The World Population Has Reached 8 Billion – Now What?

The World Population Has Reached 8 Billion – Now What?

The global population has reached 8 billion, what does this mean for the future of our world?

Dr. Rachel Snow of the United Nations Population Fund is here to answer your questions.

The Pursuit of Rights and Choices for All

Patricia, 23, arrived at the fair in Ahua Village, Côte d’Ivoire, knowing very little about contraception. But she was intrigued. "I do not want to have more children now because I do not have the means to support them," she said. © UNFPA WCARO
Dr. Natalia Kanem spends time with midwives and UNFPA staff at the D5 reproductive health clinic in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. © UNFPA Bangladesh/Lauren Anders Brown
Family planning is helping women in Myanmar protect their health and families. © UNFPA Myanmar ​
Natalia Kanem

Population policies today are about people, not numbers, and about the rights of individuals and couples to freely decide whether, when or how often to have children. But it has not always been this way.