On November 15, 2022, the United Nations said that a “milestone in human development” had occurred—the world population had reached eight billion—just 11 years after it passed seven billion on our planet. The global population is growing at its slowest rate since 1950, having fallen under one per cent in 2020 and is projected to reach a peak of around 10.4 billion people during the 2080s and to remain at that level until 2100.

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