Â鶹APP

A group of first-year students at Yaba College of Technology demonstrate the English bond in an outdoor practical session.
Young people are a vital driving force in all societies, contributing energy, innovation and creativity to national development and to the achievement of the Goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Photo:? UNESCO-UNEVOC/Adedotun Ajibade

 

Realizing the hopes and aspirations of young people ¨C today and for the future

This year's World Population Day theme is "Realizing the hopes and aspirations of young people ¨C today and for the future."

The theme draws on a new report based on one of the largest global surveys of its kind, capturing the views of more than 108,000 internet-connected young adults aged 18 to 39 across 73 countries. Titled Lives, Choices and Futures: What young people want and what shapes their decisions about relationships and parenthood, the report offers a global snapshot of what young adults today want from relationships, family life and the future ¡ª and what they feel is standing in their way.

The report will be published on 7 July (8:00 a.m. EDT), just ahead of World Population Day ¡ª a timely opportunity to place evidence at the centre of global discussions on demographic change, reproductive rights and sustainable development. .

 

World Population Trends

It took hundreds of thousands of years for the world population to grow to 1 billion ¨C then in just another 200 years or so, it grew sevenfold. In 2011, the global population reached the 7 billion mark, it stands at almost 7.9 billion in 2021, and it's expected to grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050, and 10.9 billion in 2100.

This dramatic growth has been driven largely by increasing numbers of people surviving to reproductive age, and has been accompanied by major changes in fertility rates, increasing urbanization and accelerating migration. These trends will have far-reaching implications for generations to come.

The recent past has seen enormous changes in  and . In the early 1970s,  4.5 children each; by 2015, total fertility for the world had fallen to below 2.5 children per woman. Meanwhile, average  have risen, from 64.6 years in the early 1990s to  72.6 years in 2019.

In addition, the world is seeing high levels of  and accelerating migration. 2007 was the first year in which more people lived in , and by 2050 about 66 per cent of the world population will be living in cities.

These megatrends have far-reaching implications. They affect economic development, employment, income distribution, poverty and social protections. They also affect efforts to ensure universal access to health care, education, housing, sanitation, water, food and energy. To more sustainably address the needs of individuals, policymakers must understand how many people are living on the planet, where they are, how old they are, and how many people will come after them.

 

Did you know?

  • Fears about the future¡ªsuch as climate change, environmental degradation, wars, and pandemics¡ªare impacting fertility decisions, with nearly 1 in 5 saying these concerns have led or would lead them to have fewer children than desired.
  • Economic factors, including housing, childcare costs, and job insecurity, are major limits on family size; 39% reported financial issues affecting their ability to have their desired number of children.
  • The global average age of childbearing has risen steadily and now stands at 28 years.
  • Nearly 20% of adults of reproductive age expect they won¡¯t be able to have their desired number of children.
  • Access to reproductive healthcare remains a challenge, with 18% reporting difficulty obtaining contraception or fertility-related services.

What if you couldn¡¯t make any life choices?

Related Observances

The dramatic growth of world¡¯s population has been driven largely by increasing numbers of people surviving to reproductive age, and has been accompanied by major changes in fertility rates, increasing urbanization and accelerating migration. These trends will have far-reaching implications for generations to come. The Â鶹APP system has long been involved in addressing these complex and interrelated issues ¨C notably, through the work of the and the UN Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

In 2025, falling fertility rates are making global headlines, with some governments warning of a ¡°population collapse¡± and introducing drastic policies to boost births. But at the same time, millions of people still can¡¯t have the number of children they actually want. According to UNFPA¡¯s , the real crisis isn¡¯t about population numbers. It¡¯s about people losing the ability to make their own choices. It¡¯s a crisis of reproductive freedom.

an abstract illustration of people engaged in an event

International days and weeks are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. The existence of international days predates the establishment of the Â鶹APP, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool. We also mark other UN observances.