"Unlike plagues of the dark ages or contemporary diseases we do not understand, the modern plague of overpopulation is soluble by means we have discovered and with resources we possess. What is lacking is not sufficient knowledge of the solution but universal consciousness of the gravity of the problem and education of the billions who are its victim."
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
1. There are over 7 billion people on earth now.
2. 108 billion people have ever lived on earth.
3. 6.4% of them – 7 billion – are alive now.
4. In the year 1000 AD, the world population was only 400 million. In 1750 AD, 750 years later, the population was 800 million. By 1927 we had 2 billion people, 3 billion by 1960. Then it took only 40 years – until the year 2000 – for the population to double to 6 billion.
5. The 6th billion person was born in 1999, based on statistical measures.
6. Standing side by side, the entire world’s population would fit into 500 square miles (1,300 square kilometers,) – less than the size of Los Angeles.
7. The average life expectancy is 80 years old for people in industrialized nations, 30 years more than a century ago. Sub Saharan Africa has the lowest life expectancy, at 53 years. The aggregate world average is 67.2 years.
8. About 50% of the world population is under 25 years old. One in four people in the world are between 10 and 24 years old.
2. 108 billion people have ever lived on earth.
3. 6.4% of them – 7 billion – are alive now.
4. In the year 1000 AD, the world population was only 400 million. In 1750 AD, 750 years later, the population was 800 million. By 1927 we had 2 billion people, 3 billion by 1960. Then it took only 40 years – until the year 2000 – for the population to double to 6 billion.
5. The 6th billion person was born in 1999, based on statistical measures.
6. Standing side by side, the entire world’s population would fit into 500 square miles (1,300 square kilometers,) – less than the size of Los Angeles.
7. The average life expectancy is 80 years old for people in industrialized nations, 30 years more than a century ago. Sub Saharan Africa has the lowest life expectancy, at 53 years. The aggregate world average is 67.2 years.
8. About 50% of the world population is under 25 years old. One in four people in the world are between 10 and 24 years old.
9. The average person on earth is a 28 year-old right-handed Han Chinese male. There are 9 million people on earth who fit that description, more than any other.
10. The most common first name in the world is “Mohammed.” “Mary,” or some variation like Maria, is the most common first name for women. The most common surname is “Chang.”
11. Every second there are 4.3 births and 1.8 deaths, for a net population gain of 2.5 people per second.
12. The recent population explosion is not because of increased birth rates, but decreases in death rates, with the help of medicine, agriculture yields, urbanization, technology, education, disease prevention, and less war.
13. At this rate, the world’s population will double approximately every 40 years, to over 12 billion people by 2050.
14. However, experts anticipate a slowing in birth rates to correspond more closely to death rates, leveling the world population closer to 9-12 billion. Global population growth has already slowed to an annual rate of 1.35%, the lowest in decades.
15. 1/3 of the population growth in the world is due to incidental or unwanted pregnancies, often because there is no access to education or basic contraceptive planning.
16. Every 20 minutes, 3,000 more people are born into the world. In the same time, another plant or animal becomes extinct (27,000 per year).
17. As of 2010, the countries with the highest populations are China with 1.3 billion, India with 1.2 billion, and the United States with 307 million. Indonesia and Brazil are next with around 220 million people. India is expected to surpass China in population within a few years.
18. If Facebook were a country, it would be the 3rd most populous in the world, with 500 million citizens.
10. The most common first name in the world is “Mohammed.” “Mary,” or some variation like Maria, is the most common first name for women. The most common surname is “Chang.”
11. Every second there are 4.3 births and 1.8 deaths, for a net population gain of 2.5 people per second.
12. The recent population explosion is not because of increased birth rates, but decreases in death rates, with the help of medicine, agriculture yields, urbanization, technology, education, disease prevention, and less war.
13. At this rate, the world’s population will double approximately every 40 years, to over 12 billion people by 2050.
14. However, experts anticipate a slowing in birth rates to correspond more closely to death rates, leveling the world population closer to 9-12 billion. Global population growth has already slowed to an annual rate of 1.35%, the lowest in decades.
15. 1/3 of the population growth in the world is due to incidental or unwanted pregnancies, often because there is no access to education or basic contraceptive planning.
16. Every 20 minutes, 3,000 more people are born into the world. In the same time, another plant or animal becomes extinct (27,000 per year).
17. As of 2010, the countries with the highest populations are China with 1.3 billion, India with 1.2 billion, and the United States with 307 million. Indonesia and Brazil are next with around 220 million people. India is expected to surpass China in population within a few years.
18. If Facebook were a country, it would be the 3rd most populous in the world, with 500 million citizens.
19. The richest 20% of the world consume 86% of its goods, while the poorest 20% consume just 1.3%.
20. The population of the United States has increased 300% in the 20th century, but its consumption of raw materials increase 1,700%
21. In 1900 only 1 in 10 people lived in cities. By 1994, 1 in every 2 people lived in a city.
22. More than 400 cities worldwide have a population of 1,000,000 or more.
23. In sub Saharan Africa, at least 55% of children under 5 years old have never been registered. Around the globe, 50 million children each year have no official birth record or identity.
24. Of the 40 poorest and hungriest nations on earth, 36 actually export food to richer countries.
25. More than 1 billion people in the world do not have enough food or safe drinking water.
The world does not have a resource problem – there is enough food just in the ocean and plenty of clean energy sources to sustain us all. The world has a problem with distribution of its resources due to poverty, war, greed, economic policy, transportation relying on fossil fuels, and over-consumption.
20. The population of the United States has increased 300% in the 20th century, but its consumption of raw materials increase 1,700%
21. In 1900 only 1 in 10 people lived in cities. By 1994, 1 in every 2 people lived in a city.
22. More than 400 cities worldwide have a population of 1,000,000 or more.
23. In sub Saharan Africa, at least 55% of children under 5 years old have never been registered. Around the globe, 50 million children each year have no official birth record or identity.
24. Of the 40 poorest and hungriest nations on earth, 36 actually export food to richer countries.
25. More than 1 billion people in the world do not have enough food or safe drinking water.
The world does not have a resource problem – there is enough food just in the ocean and plenty of clean energy sources to sustain us all. The world has a problem with distribution of its resources due to poverty, war, greed, economic policy, transportation relying on fossil fuels, and over-consumption.
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