World Population Day

Every year on July 11, we celebrate World Population Day. This day acts as a reminder of the importance of family planning. The global population, as of July 2023, is 8 billion. Since 1950, China has held the title of the most populous country in the world. But in April 2023, for the first time in 73 years, India surpassed China to become the most populous country in the world. As of now, the population of India stands at 1.429 billion. 

Since China implemented the one-child policy in the 1980s, there has been a steady population drop. The Chinese government estimates that around 500 million births have been prevented ever since the implementation of the policy. As of now, the population of China stands at 1.426 billion.

Closely following China in terms of population rate is the United States. The other highly populous countries include Indonesia, Pakistan and Brazil. 

Experts have argued that overpopulation poses a threat to all living beings on Earth. The space and resources present on the planet are limited. With the increasing population rates, it would not take a long time for our planet to reach its ecological breaking point. The United Nations estimates that by 2100, the global population will rise to 10.8 billion. The demand for food, healthcare, water, energy and housing will continue to increase exponentially with the continued rise in population.

To combat the issue, several methods have been suggested by experts. These steps include reducing personal consumption of resources, adopting, educating people about the effects of overpopulation, effective family planning and many more.