8/27/11
As per the Population Reference Bureau, the global population passed the 7,000,000,000 mark earlier this morning. It took only four days to add the final million.
Other population clocks around the world are running their own numbers, as expected. Even with current mathematical and technical tools used to "count" living individuals, it is still difficult to agree on a target date. Demography is ticklish.
Nevertheless, we're there…another billion since 1999.
Showing posts with label billions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label billions. Show all posts
Planet Population: A Check-In Six Months Later
Exactly six months ago today I mentioned that the global population was well on its way to a 2011 total of seven billion. Current numbers are always registering on the Population Institute counter, which reflects net population.
The dynamic digits, at this moment, stand at six billion, eight hundred twenty-nine million, seven hundred twenty-nine thousand, four hundred forty-six.
So, our six month global population increase is 30,823,331.
Now, here comes the obligatory comparison. How much is thirty million individuals in terms of another political entity on Earth? Well, it's Uganda. Uganda is currently ranked as the 39th most populous nation. That's also close to 38th ranked Afghanistan.
Of course population increase scatters itself globally and so, in a sense, it's silly to compare the number to one geographic unit. But even to allow for a global sprinkling of 30.8 million additional souls since January 26th...it's a critical consideration.
Planet finiteness...
The dynamic digits, at this moment, stand at six billion, eight hundred twenty-nine million, seven hundred twenty-nine thousand, four hundred forty-six.
In 4th grade expanded notation, that's:
6,000,000,000 + 800,000,000 + 20,000,000 + 9,000,000
+ 700,000 + 20,000 + 9,000 + 400 + 40 + 6
So, our six month global population increase is 30,823,331.
Now, here comes the obligatory comparison. How much is thirty million individuals in terms of another political entity on Earth? Well, it's Uganda. Uganda is currently ranked as the 39th most populous nation. That's also close to 38th ranked Afghanistan.
Of course population increase scatters itself globally and so, in a sense, it's silly to compare the number to one geographic unit. But even to allow for a global sprinkling of 30.8 million additional souls since January 26th...it's a critical consideration.
Planet finiteness...
Thinking Back to the 1999 Head Count
Think back to what you were doing in the fall of 1999 (besides getting ready for the millenium disaster...). At that time, Earth hit the 6,000,000,000 mark: Net population. The zeros of this number were scribbled out on thousands of chalkboards that day.
We are headed for the finish line of an additional billion people in 2011; a mere 12 years to add a billion. The PopClock I just checked is running at 2+ more souls per second. Approximate total population through today:
6,798,906,115
Unless you are into demography, there is no reason to keep tabs on this number on a regular basis. The continual increase, though, is something to keep in the back of the mind, along with "finiteness."
We are headed for the finish line of an additional billion people in 2011; a mere 12 years to add a billion. The PopClock I just checked is running at 2+ more souls per second. Approximate total population through today:
6,798,906,115
Unless you are into demography, there is no reason to keep tabs on this number on a regular basis. The continual increase, though, is something to keep in the back of the mind, along with "finiteness."
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