World Population Reaches 6 Billion

On October 12, the world population is projected to top 6 billion, according to the United Nations. This reflects a doubling of the population since 1960, with current growth of 77 million per year. UN projections show the population growing to between 7 billion and 10.5 billion by 2050. The vast majority of population growth is now occurring in Third World countries; in fact, many developed countries have reached zero population growth. You can view the real-time UN-estimated population on the following UN Web site:

www.unfpa.org/modules/6billion/en/index.htm.