According to a United Nations report, the global population will peak within this century as birth rates plummet

According to the organization's yearly World Population Prospects report, the global population is expected to peak at roughly 10.3 billion in the mid-2080s, up from 8.2 billion today. It is estimated to progressively fall to 10.2 billion by 2100, 6% lower than forecast a decade ago.

In 2022, the United Nations projected that the world population would reach 10.4 billion by the 2080s.

"In some countries, the birth rate is now even lower than previously anticipated, and we are also seeing slightly faster declines in some high-fertility regions," UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Li Junhua, stated.

"The earlier and lower peak is an encouraging indicator. This could result in lower environmental pressures from human activities due to lower aggregate consumption," Li remarked.

On average, women are producing one fewer children than they did in 1990. In more than half of all countries, the average number of live births per woman has fallen below 2.1, the amount required for a population to remain stable without migration. The UN stated that countries such as China, South Korea, Spain, and Italy have "ultra-low" fertility rates.

As of 2024, 63 countries, including China, Germany, Japan, and Russia, had reached their demographic peak. The overall population of these countries is expected to decrease by 14% over the next 30 years.