World population to hit eight billion – as projections reveal where is growing the fastest

The world’s eight billionth resident will be born today, according to projections by the United Nations Population Division. The global population will reach eight billion – three times the size it was in 1950 – and although there are more people on Earth than ever before because we’re living longer, population growth is at its slowest rate in over 70 years. In 2020 the global population growth rate fell below 1%. This is largely due to a reduced birth rate, with women having fewer children due to widespread contraception and better education and mobility for women and girls. The global…