The global population now stands at around 8.1 billion, with India as the most populous nation at about 1.44 billion, which is slightly more than China’s. What are the challenges ahead?
London: As millions observed the World Population Day 2024, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that investing in data collection is important to understanding problems, tailoring solutions, and driving progress.
“So is finance. I urge countries to make the most of the Summit of the Future this year to unleash affordable capital for sustainable development,” he said in his message for World Population Day 2024.
“This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action. It must also be the year we resolve to accelerate efforts and investments to turn its promises into a reality,” said Guterres.
According to him, central to the ICPD Programme of Action is the recognition that women’s sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights are cornerstones of sustainable development.
“In the decades since it was adopted, we have made progress. More women than ever have access to modern contraception. Maternal deaths have fallen thirty-four per cent since the year 2000. The women’s movements and civil society have been critical to driving change,” the UN chief informed.
However, progress has been unequal and unsteady.
“It is outrageous that well into the 21st century, around 800 women die needlessly every day in pregnancy and childbirth – the vast majority in developing countries. And in some places, legislative advances in tackling vital issues such as female genital mutilation risk going into reverse,” Guterres stressed.
The global population has been on an upward trajectory and has tripled from 1950.
However recent trends and data projections predict that the graph of population will peak around 2085. Thereafter, it is expected to shrink if not flatten.
It is likely that the global population will touch nine billion in 2037 and 10 billion in 2058.
According to a recent Pew Research Center analysis, the world’s population is likely to stop growing by the end of the century.
The analysis based on data by the United Nations underscores that by 2100 the population of the world is likely to touch 10.9 billion with an annual growth rate of less than 0.1 per cent. This is much less than the current rate of growth.
India must work towards population stabilisation: JP NaddaNew Delhi: Highlighting that one-fifth of the global population resides in India, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda on Thursday stressed the need to reaffirm and recommit to work towards population stabilization. Addressing a virtual meeting with State/UTs the minister called on Centre and States "to collectively work to ensure that women can exercise their right to make family planning choices". "The goal of ‘Viksit Bharat’ can only be achieved when the health of India's families is well maintained which can be achieved by smaller families," he stated on the occasion of World Population Day. Women should not be "burdened by unwanted pregnancy", the minister said, noting that "the objective of the family planning program needs to be 'Birth by choice and by informed choice". He also called on the Center and States to collectively address the "unmet needs of contraceptives, especially in the high-burden states, districts, and blocks". |
