The UN attributes human development to be the cause of the milestone, with people living longer thanks to improvements in public health, nutrition, personal hygiene, and medicine.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres;
“The milestone is an occasion to celebrate diversity and advancements while considering humanity’s shared responsibility for the planet.”
Asia, being one of the middle-income countries accounted for most of that growth, gaining some 700 million people since 2011.
India is set to surpass China as the world’s most populated nation next year as they added about 180 million people.
While births have been steadily declining in the United States, Europe, and Japan, some of the world’s poorest countries, most of which are in sub-Saharan Africa, witnessed spikes in population as a result of higher fertility rates, putting their development goals at risk.