The global population has reached eight billion just 11 years after it climbed to seven billion.
While the world population is the highest it's ever been, its growth rate is the slowest in over 70 years, according to United Nations data as part of World Population Day 2022.
UN projections also show that India and China are tied as the most populated countries in the world, with the former set to overtake in the next year. This comes as Earth's eighth billionth resident was born in the Philippines in Manila early on Tuesday morning.
Even so, the population rate fell below one percent in 2020, due to a reduced birth rate, likely a result of improved education on contraception.
Findings also show that the global population is getting older, as 10 per cent are aged over 65, with this predicted to increase to 16 per cent by 2050. By this time, the number of over 65s will be double that of children under five.
What countries are growing the fastest?
The two fastest growing regions are East and Southeast Asia and Central and South Asia. The former is home to 2.3 billion people, while the later has a population of 2.1 billion.
China and India are both the most populated countries with 1.4 billion each, but China is likely to become the most populated in the next year based on projections.
The projected increase is predicted to be seen most in eight countries by 2050 - the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tanzania.
The biggest increases will be seen in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania, with both populations set to double in the next 30 years. Nigeria, Ethiopia and Egypt will also see big jumps
In Asia - outside India and China - the biggest growth will happen in Pakistan and the Philippines.
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