In the 20th century, the planet's population was about 1.6 billion people. According to the American independent organization Population Reference Bureau (PBR), in 45 years the same number will live in India alone.
The population of this country is growing so fast that it will soon overtake the current world leader in population – China. According to the PBR forecast, the global population will increase by 45% – in four and a half decades, 9.3 billion people will live on Earth. That is three billion more than now.
Population will grow especially fast in countries where many live in poverty and hunger. The number of residents of Pakistan, for example, will double in the near future and reach 300 million people. And the population of Nigeria will even triple by 2050.
In most industrialized countries, population is declining. Thus, the number of residents of Japan, according to the PBR report, will fall by 20%. Russia's population will shrink by 17% by 2050. If now 145 million people live in this country, then in 45 years their number will be 119 million. Germany may lose 9% of its population, which is not so much compared to Japan and Russia.
"Birth rates in Germany will rise somewhat in the future, and the influx of immigrants will also increase," says Stefanie Ettelt of the German Foundation for World Population (DSW) in an interview with DW-WORLD. "Population decline has extremely negative consequences for the economy," Ettelt warns. As early as 2010, this will affect pension provision and the health insurance system. That is why Ettelt is all in favor of policies that encourage family development, so that parents can seamlessly combine raising children and working.
But even in Sweden, which is exemplary in terms of family protection, the birth rate remains low – there are only 1.7 children per woman aged 15-49. In the United States, where families receive no government support, this figure is 2.
A person's desire to start a family is also influenced by factors such as financial situation and mentality. In Italy and Spain, young people often live under the same roof with their parents until the age of 30. Some lack money for separate housing, others do not dare to move in with a partner because civil marriages are socially condemned in their countries.
Of all industrialized countries, France has the most stable birth rate. But Britain will soon overtake it: the number of residents here will reach 65 million by 2030. A sharp population increase is expected in the United States: according to experts, the number of its residents will soon increase by 43% and reach 420 million people.