The world’s population will exceed 8 billion for the first time on January 1 next year.
On the 28th (local time), the U.S. National Statistical Office released data and announced that the world’s population increased by a total of 75 million this year. This year’s population growth rate was recorded at 0.95%.
It is also predicted that on the first day of the new year, 4.3 people will be born and 2 people will die every second around the world, making the total population exceed 8 billion.
In particular, the population growth rate in the United States is 0.53%, which is half of the global growth rate this year. The total U.S. population is expected to increase by 1.7 million, reaching 335.8 million on New Year’s Day.
William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution, explained, “If the current trend continues, the population growth rate in the United States will be below 4% in the 2020s, the slowest increase in history.”
Additionally, the U.S. Census Bureau predicted that although one person will be born every 9 seconds and one person will die every 9.5 seconds in the United States next year, considering the influx of immigrants, the total population will increase by one person every 24.2 seconds.
Meanwhile, Korea’s population this year was approximately 51.71 million, and the population growth rate was 0.08%, a slight increase from -0.19% last year. Next year’s population in Korea is expected to be 51.75 million.
However, as the total birth rate recorded 0.72 this year, some are concerned that the population decline trend is more serious than during the Black Death epidemic that shook Europe’s roots in the 14th century.
Previously, on the 2nd, opinion columnist Ross Dowsert wrote in a column for the New York Times (NYT), “Korea’s birth rate is falling much more rapidly than that of other developed countries,” adding, “This is a more serious level than when the Black Death spread in medieval Europe.” “He pointed out.
There are no exact statistics on population decline during the Black Death in the 14th century, but scholars estimate that the population decreased by 30 to 60 percent depending on the region. Dowsert estimates that Korea’s population is declining rapidly.
Dowsert said, “South Korea, in the midst of a population decline crisis, will have to choose between economic decline and accepting immigrants. While South Korea is struggling to maintain a capable military, North Korea, with a total fertility rate of around 1.8, may one day invade.” “He said directly.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.