Signal World population projected to add 2 billion in thirty years and reach 9.7 billion in 2050

Summary

Citing a 2018 UN study, the Megatrends 2040 report projects that the world population will grow by 2 billion people over the next thirty years. It is expected to rise from 7.7 billion today to 8.6 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050, possibly reaching around 11 billion by 2100. Growth continues even as fertility declines, mainly because life expectancy keeps increasing. The report warns that this expansion will raise needs for food, housing and energy, drive migration, deplete natural resources and increase pressure on the environment and climate. It argues that addressing these consequences requires radical lifestyle changes and innovative solutions in how biological resources are produced, consumed and recycled.