The world population grew by 75 million people over the past year and on New Year’s Day it will stand at more than eight billion, according to figures released by the US Census Bureau.
The worldwide growth rate in the past year was just under one per cent. At the start of 2024, 4.3 births and two deaths are expected worldwide every second, according to the Census Bureau figures released on Thursday.
The growth rate for the United States in the past year was 0.53 per cent, about half the worldwide figure. The US added 1.7 million people and will have a population on New Year’s Day of 335.8 million people.
If the current pace continues through the end of the decade, the 2020s could be the slowest-growing decade in US history, yielding a growth rate of less than four per cent over the 10-year-period from 2020 to 2030, said William Frey, a demographer at The Brookings Institution.
The slowest-growing decade currently was in the aftermath of the Great Depression in the 1930s, when the growth rate was 7.3 per cent.
“Of course growth may tick up a bit as we leave the pandemic years. But it would still be difficult to get to 7.3 per cent,” Frey said.
At the start of 2024, the US is expected to experience one birth every nine seconds and one death every 9.5 seconds.
However, immigration will keep the population from dropping. Net international migration is expected to add one person to the US population every 28.3 seconds.
This combination of births, deaths and net international migration will increase the US population by one person every 24.2 seconds.
Greece, an ageing population
Similarly to the US, in 2021, the total population of Greece was around 10.68 million people, in 2022 it dropped to 10.46 where it is projected to remain for 2024. The year after a further decrease to 10.45 is expected. The drop in numbers will be continued according to Greece’s official statistics agency, Statista reaching 10.4million in 2028.
After a subtle year-over-year increase from 2004 to 2011, the population of Greece has experienced a slight drop from 2011 until 2014. Population growth decreased marginally in 2011 compared to the previous year, and once again in 2012 in comparison to 2011. Greek women also bore fewer children per woman on average in 2011, a slight decrease from 2010.
But a lower fertility rate is not necessarily the only reason for the country’s total population decline, Greece’s recent economic downturn also plays a role. Due to poor decisions in regards to spending made by the government, Greece has suffered through an economic crisis since 2010, diminishing the incentive to live in the country. The unemployment rate dramatically surged since the crisis, reaching a decade high in 2013. Additionally, the country’s GDP has significantly dropped in the same time frame from 2008 to 2013, with the largest slump in GDP growth occurring in 2011.
Despite a severe economic slump, Greece still managed to maintain a relatively high HDI value in 2012, preserving a spot among the top 30 countries worldwide. The HDI, or Human Development Index, is based on parameters such as literacy rate, education levels, GNI and life expectancy, which was one of the highest in the world in 2011.
*With AAP and Statista
