VOICES "The world's just going to implode" Steve, decorator, UK "Poor countries need better infrastructure, not fewer children" Andre, lawyer, US Population maps - who, where and how fast? Launch new window  POPULATION FACTS In the 48 poorest countries, population is projected to triple by 2050 The global fertility rate has halved in the last 40 years India is set to overtake China as the world’s most populous country Source: UNPD

Stats bank
The world’s population is set to rise from six billion to more than nine billion by 2050. But while population is growing in some countries, it is shrinking in others. Find out more from the maps and graphs below.

As population continues to rise in the developing world, rich countries will count as an ever smaller proportion of the world population.

By the end of the 20th Century, the amount of people added to the world's population each year had begun to fall – but by 2050 it will still be three times higher than 100 years ago.