That's right, this is the total number of humans currently living in the world.
Human population exploded after the 1750s industrial revolution
China remains the most populous nation, at 1.34 billion or 19.22%, with India catching up at 1.21 billion or 17.36%. India is on track to become the most populous nation by 2025. The United States come third at 312 million or 4.48%
The top 3 countries accounted for nearly 41% of human race.
According to the United Nations, the world population will reach 7 billion by the end of the month (October 2011) Sadly, no one is celebrating as it has taken only 12 years to jump from 6 billion to 7 billion. With rapid growth like this, fears is raised that our planet is inching dangerously close to exhausting the diminishing global resources.
In Western Europe, Japan and Russia, it will be an ironic milestone amid worries about low birthrates and aging populations. In China and India, the two most populous nations, it's an occasion to reassess policies that have already slowed once-rapid growth.
But in the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, the demographic news is mostly sobering as the region staggers under the double burden of the world's highest birthrates and deepest poverty. The continent's population of nearly 900 million could reach 2 billion in 40 years at current rates, accounting for about half of the projected global population growth over that span.
According to demographers, the world's population didn't reach 1 billion until 1804, and it took 123 years to hit the 2 billion mark in 1927. Then the pace accelerated -- 3 billion in 1959, 4 billion in 1974, 5 billion in 1987, 6 billion in 1998.
Looking ahead, the United Nations projects that the world population will reach 8 billion by 2025 and 10 billion by 2083. But the numbers could be much higher or lower, depending on such factors as access to birth control, infant mortality rates and average life expectancy -- which has risen from 48 years in 1950 to 69 years today.
