Scientific debate diverges on the forecast of the growth rate for the global population in the remainder of the 21st century. All acknowledge the declining birth rates of developed countries, with several countries in Europe & Asia actually having negative population growth already. Japan being the most extreme example. China too has gone slightly negative. However, the population growth of Africa in particular is set to explode in the coming decades. Current UN estimates reject the theory of a population rebound prior to 2100, estimating that the world population will reach 9 billion in 2037, 10 billion in 2058, and 10.4 in 2100. These estimates account for a declining population in currently developed nations but reject a sustained population shrinkage in the western world. Alternatively, some scientists and statisticians theorize that the mounting threats of climate change (among other temporary factors like social unrest) will have severe ramifications on population growth globally, stunting the explosive growth of developing nations. In this scenario, they estimate that the world population could “rebound” from 10 billion and shrink below it in the latter half of the century.

A decade will encompass the 0-9 digit years (e.g. 2050s refers to the years 2050-2059).

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