The World of the Sixth Billionth Child

Each day, the world’s population continues to grow…

In 1999, the earth’s population surpassed 6 billion.

Did You Know?  10% of all of the people ever born in the history of the world are alive today! ever born in the history of the world are alive today!

Nevertheless, global population continues to rise at a rate of roughly 78 million people per year. Most of the growth is taking place in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of South and Western Asia.

…and children account for 1/3 of the whole population!

While the elderly over 65 years of age make up only 7%.

Unfortunately, the most affected countries are also the ones least able to support more people.

According to the United Nations, 80 percent and the “developing” countries account for 95 percent of population growth!

However, according to the United Nations, more than half of the world’s developed countries will experience population declines.

Measuring Population

When examining how the earth’s population is changing, we look at statistics such as:  Density = amount of arable land per person amount of arable land per person

The population density is derived by dividing the number of people by the area they occupy.

This map shows the number of people per square kilometer around the world.

USA density

We also look at the: “Carrying Capacity” “Carrying Capacity” The number of people which can be supported by available resources... The number of people which can be supported by available resources...

…data is presented according to “demographics”  GENDER  AGE  LIFE EXPECTANCY  OCCUPATION  EDUCATION  RACE, ETHNICITY

ESTIMATING POPULATION CHANGES

Population changes can be measured by looking at three sets of statistics…

1. BIRTH RATES 2. DEATH (Mortality) RATES, 3. MIGRATION

1. “BIRTH RATE” is the percentage of children born each year. If the number of births is greater than the number of deaths, the size of a nation’s population will grow.

TODAY’S POPULATION TIME CLOCK:  One child is born every 4 seconds 4 seconds  One child dies every 2 seconds. dies every 2 seconds.

2. DEATH (Mortality) RATE, simply put, is the percentage of citizens that die each year in a nation. If the number of deaths is greater than the number of births, a nation’s population will decrease.

LIFE EXPECTANCY: LIFE EXPECTANCY: A useful way to express the level of mortality of a population is LIFE EXPECTANCY at birth.

LIFE EXPECTANCY at birth is the average number of years a group of people born in the same year can be expected to live.

At the turn of the 21st century, the overall life expectancy in the world was 64 years. Countries with the highest levels of life expectancy were those of developed nations in North America and Europe.

3. MIGRATION: Migration of people from one nation to another affects the population growth rate; However, migration is a less predictable statistic!

MIGRATION is an important element of many nation’s population changes…

Some people migrate because they are being PUSHED OUT of their homelands by warfare, unrest, or persecution…

…Others are PULLED TOWARD new homelands because of better economic opportunities elsewhere…

There is currently a shift across national boundaries of approximately 3 million people each year!

Mexico is the largest SENDER of people to other nations. Some 300,000 leave each year. China is the next largest SENDER, transferring about 250,000 each year.

On the other sides of the equation, the United States RECEIVES about one-third of the total migration in the world!

The Story of the 6th Billionth Child is more than just numbers…

Defining “Overpopulation” ?  Comfort vs.Survival

How Do Humans Use Their Environment?  Resource Bank for Raw Materials Raw Materials  Habitat  Waste Disposal Site

The World of the 6th Billionth Child will face issues involving...  Air  Water  Nutrition  Health  Housing  Education

Nearly three-fifths of the 4.8 billion people in developing countries have no basic sanitation.

Almost a third lack access to clean water. A quarter have no adequate housing.

Leading Causes of Death…

Depletion of the Earth’s resources to meet population growth is an issue… For example, unrestricted logging, poor farming practices, and overfishing, threatens human life around the world.

The challenge remains to find ever more efficient and less environmentally harmful ways to feed the world.

Better management of soil, for example, by rotating crops, can reduce the need to clear more woodland for agriculture.

Something to think about… When you graduate from High School, the 7th Billionth Child Will be Born !

The World of the Sixth Billionth Child

Sources: The U.S. Census Bureau, The United Nations, Population Research Bureau