World Population Day is observed on July 11 every year. The day is aimed to shift the focus towards the urgency and the significance of issues related to population. It may be noted that World Population Day was established by the United Nations Development Programme in 1989. World Population Day, which is being celebrated for over three decades, is meant to raise awareness about solutions related to the issues of a growing population.
World Population Day 2020 Theme, Significance
World Population Day seeks to raise awareness about issues related to demographics globally. The theme for this year is "How to safeguard the health and rights of women and girls now" amid the coronavirus pandemic. A recent UNFPA research highlighted that if the lockdown continues for 6 months, and there is major disruption to health services, then 47 million women in low and middle-income countries might not have access to modern contraceptives. This would in turn lead to 7 million unintended pregnancies. Apart from that, it could see a rise in gender-based violence, female genital mutilation and child marriages.
The day is significant because it highlights the problems of overpopulation, raises awareness about the effects of overpopulation on the environment and development. It also talks about the health problems faced by child bearing women and the importance of family planning, gender equality, poverty, maternal health and human rights.
Interesting Facts about World Population Day
In 1000 AD, the world population was only 400 million. It first reached 1 billion in 1804 and 3 billion by 1960. It only took 40 years — by 2000 — for the population to double to 6 billion.
Every second of every day, 4.2 people are born and 1.8 people die. It’s expected that by 2050, nearly 70% of the world’s population will live in cities.
People to have a longer life: Life expectancy to rise across the world. Globally, life expectancy for both sexes combined is projected to rise from 71 years in 2010-2015 to 77 years in 2045-2050 and eventually to 83 years in 2095-2100.
The world’s population is growing by 1.10 percent per year, or about an additional 83 million people annually. The global population is expected to reach 8.6 billion in 2030, 9.8 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion in 2100.
