Today is #WorldPopulationDay! This year, the world’s population will reach 8 billion. However, with rapid population growth and urbanization, problems such as pollution and waste are exacerbating, according to the UN.
The global population reached the 7 billion mark in 2011, and it was at 7.9 billion in 2021, with the expectation that it will swell further to around 8.5 billion in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050, and 10.9 billion in 2100, according to the UN.
“Reaching a global population of eight billion is a numerical landmark, but our focus must always be on people. In the world we strive to build, 8 billion people means 8 billion opportunities to live dignified and fulfilled lives,” Mr António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, said in a statement.
Information on the UN dashboard indicates that Uganda’s population will also hit 48.4m this year, making it the fourth most populated among the East African Community member states.
The Democratic Republic of Congo will be the most populated at 95.2m, Tanzania (63.3m) and Kenya (56m).
The UN in the statement attributed the dramatic growth in population to increasing numbers of people surviving to reproductive age, major changes in fertility rates, increasing urbanisation and accelerating migration.
