World Population Day 2025: UN urges reproductive rights, gender equality as global population hits 8.1 billion

 

By Faridat Salifu

The World Population Day is a renewed global call to advance reproductive health, gender equality, and sustainable development, as the global population reaches an estimated 8.1 billion people.

Established by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1989, World Population Day is commemorated every July 11 to draw attention to urgent issues linked to global population trends, including poverty, health, education, and the environment.

The day was inspired by the milestone of “Five Billion Day” on July 11, 1987, when the global population reached five billion people.

Now, nearly four decades later, the world’s population has surpassed eight billion and is projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, according to the United Nations Population Division.

This year’s observance comes at a critical juncture, as population growth continues to slow globally while inequality, climate vulnerability, and gaps in access to reproductive health services persist.

In a statement released ahead of this day, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) emphasized that population figures alone do not determine progress what matters is whether people, especially women and girls, can make informed choices about their lives, bodies, and futures.

“Reproductive rights are not optional they are fundamental to health, gender equality, and sustainable development,” UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem said.

Sub-Saharan Africa remains the fastest-growing region in the world, with high fertility rates and significant unmet needs for family planning, especially among rural women and adolescent girls.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation with over 236 million people, is projected to become the world’s third most populous country by 2050 yet it continues to grapple with some of the highest maternal mortality rates and the lowest contraceptive use globally.

According to the UN, over 20 million Nigerian women still lack access to modern contraceptives, and nearly half of all births are unplanned.

Experts say improving access to reproductive healthcare, eliminating child marriage, and investing in adolescent girls’ education are key to building demographic resilience and lifting families out of poverty.

This year’s World Population Day theme underscores the need to center people not numbers in policymaking.

With more than 56 percent of the global population now living in urban areas and life expectancy averaging 73 years, the UN is urging governments to adopt inclusive, rights-based strategies that address both population dynamics and planetary boundaries.

The UN has also highlighted that expanding access to reproductive health services could prevent over 100 million unintended pregnancies globally each year and save thousands of lives.

In Nigeria, federal and state-level agencies are joining today’s global observance with a series of town halls, media engagements, school outreach campaigns, and community dialogues aimed at promoting family planning, youth empowerment, and environmental stewardship.

Civil society organizations and youth advocates are also using the day to spotlight growing concerns around gender-based violence, unsafe abortions, and underinvestment in sexual and reproductive health.

As Nigeria and other nations observe World Population Day 2025, experts agree that the most urgent population challenge is not how many people live on the planet but how well societies support their rights, dignity, and well-being.

For millions of people around the world, especially women and young people, the fight for equality, access, and opportunity is far from over.