Anadolu Agency | Getty Images UNITED NATIONS — The UN predicts in a new report that India will replace China as the world’s most populous country next year. According to the UN report World Population Prospects 2022, the two most densely populated regions in the world are both in Asia. East and Southeast Asia account for 29% of the world’s population, or about 2.3 billion people. The 54-page report also expects the world’s population to reach 8 billion in November. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called 2022 a “landmark year” with “the birth of the eight billion inhabitants of the Earth”. According to UN projections, the world population is expected to grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050 and peak at 10.4 billion people sometime in the 2080s. The UN believes that the population of the planet will remain stagnant at this level until around 2100. The report details that population growth is caused in part by declining mortality levels due to advances in health. Further reductions in mortality are expected to lead to an average life expectancy of 77 years by 2050, according to UN estimates. “This is an opportunity to celebrate our diversity, recognize our common humanity and marvel at the health advances that have extended life spans and dramatically reduced maternal and child mortality rates,” Guterres wrote in a statement. “At the same time, it is a reminder of our shared responsibility to care for our planet and a moment to reflect on where we still fall short of our commitments to each other. humanitarian emergencies, hunger and poverty, our world is at risk,” he added.
