Nov 11, 2004 / 22:00 pm
The United Nations Population Division released another report recently that predicts a large aging population and sharp declines in population growth. This is the first UN report to look 300 years down the line, reported the Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute.
The report, titled “World Population to 2300," states that these predictions are mostly "guesses."
The report's "medium scenario" predicts a world population of 8.4 billion by 2200 after a peak of 9.2 billion in 2075.
Global population is expected to decline because many developed countries will sustain a long-term growth rate, for up to 100 years, below the replacement level fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman, says the report. By 2045-2050, "139 countries will have total fertility under 2.0," says the report