Amman: The Higher Population Council has projected that the global population will reach 9 billion within the next 12 years, highlighting that the current world population has already surpassed 8 billion, with 3 billion added in the last 36 years an average of one billion every 12 years.
The council emphasizes that the forthcoming population increase will have widespread repercussions affecting all inhabitants of the planet. It underscores the shared impact on the Earth’s air, encompassing oxygen inhalation and carbon dioxide exhalation, as well as environmental warming and climate change resulting from emissions into the atmosphere.
In a statement released on Sunday, the council draws attention to the prices of goods, particularly essential imports like energy sources, grains, and oils, and the manifold effects stemming from the surge in the world’s population.
The statement further delineates the global demographic division, alongside political, economic, and cultural distinctions. Notably, 84 percent of
the world’s population resides in developing countries, while the remaining 16 percent resides in developed nations. India is identified as the most populous country globally, followed by China, collectively constituting about 38 percent of the world’s population.
The council highlights a second division related to births, pointing out that the birth rate in developing countries is double that of developed countries (18 births versus 9 births) per thousand people. This is attributed to the fact that the death rate in developed countries surpasses the birth rate (12 deaths compared to 9 births) per thousand people, resulting in a net loss of 12 people per thousand annually.
Additionally, the council notes a demographic shift in developed countries, where the percentage of the elderly (65 years and above) exceeds that of children under 15, with the former at 20 percent and the latter at 16 percent. In contrast, developing countries showcase a higher percentage of children, reaching 27 percent compared to 8 pe
rcent for the elderly.
Source: Jordan News Agency