Over the last couple of years, there has been a decline in fertility rates worldwide.

This means that more and more countries are going to have to adapt to an ageing population.

In 1990, the average number of births per woman was 3,2.

By 2019, this has fallen to 2,5 births per woman. By 2050, this is projected to decline to 2,2 births.

To put that into perspective, an average fertility level of 2,1 births is necessary to prevent national population decline in the long run.

This information was revealed in a new UN population report, which, according to BusinessTech, also notes that the overall world population is likely to reach 9,7 billion by 2050.

While there might be a global decline in birth rates, some countries are actually showing a massive increase in population.

“India is expected to show the highest population increase between now and 2050, overtaking China as the world’s most populous country, by around 2027.

“India, along with eight other countries, will make up over half of the estimated population growth between now and 2050. In all, the population of sub-Saharan Africa is expected to practically double by 2050.”

The nine countries that will show the biggest increase are:

• India
• Nigeria
• Pakistan
• The Democratic Republic
• Congo
• Ethiopia
• Tanzania
• Indonesia
• Egypt
• United States

Statistics South Africa’s latest population data shows that, as of 2016, there were around 55,7 million people living in the country.

The UN’s data shows that this number is expected to continue increasing over the coming decades, with  the country on track to reach between 65 and 67 million people by 2030.

This is expected to increase to between 75 million – 78 million people by the year 2055 before cooling down.

So we’re looking at a population of 67 million by 2030, with a steady increase right through to 2055.

While the increase might seem high, UN data suggests that South Africa’s population growth has shown signs of slowing.

From 1950-1995 the country saw an annual population growth of between 2.19% – 2.37% each year.  This has fallen to 1.37% between 2015 – 2020, and is expected to drop to below 1% by 2025.

All of this comes shortly after a scenario analysis predicted that 2050 is the year that human civilisation will be coming to an end.

We’d better get on doing something about that, or slightly declining birth rates are going to be the least of our problems.

[source:businesstech]