By Our Special Correspondent
In 2011, the world population reached 7 billion. This year, the number will reach 8 billion, prompting attendant responses. Few marvel at the advances in health that have led to the extension of life spans, reductions in maternal and child mortality, and the development of vaccines in record time. Others tout technological innovations that have made our lives easier and connected us more than ever. Others tout gains in gender equality.
But progress isn't universal, throwing inequality into razor-sharp relief. The same concerns and challenges raised 11 years ago remain or have intensified: climate change, violence, discrimination. In May the world reached a particularly dire milestone: more than 100 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide.
In an ideal world, 8 billion people mean 8 billion opportunities for healthy societies empowered by rights and choices. But there is no ground and never was. Based on other factors such as gender, race, class, religion, sexual orientation, disability and origin, many still experience discrimination, harassment and violence. We do ourselves no favors when we neglect the disadvantaged.
It took hundreds of thousands of years for the world's population to grow to 1 billion - and then sevenfold in another 200 years. In 2011, the world population reached the 7 billion mark, it is expected to reach about 7.9 billion in 2021 and will increase to about 8.5 billion in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050 and 10.9 billion in 2100.
This dramatic increase has been largely driven by an increase in the number of people living to reproductive age and has been accompanied by large changes in fertility rates, increasing urbanization and accelerating migration. These trends will have far-reaching effects for generations to come.
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