World Population Day 2024: Everything you need to know

July 11^th is World Population Day. Read on for our top facts, tips and statistics for this important day in the UN Calendar.

Welcome to World Population Day. Celebrated every year on the 11^th of July, World Population Day is a chance to champion our global community, the people who create it, and what it means to be “counted.”

An image showcasing a large crowd, symbolizing the vastness of our global population for World Population Day. — World Population Day is a chance to celebrate the diversity of our global community.
Nqobile Nuvdla / Unsplash

History of World Population Day

Created by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1989, World Population Day aims to raise awareness about the world and its population.

As our numbers grow, so do the challenges that come with a bigger population.

World Population Day is a chance to reflect on these challenges, a day to think about our future, our demographic shifts, and our identity as a global community.

A photograph depicting a throng of people at a London public transport station, illustrating the scale of the world's population in honor of World Population Day. — From urban centres to rural communities, population numbers are growing all around the world.
Anna Dziubinska / Unsplash

Global Population Statistics and Trends

Current Population Growth Rates

Right now, the world population is growing more than ever before. Right now, Worldometer estimates there are 8.1 billion people on earth.

“It took hundreds of thousands of years for the world population to grow to 1 billion – then in just another 200 years or so, it grew sevenfold.”
UN

And that’s not all. The global population is set to grow to 8.5 billion by 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050, and 10.9 billion in 2100.

A picture of a densely packed crowd in a Middle Eastern market, used to convey the immense size of our global population on World Population Day — The world population hit 8 billion in November 2022.
Ben Ostrower / Unsplash

Why is the population growing?

There are many reasons why our global population is increasing. Improved healthcare means fertility rates and life expectancy have skyrocketed. For example, in the 1990’s, the expected life span was 64 years. By 2019, it was 72.

Population rises also stem from increased urbanization and migration. By 2050, more than 66% of the world’s population will live in cities. This shift is set to increase birth rates and life expectancies on an unprecedented scale.

An image of a multitude of people at a protest, representing the vast global population for the celebration of World Population Day. — More people means more consumption. International organisations are looking to create a future that accomodates our increased numbers in a sustainable, environmentally friendly way.
Alex Radelich / Unsplash

Why is population growth so important?

Population growth has a big impact on our world. There’s a lot of work to be done to make sure our world can be as positive a place as possible for everyone. As we grow, we need to fix our social infrastructure, environmental policies and healthcare systems.

To make these changes, we also need to ensure we’re including everyone. That means counting everyone in the population and using statistics that reflect the scale and diversity of our global community. That way, the future we choose will be a future for all.

“To leave no one behind, count everyone.”
UN – World Population Day

A photo featuring a sea of people, highlighting the extensive reach of our global population for World Population Day. — “A future for the many, not for the few.” World Population Day is an opportunity to think about a future for all.
Rob Curran / Unsplash

World Population Day is a great chance to address the needs of our ever-growing world. It’s an opportunity to understand how many people are living on our planet, who they are, and what they need for a sustainable, healthy future.