, the "one-child policy".It is doubtful whether they could have used any other means, in the undeveloped state they were in at the time.Give ALL women free access to birth control information,supplies, and maternal and child health care.OFFER THEM A CONTRACT, TO DELAY THE BIRTH OF THEIR FIRST CHILD UNTIL THEY HAVE REACHED ONE THIRD OF THEIR LIFE EXPECTANCY, PLUS TWO YEARS,thenTO HAVE ONE CHILD,and adopt another, if they want more; then to use a PERMANENT METHOD OF BIRTH CONTROL. They could accept or refuse. If they refuse, they would lose family allowances and other tax-supported assistance.If they accept they would receive a significant cash payment at the end of their "one third plus two" years. This might reduce teen-age pregnancy rates,would "stretch out" the generations to minimise a massive preponderance of dependent elderly people in the population,and would avoid the "overlap" of generations that exacerbates the problem in under-developed countries.Above all, accepting the contract would be voluntary for the woman. It would be expensive, but cheaper than providing for the "avoided births",OR paying for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. If you care, join"Population Institute", contribute to "Marie Stopes International".This policy, in ALL nations is as urgent as any "Green Shift" to save the planet.
This is why God made diseases. Nobody wans to die, i don't, you don't and nobody else does either, but if we keep curing every illness and preventing every disease we will populate our selves out of existances. Disease is natures way of controling the population. We are at the top of the food chain. We kill every other animal and eat most plants, but nobody eats us. I say the human race should stop fixing every damd thing in the world and let nature take it's course. It might sound like a bad and evil thing to say, but either we all die or some servive to carry on the race. No more cures! We can ease the pain of death with drugs and let the dieing die with dignity and still the human race will servive. When I'm to dang old to take care of my self I'm going to take an over dose of sleeping pills or take a gun and blow my brains out. I refuse to be ware housed for years and years past my usefullness. When we are that bad off that too, is another drain on society.
Back in the 1970, some scientists looked at the population explosion and earths resources needed for basic needs of all humans. They did a careful calculation and extrapolation concluding that a clean peaceful, healthy, planet earth can comfortably hold and sustain more than 105 Billion people. So what is the problem? They concluded that the chief problem is the lack of proper, protection, handling, and timely distribution of those basic resources all people need. All the present world's established political, economic, and religious systems with their hundreds and thousands of divisive elements and collective ignorance have unwittingly hemmed themselves in.
The idea that humankind can provide a solution to global overpopulation is laughable people.You can all rant and rave and suggest and imply...BUT that is just arrogance, as we americans are desperately prone too (we are educated to believe we are smart after all). The global population will be 'controlled' by the hand of nature, be prepared, and not by the hand of man.
So many do not believe in 'choice'.....go figure. You'd think it would be simple...keep your d**k in your pants? It is true, I get extremely cranky when I read about over population - families in a 'civilized nation' that this America is supposed to be with so many more children then two.
There's no doubt that as the global population continues to grow that the social issues humanity faces today will become more and more problematical......seriouslly problematical! Can the population really keep multiplying and have no serious issues in the future. I really doubt it. The worlds population in 1940 was 2,300,000,000. By 2010 it had reached 6,842,925,208 and in 2011 we'll be at roughly 7,000,000,000. The projected population in 2050 is over 9 billion. So we will keep multiplying more and more and it doesn't seem like there is any practical and realistic way to substantially slow the growth. The sun still has billions of years of life in it to keep our planet from turning to ice cold rock and making life on Earth unsustainable. Maybe in 1,000 years we will have space travel all figured out and we'll have colonies on a half a dozen planets so we all have room to stretch! That is if we don't all perish from a catastrophic plague or nuclear war.
The if things go on as usual the real problems of the future populations can be scary. These are necessities for our future populations. 1) Food production & distribution must keep up with the ever growing demand, 2) potable water and sanitary sewer systems must keep up with the ever growing demand, 3) transportation systems to get us where need to go and for the distribution commerce goods, and lastly, 4) medical care and disease prevention. If any one of these fail to meet the world population, where are going to be in bad shape. Housing and clothing will be the least of our problems.
If I remember correctly, in the 1960's while I was in school, the world population hit 3 billion and then we all worried about over population then.
....And it keeps getting worse and worse. Eventually the worry will become fear, which will eventually turn to horror
Tibor:
Or vice-versa;
Time for a good old fashioned pandemic to thin the heard out a bit. The world needs a good douche to clean things up. Perhaps a world war, that would definatley kick start this sluggish economy. Lots of production jobs come with world wars. Europe's economy is dragging ours down, I say now is the time to go over there and start some chit and kick some arse. Let's make America great again!
The USA has a pop. of about 350 million.
We would be just fine if we no longer allowed the third world parasites to immigrate into our country.
And I don't think we should be feeding them either.
The third world countries do not believe in, or will practice family planning. They seem to think, "make more babies, the USA will feed us.
This means we need to start space exploration and look for another planet to live in... XD
What exactly are you referring to when you say "in reality" ? are you and Walker from the Al Gore campaign? Please people...this over population conversation turned- oil, food, and religion is way out of your pay grade, walk away.
What do 7 billion people look like? Well, if you care to see it, look at India, Hong Kong and much of China.
But look soon, because nature doesn't tolerate a single-species imbalance for long. And that's exactly what humanity IS, a single species that consumes a disproportionate amount of the planet's resources at the expense (and extinction) of many other species. Humankind will (that's WILL, not "might") experience a major culling event soon. "Soon" in this scenario could mean within a century or a millenium, but it's coming. This culling event will likely start with war over whatever, then war over resources, ...then once the infrastructure of food and water distribution are compromised, WAR TO SURVIVE.
THAT war can end only two ways; ALL of humanity kills itself off, or so few of us are left that the need for war is gone because there's more than enough food and water to go around for those who are left alive.
When it's all over, there's estimated to be between 200 to 500 million human beings left on Earth. If the survivors number fewer than 10 million worldwide, extinction becomes a real possibility.
99octane-
hurry back to your trailer park because, that movie that you are quoting all your facts from, Mad Max 6, is about to start, I think its channel #2307 on your satellite dish. |:)
I have to go now... to many ignorant people blogging about self extermination.Wait a minute, you could be on to something here...
Wrong on all counts. Sorry but you can't marginalize me since:
A). I live in Massachusetts in a house.
B). I hold a degree relevant to this topic
C). you're one of the idiots you're trying to group me in with.
I got plenty of ammo, let them run across the firing range. I also got beer and crackers and plenty of time.
this sounds ugly, but WILL happen:
WMD's are your friend.
I think the spaying and neutering of all people is in order
Not ALL people, but a heck of a lot of them :)
1. There is absolutely no "God" and it is completely irrational and imbecilic to think there is one. If there was one, which one would we choose? (Yahweh?, Mohammad?, Buddha?, Vishnu?, etc., etc., and why do those in their respective religions think THEY know that their God is the real God?). A fly on the wall has to sit back and wonder just how stupid we humans truly are by believing in some God that created us, watch over us, and determine if we go to a made up place called hell or heaven
2. Our planet will be eventually ruined by global warming, lack of resources, pollution, vanishing trees and bees, and it is all because we have too many dam people on this planet. People who want to prohibit pro choice are doing a disservice to mankind and to the planet, and since there is absolutely no God, there is no moral or ethical ramifications.
3. I help people only because i have empathy, want a better planet, and want betterment of humankind
@Patricia-2368614....spoken like a true "breeder." @brodimac....I never saw "the Matrix," but I wholeheartedly concur with the quote; I've been saying the human species is like a "fungal infection; " it creeps into every crevice and cranny of the earth, continues to spread, and cannot be gotten rid of by conventional means like common sense and birth control. @What about the other species? Exactly.
So when the do-gooders are feeding these poor, starving people, are they talking to them about using birth control? Are they telling the women they can get free sterilization so they can feed their existing kids and prevent their selfish husbands from creating more starving kids? I doubt it.
The do-gooders are just feel-gooders who don't really care about the people, just their own feelings. Dr. Ehrlichman wrote a book about 50 years ago warning of this overpopulated starving population, called "The Population Bomb". We should all read it again. His predictions have come horribly true.