World Population To Hit 7 Billion By 2012

India Expected To Surpass China For Highest Number Of Country Inhabitants

(AP)  The world's population will reach 7 billion in 2012, even as the global community struggles to satisfy its appetite for natural resources, according to a new government projection.

There are 6.7 billion people in the world today. The United States ranks third, with 304 million, behind China and India, according to projections released Thursday by the Census Bureau.

The world's population surpassed 6 billion in 1999, meaning it will take only 13 years to add a billion people.

By comparison, the number of people didn't reach 1 billion until 1800, said Carl Haub, a demographer at the Population Reference Bureau. It didn't reach 2 billion until 130 years later.

"You can easily see the effect of rapid population growth in developing countries," Haub said.

Haub said that medical and nutritional advances in developing countries led to a population explosion following World War II. Cultural changes are slowly catching up, with more women in developing countries going to school and joining the work force.

That is slowing the growth rate, though it is still high in many countries.

The global population is growing by about 1.2 percent per year. The Census Bureau projects the growth rate will decline to 0.5 percent by 2050.

By then, India will have surpassed China as the most populous country.

The Census Bureau updates projections each year on a variety of global demographic trends, including fertility and mortality rates and life expectancy. U.S. life expectancy has surpassed 78 years for the first time, the National Center for Health Statistics announced last week.

The new Census report comes amid record high oil and gasoline prices, fueled in part by growing demand from expanding economies in China and India.

There is no consensus on how many people the Earth can sustain, said William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. He said it depends on how well people manage the Earth's resources.

Today, industrialized nations use a disproportionate share of oil and other resources, while developing countries are fueling population growth.

There are countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East where the average woman has more than six children in her lifetime. In Mali and Niger, two African nations, women average more than seven children.

"There's still a long way to go in the developing world," Frey said. "A lot of it does have to do with the education of women and the movement of women into the labor force."

In the U.S., women have an average of about two children, which essentially replaces the population. Much of the U.S. population growth comes from immigration.

[irliberal]

Too many. More is not necessarily better. We need to be able to terraform another planet before we start adding more humans to this one. It''s a simple matter of math.

[jboxton]

A nuclear bomb dropped strategically on the middle east would solve the problem for a while.

[rushlimpdrug]

and no one cares.

so sad.

the population increses to
satisfy an economic model
of continual economic growth.

more people = more consumers =

more cheap labor=

more competition for jobs =

lower wages = . . . . .

[xoynx]

Nuking the Middle East wouldn''t help--they''re not the ones using up all the resources. We need to wipe out China, India, Europe, and the U.S.

[smurfcrusher]

Maybe we should recruit more fanatics to the Quiverful movement. That way we can destroy the world with force and conviction, by depleting our resources more efficiently.

Anyone remember Easter Island? Or the rabbits in Australia? You will.

[rushlimpdrug]

Doesn''t the Bible say something to the effect
of:

"multiply and fill the earth."

What a load of krap.

Let the killings begin
(or continue depending on
where you live).

[lloydbest1]

The 6.7B referenced in the article was also a figure derived by the U.N back in 2006. The number crunchers there believe that to be accurate but many (including yers truly) believe that to be a very, if not overly, conservative estimate.
Why do I think that?
Most of the world''s nations do not do a census as we understand it and simply guess their populations. Most of these guesses are spectacularly inaccurate and the tendency is to undercount. Even the U.S. and Canada both of whom have excellent capabilities of accurately counting the number of their residents can come up with figures that are as much as 10 to 15% short. Why this general tendency to undercount varies but in many places, simply getting to all the villages and cities is a daunting task so the temptation to pull a number out of one''s !@# is considerable. And in almost all cases it is less than what''s actually out there. In other lands, there is so much chaos and migration across borders that getting an accurate count is impossible. In still others, the populace is suspicious or overtly hostile to their respective governments and will avoid any officials they do not use for target practice.
6.7 billion? I don''t want to ruin anyone''s day here, but I think the true total is more like 7.5 to 8 billion.

[nothappyatall]

Doesnt the Bible say something to the effect
of:

"multiply and fill the earth."

What a load of krap.

Posted by rushlimpdrug

Yeah for sure, we did the multiply routine much to the detriment of the planet and wildlife, now it''s time to SPAY-NEUTER and untill there are NO unwanted babies/children ADOPT ONE don''t breed!!!

[shanev137]

Much of the U.S. population growth comes from immigration.

-----

Not anymore.

[l8c6]

All of us living are amongst those living in very unique times. The industrial age, space and technology and rapidly growing human population. In the not too distant future 50 years or maybe less something really cataclysmic is going to happen. Expect massive loss of life.

[dobbershome]

Solve the problem and get rid of China. There nothing but scum anyway.

[shanev137]

Posted by l8c6 at 12:36 AM : Jun 20, 2008

I''m guessing some kind of plague or climate change wiping out global food supplies...like what just happened in the Midwest except it happens every year.

[keithle1]

Condoms. Birth control. Heard of them? Always the poor that breed like rats. The smarter you are & the more money you have, the less kids.

Sterilize yourselves, poor people of the world! We''ll give you money!

How can they create jobs for all these people? Impossible.

Too bad none of them have computers & can''t see this. They''re too busy having unprotected s e x with their barefoot common law wife in their hut while their 5 kids & goat watch. That''s entertainment.

[terrorislami]

it is not a population,,, it is an infestation,,,

Infestation

To inhabit or overrun in numbers or quantities large enough to be harmful, threatening, or obnoxious

muslims, india, china, etc etc etc,,, need to pay a CARBON TAX for over populating the earth,,,

[petro49l]

The population of the world has reached 7 billion people. It could reach 14 billion people and not matter. Resources can be shared, developed, and refined. Nature supports life on this planet. It is not meant for an elite few, but the masses. Those who oppose a large population are deluded, schizophrenic, and paranoid.

[cfin5]

Posted by Petro49L at 07:11 AM : Jun 20, 2008---- I''m with you here on this. Even God commanded mankind to fill the whole Earth and subdue it. Governments still own most of the land which is off limits other than to go have a look see.

[carolc0603]

People, you are deluding yourself if you think we are not already overpopulated on this planet, including the U.S. Many places cannot sustain their growing populations and we Americans, while smaller in number than a few countries, overconsume to the point that we are ruining the environment. Too high levels of immigration are also a huge problem in the U.S. No one should have more than one biological child to replace him or herself. If you want more, adopt!

[minnick8-2009]

muslims, india, china, etc etc etc,,, need to pay a CARBON TAX for over populating the earth,,,

Posted by terrorislami

How is that going to be mandated and collected? Who will oversee the money and use it for the purpose intended? Will it be you?

[minnick8-2009]

Solve the problem and get rid of China. There nothing but scum anyway.

Posted by dobbershome

I feel that way about the Middle East. The trouble is that how do we do that? Do we Nuke every country that doesn''t suit us? It will put the Earth into a nuclear winter. I don''t see how that could be beneficial. Maybe evolution could start over with the cockroaches.

[minnick8-2009]

Nuking the Middle East wouldn''''t help--they''''re not the ones using up all the resources. We need to wipe out China, India, Europe, and the U.S.

Posted by Xoynx

Good luck on that one Xoynx. We, citizens of the U.S. will not let you do that. I betcha you are in the Middle East, and you might be planning our demise. The only reason you haven''t felt the power of our fury is because we are holding back.

[minnick8-2009]

the population increses to
satisfy an economic model
of continual economic growth.

more people = more consumers =
more cheap labor=
more competition for jobs =
lower wages = . . . . .

Posted by rushlimpdrug

What a c r o c k of B. S. You make it sound like the over population of the earth is an American conspiracy. The over population of the earth is occurring in third world countries where people continue to reproduce even though their resources are tapped out, war rages, and food production doesn''t occur. It is all a recipe for disaster on a masive scale.

[minnick8-2009]

now it''''s time to SPAY-NEUTER and untill there are NO unwanted babies/children ADOPT ONE don''''t breed!!!

Posted by newster1

But, newster1, who makes the rules, and who mandates enforcement? How do we get the message out to underdeveloped nations which continue to bring children into the world? It is nice to say we need zero population growth and people should adopt, but that doesn''t make it happen. What will make it happen is massive starvation and when those who have anything to give are so many fewer than those who need that the need cannot be met. It is a scary picture to imagine.