Earth will be home to 8.8 billion souls in 2100: Study

WASHINGTON: A new study has revealed that the earth will be home to 8.8 billion souls in 2100, two billion fewer than current UN projections.

According to a major study, by century’s end, 183 of 195 countries barring an entrance of immigrants will have fallen below the replacement door needed to maintain population levels.

More than 20 countries including Japan, Spain, Italy, Thailand, Portugal, South Korea, and Poland will see their numbers diminish by at least half. China’s will fall nearly that much, from 1.4 billion people today to 730 million in 80 years.

Sub-Saharan Africa, meanwhile, will triple in size to some three billion people, with Nigeria alone expanding to almost 800 million in 2100, second only to India’s 1.1 billion.

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However, most countries outside of Africa will see shrinking workforces and inverting population pyramids. For high-income countries in this category, the best solutions for sustaining population levels and economic growth will be flexible immigration policies and social support for families who want children, the study concluded.

The decline in India is projected to be less steep, from 762 to 578 million. In Nigeria, by contrast, the active labor force will expand from 86 million today to more than 450 million in 2100.

Brazil is projected to fall in ranking from eighth today to 13th, and Russia from the number 10 spot to 14th. Historical powers Italy and Spain, meanwhile, declined from the top 15 to 25th and 28th, respectively.