Global Scans · Population · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: The global population is expected to reach 8.5 billion in 2030, up 1 billion from 2016. Western economies are declining in numbers and emerging economies witnessing burgeoning growth.

• [New] Based on the UN's 2024 medium-fertility scenario, the world population is projected to reach 10 billion around 2058 and peak at approximately 10.3 billion around 2084. World Population Clock
• [New] The UN's 2024 World Population Prospects projects approximately 9.7 billion people by 2050, with an 80% confidence interval ranging from around 9.4 to 10.1 billion depending on fertility outcomes. World Population Clock
• [New] Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to experience the most dramatic growth, potentially doubling or tripling its current population. World Population Clock
• [New] China is projected to experience the largest absolute population loss of any nation, potentially losing over 200 million people between 2024 and 2054 due to sustained low fertility. World Population Clock
• [New] By 2100, China is projected to have lost more than half of its current population. World Population Clock
• [New] China, currently the world's second-most populous nation, will likely experience the largest absolute population loss between 2024 and 2054, at 204 million people, followed by Japan and Russia. World Population Clock
• [New] Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to double its population by 2050, driven by high birth rates and a young demographic structure. World Population Clock
• [New] An older global population will dramatically increase demand for chronic disease management, long-term care, and elder-specific medical services. World Population Clock
• [New] Pressure on Iran to reach a deal is high as the US switch from bombing (which can unite a population) to even tougher economic sanctions via the blockade of Iranian oil exports will intensify popular discontent with the Iranian Government. FinSec Partners
• [New] Some 1.8 million people - nearly the entire population of Gaza - are displaced and living in IDP camps, and are dependent on aid amid ongoing hostilities, devastated infrastructure, and rising public health risks. UNSCO
• [New] IP and product strategies that credibly solve calibration-free or self-calibrating BP estimation - whether through multi-sensor fusion, population-level model personalization, or novel physiological reference signals - will command significant competitive advantage. PatSnap
• [New] A separate report by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) warns of harmful coping mechanisms, including child marriage, across the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Question of Palestine
• [New] The world will need to produce significantly more food to feed a population nearing 10 billion by 2050. BriefGlance
• [New] Australia's population is rapidly ageing, and estimates show Australia will need an additional 10,000 aged care beds per year to meet demand. Australian Ageing Agenda
• [New] As Utah continues to experience rapid population growth and rising housing costs, housing policy will remain central to how communities across the Wasatch Region plan for the future. Wasatch Advocates for Livable Communities
• [New] With nearly 75% of the UK population now fully embracing digital banking, building societies, like Nottingham Building Society, recognise the need to modernise their technology to ensure maximum uptime and deliver the digital experiences members expect. FinExtra
• [New] The workforce in Bathurst, New Brunswick is expected to massively drop in the next decade to an ageing and retiring population. CTVNews
• [New] With globalization, increasing human population, climate change, and other factors, global vulnerabilities to emerging diseases, including pandemics, are growing. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] If UN Population Division projections for 2050 hold true, the world will experience 1.6 times more deaths in 2050 than in 2019, implying a surge in demand for healthcare driven by a growing older-age population. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] Heat-related mortality among the elderly was projected to rise by more than 250% in the 2080s under RCP8.5 and a medium population growth scenario in China, and the global meningitis incidence was projected to increase by more than 180% in severe climate change scenarios by 2100. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] Considering that more than 80% of the global population currently resides in LMICs, climate change, therefore, risks impacting a massive proportion of the global population. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] India's energy demand is projected to increase more than that of any other country in the coming decades due to its population size and economic potential. Tata Power
• [New] A new University of Oxford study finds that almost half of the global population (3.79 billion) will be living with extreme heat by 2050 if the world reaches 2.0 °C of global warming above pre-industrial levels - a scenario that climate scientists see as increasingly likely. Oxford University

Last updated: 30 April 2026