World's population forecast to peak in 2080 before declining, new projections show
After peaking in 2080 at 10.13 billion, the updated research shows a population decline by the year 2100 to 9.88 billion. The Wittgenstein Centre projections put the total U.S. population above 404 million by 2080.
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Researchers are projecting the world's population to peak in 2080, with more than 10.13 billion people on Earth, before the population begins to drop.
New human population projections were released this month in an update to the interactive dataset by Austrian research organizations, the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and the Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital.
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Previous projections by the research groups forecast the world's population would peak in 2070 at 9.7 billion. However, the latest dataset shows a later and higher population peak because of reductions in mortality and a slower-than-anticipated fertility decline in high-fertility countries, according to the IIASA.
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Wittgenstein Centre Human Capital Data Explorer allows users to search for population projections by country, age, sex and factor in education level.
After peaking in 2080 at 10.13 billion, the dataset shows a population decline by the year 2100 to 9.88 billion.
Researchers note that in the next 30 years, more than 60% of the population will have an upper-secondary education.
"On average, the population in the projections will be much better educated than today’s because the younger cohorts are better educated than the older ones virtually everywhere," according to the IIASA news release.
US population growth rate slowing
The Wittgenstein Centre projections put the U.S. population above 404 million by 2080.
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Population growth is expected to slow over the next 30 years in the U.S. because of fertility rates and the population of 65 and older outpacing the growth of younger age groups, according to the U.S. Congressional Budget Office.
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According to the office's projections, the U.S. population is currently at 342 million in 2024 and is projected to grow to 383 million in the next 30 years.