The population of the world is headed for 11 billion by 2100

Population control may again become a political football of true import as nations realize that they do not have the finances or the resources to feed, clothe, educate, and house a population of 11 billion. Asia will remain the most populous region of the world in 2100 with a projected population of 4.9 billion people by the end of the century.

According to the United Nations report, the steady rise in population will be fueled by the growth in Africa, which is projected to jump from 1.2 billion today to between 3.4 and 5.6 billion by 2100. He was speaking in a session concentrated on demographic forecasting at the “2015 Joint Statistical Meetings” in Seattle.

Billions of people are expected to join the earth by the year 2100: At a rate of approximately 1.5 million new people each year, the world is expected to grow by a total of 40 percent.

The research from the UN also studied the levels of ageing in countries around the globe. Japan and Italy now have the lowest potential support ratios in the world at 2.6 and 2.1 workers for every retiree. The ratios will be even less in Mexico, China and Germany.

Only five countries Niger, Somalia, Nigeria, Gambia and Angola are projected to have a PSR above 5.0 in 2100.

Niger is expected to have the highest PSR by the end of the century at 6.5.

Predictions of future population growth rely on accurate fertility-rate estimates in the decades to come.

Wilmoth told the audience that according to models of demographic change derived from historical experience, it is estimated the global population will be between 9.5 and 13.3 billion people in 2100.

“The continent’s population growth is due to persistent high levels of fertility and the recent slowdown in the rate of fertility decline”, Wilmoth noted.

Africa’s total fertility rate (TFR) has been in decline over the last decade, but it is still only a quarter of the decline rate experienced in Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean during the 70s.

In some African countries, the TFR decline appears to have stalled. Wilmoth said although there is considerable uncertainty about these future trends, there is a 90% chance Nigeria’s population will exceed 439 million people in 2100, which is almost 2.5 times its current size. Presently, the population of the continent is 4.4 billion.

The UN said: “The concentration of population growth in the poorest countries will make it harder for those governments to eradicate poverty and inequality, combat hunger and malnutrition, expand education enrolment and health systems, improve the provisions of basic services and implement other elements of a sustainable development agenda to ensure that no-one is left behind”.

Elsewhere, developing countries with young populations but lower fertility – such as China, Brazil and India – face the prospect of substantial population aging before the end of the century.