Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Conversations about overpopulation can quickly become controversial because they beg the question: Who exactly is the cause of the problem and what, if anything, should be done about it? Many population experts worry discussions around overpopulation will be abused by small-minded people to suggest some are the “right people” to be on the planet (like themselves), and some people are “the wrong people” (usually people in poverty, people of color, foreigners, and so on—you get the drift). But there are no “right” or “wrong” people on the planet, and discussing the problems of global overpopulation can never be an excuse, or in any way provide a platform, for having that type of conversation. When we use the term “overpopulation,” we specifically mean a situation in which the Earth cannot regenerate the resources used by the world’s population each year.
Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. Global human population growth amounts to around 83 million annually, or 1.1% per year. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to 7.9 billion in 2020.
Sixty-one per cent of the global population lives in Asia (4.7 billion), 17 per cent in Africa (1.3 billion), 10 per cent in Europe (750 million), 8 per cent in Latin America and the Caribbean (650 million), and the remaining 5 per cent in Northern America (370 million) and Oceania (43 million). China (1.44 billion) and India (1.39 billion) remain the two most populous countries of the world, both with more than 1 billion people, representing 19 and 18 per cent of the world’s population, respectively. Around 2027, India is projected to overtake China as the world’s most populous country, while China’s population is projected to decrease by 31.4 million, or around 2.2 per cent, between 2019 and 2050. (Source: World Population Prospects 2019)
It is only logical that an increase in the world’s population will cause additional strains on resources. More people means an increased demand for food, water, housing, energy, healthcare, transportation, and more. And all that consumption contributes to ecological degradation, increased conflicts, and a higher risk of large-scale disasters like pandemics.
Advantages of population growth
1. More people leads to greater human capital.
2. Higher economic growth.
3. Economies of scale.
4. The efficiency of higher population density.
5. The improved demographic structure of society.
Disadvantages of population growth
1. Cost to the environment.
2. Congestion.
3. Water shortages.
4. Generating unsustainable waste.
5. Greater pollution levels in air, water and land.
6. Greater threat on natural habitats
On the issue of population, the United Nations has held three conferences, two special sessions of the General Assembly and a summit in 2019. World Population Day is observed annually on 11 July. It marks the date, in 1987, when the world’s population hit the 5 billion mark.
