At the end of 2022, the Earth reached the population milestone of 8 billion people. North America, Europe, Asia, South America, Africa, and Oceania have all seen a sizable increase in population, leading to a global population growth rate of 0.83% per year. The most populous countries by growth rate and fertility rate are Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Indonesia. By migration rate, the United States and Russia are in the lead.
Global life expectancy has grown from 29 to 73 years since 1800, indicating better overall global health and an older world population. These factors have led countries like Spain, Italy, Iceland, and Japan to be named the healthiest countries in the world. The growing world has also had a large impact on businesses. GDP growth on a global scale has slowed, and labor shortages are the norm. On the bright side, older populations can increase productivity, and larger populations increase multinational corporations.
With the population set to peak in the year 2080, and experts conflicted on the implications of an increasing population, the only guarantee is change. The world population will continue to increase and change life as we know it: environmentally, economically, and in several other ways. We are slowly creeping up on 9 billion, leaving much to be discovered and much still unknown.
