Births have been making headlines in recent weeks. In the first six months of 2022, 91,425 babies were born in Chile—a 9.1% increase over the same period last year. In reality, however, this marks a return to normalcy, as Chile saw a sharp decline in its birth rate in 2021. Speaking of babies, when do you think the world’s population will reach 8 billion?

ANSWER

2022—According to United Nations projections, the world’s population will reach 8 billion by the end of this year. 2022 will also bring another demographic shift: India will surpass China as the world’s most populous nation. Population growth is slowing, however. UN projections indicate that the global population will peak at 10.4 billion by 2086.