Recently in Population Category

On Monday, the world population will hit 7 billion. Now there's an app for that. Yesterday National Geographic released a free app for iPad -- 7 billion. Here's how it's described on iTunes:

FREE - Limited Time!
National Geographic magazine presents 7 Billion: How your world will change - to coincide with the arrival of the 7 billionth human being to our world. This app explores the challenges of a growing human population in a world of limited resources with informative videos, interactive maps, in-depth articles, and stunning photography.
Featured content includes....
- How big is 7 Billion? An insightful video of the demographic trends that got us here today and how it will impact us tomorrow.
- Birth of a New Brazil: How big families are out, to the credit of strong-willed women--and the steamy soaps that inspired them.
- The Face of Seven Billion Interactive: Tap on the "typical face" to find out who the most typical human is
- Rift in Paradise: As the global population increases Africa's Albertine Rift gives us a glimpse of what is at stake in the decades ahead.
- Bangladesh: See how resourceful residents of this country refuse to give in to rising seas
- Food Ark: Explore how preserving heirlooms seeds and breeds are crucial if we hope to feed our hungry world.
And to be incorporated into the app in December 2011:
- Cities are the Solution: They may be the best way to lift people from poverty and preserve the environment.

Next Monday the world population will reach 7 billion. It is projected to reach 9 billion by 2050, and could reach 10 billion by 2100. To get a sense of what that means, visit The Guardian to see what the world's population was when you were born. For me, the answer is (approximately)


The human population of the world reached 6 billion in 1999. We will add an entire world in the first 50 years of this century.¹ Share your results in the comments.

Related articles

• Population of world 'could grow to 15bn by 2100' (guardian.co.uk)
• A World Population Milestone, Coming Soonish (online.wsj.com)
• The world's population will reach seven billion on October 31 2011, says the UN (telegraph.co.uk)