Which countries are taking us to a world of 11 billion?

According to a United Nations study, a billion people have been added to the world’s population in the past 12 years. By mid-2015 the number stood at 7.3 billion.

The population is forecast to increase by another billion over the the next 15 years, exceeding 9.7 billion by 2050 and 11.2 billion by 2100.

The projected increase can be attributed to high-fertility countries, mostly in Africa, or countries with already existing large populations.

China and India, presently the largest countries in the world with more than a billion people each, represent 19 and 18% of the world’s population. But according to the report, by 2022 India’s population will surpass that of China.

During the next 35 years, Africa is expected to account for more than half of the world’s population growth, with 28 African nations forecast to more than double their population.

Nigeria, currently the seventh largest country in the world, is the nation with the fastest population growth rate, and it’s expected to surpass the United States by 2050, becoming the third largest country in the world.

Below is a chart displaying the top 10 most populous nations from 1950 to 2100. It’s interesting that in 1950, four European countries made the top 10. By 2050 and 2100, no single European nation is predicted to appear in the list. Also for the first time, five African nations are expected to be in the top 10.

John Wilmoth, Director of the United Nations Population Division, addressed the challenges developing nations will face due to rapid population growth:

The concentration of population growth in the poorest countries presents its own set of challenges, making it more difficult to eradicate poverty and inequality, to combat hunger and malnutrition, and to expand educational enrollment and health systems, all of which are crucial to the success of the new sustainable development agenda.

Have you read?
How do we meet the challenge of population growth?
When will population growth lead to water shortages?
How Europe’s population has changed since 2001

Author: José Santiago, Senior Associate, Public Engagement, World Economic Forum

Image: Tourists gather on the Great Wall outside Beijing REUTERS/Stringer