It is estimated that on October 31st the world's population will have reached the 7 Billion mark!
The global population has grown at a staggering rate. Take a look at the pace of its growth:
1805 – 1 Billion
1927 – 2 Billion
1959 – 3 Billion
1974 – 4 Billion
1987 – 5 Billion
1999 – 6 Billion
2011 – 7 Billion
So what has happened in the last 100 years that's caused the population to boom from a little less than 2 billion to a whopping 7 billion? The size of the average American family in the 1800's was about seven children per woman, so why wasn't the population bigger back then?
 |
| Booker T. Washington and his family |
Even with problems like the flu epidemic, the lifespan of human beings has become much greater. The average life expectancy of a human being in 1800 was only 36 years old! Nowadays it's around 77.
Also, the evolution of science and medicine has caused death rates to decline at a rapid speed. In a first world country, most women and children can now expect to live through childbirth; there was a time when many people did not survive through this. Moreover, various ailments such as cancer, high blood pressure, and diabetes are no longer a death sentence.
The development in technology has also allowed for people to cut down on manual labor, which in turn causes less wear on our bodies. In combat this is also true. During the 19th Century men had little to no protective gear so the death rate was much higher.
Add in a few baby booms every few decades and there you have 7 billion people.
Wow! If the population grew from 6 to 7 billion in only 12 years, imagine what the population will be like in 2050!
No comments:
Post a Comment