Population and the environment - (WOW Facts)

Question 1

When did the world’s population reach 8 billion?

Answer 1

15 November 2022

Question 2

What was the annual global population growth rate in 2023?

Answer 2

0.92 %

Question 3

What is the average global population density (per km² of land)?

Answer 3

53 people/km²

Question 4

Around what annual increase in people does today’s growth rate represent?

Answer 4

About 70 million people per year

Question 5

What was the estimated global cereal output in 2024?

Answer 5

2 848 million tonnes

Question 6

How many kilocalories per person per day did the world average in 2022?

Answer 6

2 920 kcal

Question 7

How many people faced undernourishment in 2023?

Answer 7

Approximately 733 million (1 in 11 people)

Question 8

What fraction of Earth’s land surface is covered by deserts?

Answer 8

About one third

Question 9

Roughly how many people live in arid (desert) zones?

Answer 9

About 1 billion

Question 10

Which soil type covers ~7 % of global land and is crucial for grain production?

Answer 10

Chernozem (black soils)

Question 11

How much fertile soil is lost annually to erosion?

Answer 11

24 billion tonnes

Question 12

What was global life expectancy at birth in 2019?

Answer 12

73.3 years

Question 13

To what level did under 5 mortality fall by 2023?

Answer 13

37 deaths per 1 000 live births

Question 14

What proportion of global deaths in 2021 were due to non communicable diseases?

Answer 14

75 %

Question 15

How many premature deaths does air pollution cause annually?

Answer 15

7 million

Question 16

How many people lack safely managed drinking water?

Answer 16

2.2 billion

Question 17

How many malaria cases occurred in 2021, and where did 94 % of them occur?

Answer 17

247 million cases, 94 % in Africa

Question 18

How many people were affected by ischaemic heart disease in 2021?

Answer 18

250 million

Question 19

What was the WHO’s budget for 2024–25?

Answer 19

US$6.83 billion

Question 20

How much does the Global Fund mobilize per three year cycle?

Answer 20

Over US$9 billion

Question 21

What was the global Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in 2023?

Answer 21

2.3 children per woman

Question 22

What was the global median age in 2024?

Answer 22

30.6 years

Question 23

How many people were forcibly displaced by the end of 2023?

Answer 23

117.3 million (about 1 in 69 globally)

Question 24

What was humanity’s per capita ecological footprint in 2023?

Answer 24

2.6 global hectares

Question 25

On what date did Earth Overshoot Day fall in 2023?

Answer 25

2 August

Question 26

What is the UN’s medium variant projection for world population by 2050?

Answer 26

9.7 billion

Question 27

Which region will drive most population growth through mid century?

Answer 27

Africa (to about 2.5 billion by 2050)

Question 28

How many people are currently at risk of dengue infection?

Answer 28

3.9 billion

Question 29

What was Nigeria’s population and growth rate in 2023?

Answer 29

227.9 million, growing at 2.12 %

Question 30

What is Nigeria’s Total Fertility Rate and median age?

Answer 30

TFR 4.48; median age 17.8 years

Question 31

What was Japan’s population and rate of decline in 2024?

Answer 31

123.4 million, declining at –0.44 %

Question 32

What was Japan’s fertility rate and proportion aged 65+ in 2023?

Answer 32

1.14 children; over 28 % aged 65 and older