World Population day is celebrated on July 11 every year. It draws attention towards the awareness among people about the impact of a growing population, issues of gender equality, the importance of family planning, poverty, and human rights. The day also aims to make people aware of the impact of overpopulation on the country’s development and environment.
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The theme for World Population Day 2022 is “A world 8 billion: towards a resilient future for all- Harnessing opportunities and ensuring rights and choices for all”. According to the United Nations Population Fund, the world population will hit the 8 billion mark in 2022. The world achieved the 7 billion mark in 2011. Out of the 8 billion people living on the planet, all of them do not have equal opportunities. They still face the issues of discrimination and violence on the basis of religion, caste, gender, and disability.
World Population Day was started by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989. The world population crossed its 5 billion mark on July 11, 1989. The United Nations General Assembly in 1990 commemorated the day with Resolution 45/26.
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The day focuses to raise awareness about the harm of overpopulation on the ecosystem. The annual discussions of the day include sexual equality, family planning, poverty, civil rights and health issues faced by women at large. Based on the statistics, the world population currently stands at 7.96 billion and is expected to grow by 8.5 billion by 2030.
China has the largest population in the world, followed by India. Coping with a vast population can cause problems like inequitable distribution of resources. One example is the COVID-19 pandemic, where lack of access to medical facilities led to an increase in the mortality rate.
Emerging nations are every day seeing problems related to gender equality and human rights violations because of overpopulation.
