Geneva: United Nations has warned that the world’s population looks set to reach the seven billion barrier this month.
It comes just 12 years since the total reached six billion – with official estimates saying the figure will top eight billion in 2025 and 10 billion before the end of the century.
The milestone will be reached on Oct. 31, according to the UN Population Fund. But while many countries in the developed world face low birthrates and aging populations, growth in developing countries – particularly in sub-Saharan Africa – continues to worry many experts.
“As we enter into the 21st century there are increasing doubts about how many people the Earth can sustain,” said Robert Walker, executive vice president of the Population Institute, a non-profit group based in Washington.
“Most of that growth will be in Africa’s cities, and in those cities it will almost all be in slums where living conditions are horrible,” said John Bongaarts of the Population Council, a New York-based research organization.
Of the 2.3 billion people the UN believes will be added by 2050, more than one billion will live in sub-Saharan Africa. The Indian subcontinent will add some 630 million people.
It will mean less land and water available for each person. Poorer people, who tend to depend more on natural resources, will bear the brunt as they will not be able to compete with the rich.
The major issues will be how to feed the new arrivals, which will see the need for new varieties of improved crops.
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