A billion, a number already impossible to visualize, can be counted eight times on the earth as we have achieved an 8 billion people milestone. A number that was recently reached, and only continues to grow day after day. Although interestingly that’s not predicted to happen forever. In fact there are several countries today that are losing or stagnating in population.
China, for example, for its massive population, is no longer growing. This was a conscious choice on the country’s part, but for many it is not. A large part of what makes this possible is how long people are living today. It’s easy to have a positive birth rate and have lots of children when people are living longer and healthier than ever.
This isn’t to say the countries with the greatest population growth are the healthiest though. Instead countries like Pakistan and Nigeria, nations moving their way up, are the top figures. These countries have massive fertility rates and bustling industries. Although they certainly don’t have the best health outcomes.
Naturally then the world is in an interesting state. The countries with the best outcomes tend to be having the least kids. In a world that strives for everyone’s happiness, that only gets harder everyday. The planet is stable today, but only time will tell what it will look like at nine billion people.
