World Population Day is observed annually on 11 July. It marks the date, in 1987, when the world’s population hit the 5 billion mark.
In 1950, five years after the founding of the United Nations, world population was estimated at around 2.6 billion people. It reached 6 billion in 1999. In October 2011, the global population was estimated to be 7 billion. A global movement "7 Billion Actions" was launched to mark this milestone. The world’s population is expected to increase by 2 billion persons in the next 30 years, from 7.7 billion currently to 9.7 billion in 2050 and could peak at nearly 11 billion around 2100.
More than half of global population growth between now and 2050 is expected to occur in Africa. Africa has the highest rate of population growth among major areas.
This dramatic growth has been driven largely by increasing numbers of people surviving to reproductive age and has been accompanied by major changes in fertility rates, increasing urbanisation and accelerating migration. These trends will have far-reaching implications for generations to come.
The COVID-19 crisis has taken a staggering toll on people, communities, and economies everywhere. But not everyone is affected equally. Women, who account for the largest share of front-line health workers, for example, are disproportionately exposed to the coronavirus. Supply chains around the world are being disrupted, impacting the availability of contraceptives, and heightening the risk of unintended pregnancy. As countries are on lockdown and health systems struggle to cope, sexual and reproductive health services are being side-lined and gender-based violence is on the rise.
Moreover, women disproportionately work in insecure labour markets and are harder hit by the economic impacts of COVID-19. Nearly 60 percent of women worldwide work in the informal economy, at greater risk of falling into poverty. Women’s unpaid care work has increased because of school closures and the increased needs of older people.
The pandemic is hitting marginalised communities particularly hard, deepening inequalities and threatening to set us back in our efforts to leave no one behind. The response to COVID-19 in every country is critical and will determine how fast the world recovers and whether we achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or not.
On 11 July, World Population Day, UNFPA aims to raise awareness about the sexual and reproductive health needs and vulnerabilities of women and girls during the pandemic, to highlight how we can safeguard hard fought gains and ensure that Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHRs) stays on the local agenda, and to explore how to maintain the momentum towards achieving the SDGs by 2030 that we rallied at the Nairobi Summit.
Increasing life expectancy, declining child mortality and declining fertility transform the structure of populations. With the right investments, these changes can accelerate sustainable development.
World Population Day - 11 July 2020 (362 KB)
