The world’s population surpassed 8 billion people.
Are we too many in the world? Or are we too few?
Or are we asking the wrong question?
At this landmark demographic moment, it can be tempting to draw the easy conclusion that population dynamics are the root cause of multiple, intersecting challenges facing our world.
But the truth is, the number of people was never the problem.
New data reveals population anxieties are widespread and governments are increasingly adopting policies aimed at raising, lowering or maintaining fertility rates.
But efforts to influence fertility rates are very often ineffective and can erode women’s rights, according to our State of World Population report of 2023.
The question we should be asking is not whether there are too many or too few people on the planet, but whether all individuals are equipped to exercise their basic human rights, including sexual and reproductive autonomy.
As it stands, only a proportion of humanity has access to these rights.
Twenty-four per cent of partnered women and girls are unable to say no to sex and 11 per cent are unable to make decisions specifically about contraception, according to data from 68 reporting countries.
A survey of eight countries showed people who had been exposed to media or conversations about the world’s population were more likely to view the global population as being too high.
Global demographics are changing rapidly: Two thirds of people are living in low fertility contexts, while eight countries will account for half the projected growth in global population by 2050 (the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania), dramatically reordering the world’s ranking of most populous countries.
Blaming fertility for climate change will not hold the greatest carbon emitters to account. Out of 8 billion people, around 5.5 billion do not make enough money, about $10 a day, to contribute significantly to carbon emissions.
A recent UN study says greater gender parity in the labour force would do more to sustain economies in ageing, low-fertility societies than setting targets for women to have more children.
All of these and more are covered in UNFPA 2023 World Population Report.
