As of mid-2017, the world’s population stands at almost 7.6 billion people and that number is growing, albeit slower than in the recent past. Today, it is increasing at a rate of 1.1 percent, equating to 83 million extra people every year. By 2030, the planet’s population will surpass the 8 billion mark and grow to 9.8 billion by 2050, according the United Nations annual population survey. Today, an estimated 962 million people are aged over 60 across the world (13 percent of the population) and their ranks will expand rapidly over the coming years. By 2030 there will be 1.4 billion people aged 60 and over and this could rise to 3.1 billion by 2100.
Between now and 2050, ten countries are going to account collectively for over half the world’s projected population increase: India, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Tanzania, the United States, Uganda, Indonesia and Egypt. Within just seven years, India is expected to overtake China to become the world’s most populous nation. Nigeria is posting the fastest population growth and its population is expected to surpass the United States by 2050 making it the third most populous country. The following infographic was created using the UN’s data and it shows the countries forecast to become the most populous by 2050.
*Click below to enlarge (charted by Statista)
