Test your Population Knowledge

TFR, or Total Fertility Rate, is the average number of births per woman during her lifetime and gives an indication of how family size is changing. A TFR of 2.1 is the “replacement rate” – in the absence of migration, a population with this TFR will eventually stabilise, and decline if the TFR dips below 2.1. Two children replace two parents, so why the extra .1? This is to account for child mortality – sadly, not all children survive to adulthood.

High population growth traps individuals, communities and even entire countries in poverty. Achieving sustainable population levels, locally and globally, helps people achieve the dignity and standard of living we all deserve.

According to the Global Footprint Network, based on our current consumption levels and population trajectory, by 2050, we would need three planets to sustain everyone without destroying nature.

Choosing to have smaller families (one, two or even no children) is exactly how we end population growth and ultimately achieve a sustainable population on the planet. The United Nations calculates that if, on average, every other family had just one fewer child than predicted (‘half a child’ less per family), there would be 1 billion fewer people by 2050 than currently projected, and our population would be lower in 2100 than it is today.

Overexploitation and habitat destruction – largely fuelled by our rapid population growth – are by far the biggest drivers of biodiversity loss. Climate change is becoming an increasingly important threat to countless species and is also in part driven by ever more consumers. We cannot stem the extinction tide without ending human population growth.

An ageing world is not at all as grave a problem as the headlines would have us believe, and its impacts can be mitigated. Population ageing is inevitable if we are to end population growth, and is infinitely preferable to the collapse of ecosystems and societies. Children are also dependents (more so than older people), and countries with very young, rapidly growing populations usually face much worse prospects than countries with ageing populations. A reorientation of economic priorities towards wellbeing and sustainability instead of growth is critical. Read our report ‘Silver Linings, not Silver Burdens’ for more info on population ageing!

The UN’s current medium projection – the most likely scenario – is a population of 9.7bn in 2050 and 10.4bn in 2100.

Coercive measures, like China’s one-child policy, are not needed and abuse people’s human rights. Time and time again, fertility rates have been brought down quickly and substantially in many parts of the world through ethical, positive measures.To address our current environmental crisis and achieve a global population that the Earth can sustain and a decent quality of life, we have to do more, better and quicker than we’ve ever done before. The most effective, globally beneficial way of ending population growth is to give women and girls the freedom to choose what happens to their bodies and lives, through equal rights, access to education, reproductive health services and career opportunities. Take our quiz on gender equality to learn more about this topic!

The impact on our environment is a product of our numbers and consumption habits. The only true, long-term solution to our environmental crises is to end both global population growth and excessive consumption in wealthy nations.

Many people confuse growth rate with absolute growth. In 1950, the world population was 2.5 billion and growing at 1.9% per year, resulting in an absolute increase of around 47 million people. Today, the growth rate is only 1.05%, but because our total population is so much larger, the absolute annual increase is around 80 million people.