By Bisola Adeyemo
* Nigeria becomes 6th most populous country
The United Nations (UN) has disclosed that the world’s population is projected to reach eight billion on Nov. 15.
The information is in a statement released on Monday in New York by the UN to mark the 2022 World Population Day (WPD).
WPD was established by the Governing Council of the UN Development Programme in 1989. It is an annual event observed on July 11 to raise awareness on global population issues.
The day has “A World of 8 billion: Towards a Resilient Future for All –Harnessing Opportunities and Ensuring Rights and Choices for All” as its theme for 2022.
The report shows Nigeria moved from the 10th most populous country in 1990 with 94m people to become the 6th most populous nation in 2020 with 216m people.
The world’s most populous black nation is also projected to become the 4th most populous with a 375m population by 2050.
In a statement issued by the Media Associate of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in Nigeria, Hajiya Kori Habib to in Abuja on Monday, the world body stated that the world population figure is a milestone for humanity.
It also projected that India will be the world’s most populous country in 2023, surpassing China.
It added that growing number of countries face population ageing, while others have youthful and growing populations, as more people are on the move, either by choice or driven by crises ranging from conflict to climate change.
It stated that “understanding these shifts is critical to harnessing opportunities and mitigating potential downsides.
“Roughly two-thirds of the world’s population now live in a country or area with below-replacement fertility, or fewer than 2.1 births per woman. Fertility rates are at a historic low.”