World’s Population Projected to Reach 8 Billion Today

Globally, life expectancy reached 72.8 years in 2019, an increase of almost nine years since 1990

Newborns at a maternity hospital in Jakarta. The average fertility worldwide stood at 2.3 births a woman over a lifetime in 2021.PHOTO: ADEK BERRY/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES

By Joanna Sugden

Nov. 15, 2022 5:37 am ETPRINTTEXT

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The population of the planet is set to hit eight billion Tuesday, according to projections from the United Nations that forecast the number will grow to 8.5 billion by 2030 as life expectancy rises.

Globally, life expectancy reached 72.8 years in 2019, an increase of almost nine years since 1990, the U.N.’s population division said, though it fell to 71.0 years in 2021 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the least developed nations, life expectancy lagged behind the global average by seven years in 2021, driven by high levels of maternal and child mortality, violence, conflict and AIDS.

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