According to the research, the populations of 63 countries—including China and Japan—peaked before 2024. India and the US are two of the 126 nations whose populations are predicted to peak in the second part of this century or later than 2100. Remarkably, one in four individuals worldwide currently reside in a nation where the population has reached its peak.
The study also showed that, since 2022, life expectancy has increased in almost every country to levels seen before to the COVID-19 pandemic. Global life expectancy at birth increased to 73.3 years in 2024 from 70.9 years during the epidemic, an increase of 8.4 years since 1995. By 2054, it is predicted that further mortality decreases would raise the average worldwide lifetime to about 77.4 years. It is projected that by the late 2050s, almost half of all fatalities worldwide would happen to those 80 years of age or older, a substantial increase from 17% in 1995.
It is predicted that by the late 2070s, there will be 2.2 billion people 65 years of age and above, more than there are children under the age of 18. More people than the number of newborns aged one year or under will likely be 80 years of age or older by the mid-2030s, with 265 million such individuals.
According to a news release from New York, 700 million fewer people will live in the world in 2100 than were predicted ten years ago, or a 6% decrease. The population peaked before 2024 in 63 nations and regions, making up 28% of the world’s total population in 2024. The population of this group, which includes nations like China, Germany, Japan, and the Russian Federation, is expected to decrease by 14% during the next thirty years. The population of 48 more nations, including Brazil, Iran, Turkey, and Vietnam, is expected to peak between 2025 and 2054.
The primary cause of the global population rise through the middle of the century, according to the research, is historical growth momentum. It is projected that the number of women in the 15–49 age group would increase from around 2 billion in 2024 to a peak of about 2.2 billion in the late 2050s. Even if the number of births per woman declines below replacement levels, this increase will still occur. 79% of the projected population growth until 2054—an additional 1.4 billion people—will come from the youthful age structure brought forth by previous expansion.