World Population Day provides an occasion to acknowledge advancements made by people.
Despite its difficulties, our planet has higher proportions of educated and healthy people than at any other time in history.
The path to the prosperity and peace that everyone desires—and deserves—lies in societies that invest in their citizens, in their rights, and in their freedom of choice.
Let’s remember this statistic when the population of the globe surpasses 8 billion in the next months.
This historic event will generate a lot of discussion and debate, as well as perhaps some fear mongering about “too many” people.
That would be erroneous.
Only concentrating on population size and growth rates frequently results in forceful, ineffective policies and the degradation of human rights, such as women being forced into having children or forbade from having children.
It can exacerbate already severe disparities, for as by blocking access to reproductive health care or denying older people adequate pensions, further marginalizing the most disadvantaged.
More complexity and richness exists in the demographic story than can be expressed by a single figure.
While there may be more people in the world than ever before, the unparalleled demographic diversity we observe within it is just as significant.
Two-thirds of the world’s population now reside in a region or country with below-replacement fertility, or fewer than 2.1 births per woman, and an increasing number of nations are dealing with population aging.
Others have populations that are young and expanding. Additionally, more people are moving—either voluntarily or as a result of disasters like war or climate change.
For opportunities to be seized and potential negative effects to be reduced, it is essential to comprehend these developments.
People are the issue; not things. At UNFPA, we support monitoring and predicting population shifts.
Every nation should have access to the data it needs to accommodate the requirements of various population segments and guarantee that each person may reach their full potential.
People can navigate risks and serve as the cornerstone of more inclusive, flexible, and sustainable societies when they have the power to make educated decisions about whether and when to have children, when they can exercise their rights and duties.
To build this demographic resilience, one must be committed to counting not just the population but also the prospects for advancement and the obstacles in its path.
This necessitates changing discriminatory practices that limit people’s potential and the advancement of societies.
It guides us toward resource allocation that is equitable, economies that benefit everyone rather than just a select few, and risk mitigation that allows us to meet the demands of both the present and the future generations.
As is true for the human family, we are all much more than just numbers. Let’s count carefully, but numbers do matter.
There are countless opportunities for people, societies, and our shared planet to flourish in a resilient world of 8 billion people that values individual rights and choices.