World Population Day

11 Jul 2013

An annual event that marks the date when the world's population reached 5 billion (11 July 1987). There are now 7 billion people in the world, and there will probably be 8 billion by 2030.

For background information and details of the annual theme for the Day, visit the UN Population Fund's World Population Day website.

For World Population Day 2011 the UN Population Fund kicked off the 7 billion actions campaign, which aims to "engage people, spur commitment and spark actions related to the opportunities and challenges presented by a world of 7 billion people".

For further ideas, have a read through our recent article Seven billion people... on teaching about population issues, or Fight Poverty: Educate Girls, the article we wrote for World Population Day 2009. You could also browse through the resources on listed on the Global Dimension database under the topics of 'Population' and Millennium Development Goals.

This 'info-graphic' aims to show, in a simple way, percentages of the world's population by gender, age, language, nutrition, etc. This is also explored in the book If the World Were a Village (a great resource for younger pupils).

The World as 100 People infographic by JackHagley.

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