The world's population now stands at 7 Billion, as of October 31. Of this 7 Billion, 10 million are from 22 Pacific island countries and territories.
Globally, population has doubled since 1968 and grown by almost 40 per cent since reaching 5 billion in 1987, an event that led to the first World Population Day. Population growth will continue at least until mid-century despite declines in the average number of children per woman, according to the UN Population Division.
Nearly all of this population growth - 97 of every 100 people - is occurring in less developed countries, some of which already struggle to meet their citizens' needs. Gaps between rich and poor are growing. And more people than ever are vulnerable to food insecurity, water shortages and weather-related disasters. Meanwhile, many rich and middle-income countries are concerned about low fertility, declining populations and ageing.
Several events were organised to mark this global milestone of 7 Billion, one of which was the launch of the UNFPA's flagship publication, State of World Population 2011 entitled People and Possibilities in a world of 7 Billion. The other two reports were published at identical time intervals of 12 years, in 1987 and 1999 respectively.
"Throughout the three reports, one overriding consensus prevails and that is that we are experiencing an exceptional population growth which is certainly not the norm for the long population history of mankind," UNFPA Director and Representative Mr. Dirk Jena said when launching the report.
"The population growth makes that each and every day about 200,000 more people are living on our planet Earth and State of World Population 2011 shows through life stories from nine countries that the challenges as well as the opportunities that come with it, are of a formidable magnitude and diversity."
The opportunities in a world of 7 Billion
People under 25 make up 43 percent of the world's population, but the percentage reaches 60 percent in the least-developed countries. In the Pacific, this proportion ranges from 52 percent in Micronesia to 57 percent in Melanesia and Polynesia. Across the Pacific, there are more than 5 million people under the age of 25.
The State of World Report considers the high proportion of youth in the total world population as a "new global power reshaping the world for more equitable access to resources and opportunities". The challenge in the Pacific region is to ensure that these young people become a powerful force in economic development and positive change. To achieve this, they need to be empowered to claim their right to health, education and decent working conditions.
On the other hand, by 2050, people over the age of 60 will number approximately 2.4 billion. Mr Jena noted that increasing average life expectancy brought another societal benefit into play: that for the first time, three generations would be living together for a much longer period of time.
"This demographic fact creates additional space for constructive inter-generational dialogue whereby women and men, old and young learn, grow and accumulate knowledge and life skills from and through each other," he said.
"This development is of special relevance to societies such as those of the Pacific islands states where members may be absent for a prolonged period of time due to migration for reason of paid employment."
The 7 Billion Actions campaign
October 31 also marked the conclusion of the 7 Billion Actions campaign - a global collaborative effort involving National Geographic, IBM and SAP, as well as many other private sector and UN partners and civil society organizations - calls on people to get involved. It uses new partnerships, technologies and social marketing to spur commitment and action.
In the Pacific region, UNFPA Pacific Sub-Regional Office (PSRO) signed an agreement with IPPF that enables coordination in terms of programme support and operational assistance for strengthening sexual and reproductive health services for vulnerable populations; the expansion of advisory services in the focus areas of political advocacy; youth outreach; work with FBOs, commodity security, capacity building and human rights issues.
The 7 Billion campaign is further underscored by the completion and endorsement of three population policy documents prepared by national task forces of Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Fiji, with technical assistance from UNFPA PSRO.
