The global population grew by less than 1 per cent a year for the first time since the second world war in 2020 and 2021 with Europe’s total population actually falling during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a UN report.
The populations of 61 countries are forecast to decrease by at least 1 per cent between 2022 and 2050, and the associated low fertility rates will also combine with better healthcare to accelerate the ageing of societies.
As the figures were released in the UN’s World Population Prospects report, António Guterres, UN secretary-general, focused on the effects of healthcare rather than declining fertility and hailed the “advancements in health that have extended lifespans and dramatically reduced maternal and child mortality rates”.