By Yemi Olakitan
Country representative for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Ulla Mueller has said that the world population reaching eight billion marks an important turning point in human growth particularly in fields including education, medicine, Agriculture, research, and health.
Mrs. Ulla Mueller, UNFPA’s Nigerian Resident representative said, the triumph is, however, followed by worries and fear as the globe faces different challenges, such as climate change and mass displacement, she made the statement at a discussion in Abuja on Sunday, July 9, 2023.
To buttress this claim, the (UNFPA) annual state of the World Population Report, (SWOP) says by the middle of 2023, the world’s population will reach eight billion.
The report, which was released in June, offers information on population patterns around the world and their effects on development.
Nigeria’s population is expected to increase from 216 million in 2022 to 223.8 million by the middle of 2023, according to a recent UN research.
In 2006, according to the results of the most recent census, there were 180 million people living in Nigeria, according to the SWOP Report, which emphasises the country’s rapid population rise.
It showed that the population from 0 to 14 years old increased by 43%, that from 10 to 19 years old climbed by 23%, that from 10 to 24 years old increased by 33%, that from 15 to 64 years old increased by 54%, and that from 65 years and above increased by 3%.
Mueller went on to say that the theme of the 2023 UNFPA SWOP Report, is “8 Billion Lives, Infinite Possibilities: The Case for Rights and Choices,” in order to transform the way that people often think about
population statistics.
She pleaded with decision-makers and the media to give up sensationalised accounts of population booms and collapses.
The report, according to the national representative, has been the Fund’s yearly flagship publication since 1978 with the goal of drawing attention to population issues, growth, and demographic changes on a worldwide scale.
In order to ensure that no one is left behind, the study must also examine the potential and difficulties they bring for global, regional, national, and sub-national development.
According to her, recommendations are made in the study to improve the health, happiness, and rights of people and communities around the world.
