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In one day's time, the United Nations has forecast that the population of planet Earth will reach 8 billion people. This is a significant milestone but not one that automatically should solicit celebrations or enthusiasm. It is a staggering point to reach given the range of problems now confronting the planet whether through existing wars and famine or through the increasing impact of climate change across all countries.
Since 1975, the world's population has been increasing by about one billion people every eleven to twelve years. This fact is itself demonstrates the extraordinary change in food production, health services including disease control and improved sanitation whether or not variable countries.
One of the lesser known facts however is how many people actually live outside the country in which they are born. It's only about 2 to 4 % over the past 50 to 60 years according to Dr Jennifer Sciubba, a political demographer for global consultancy, McKinseys. In those countries with ageing populations and shrinking workforces, migration may not be enough to sustain current standards of living let alone manage the challenges ahead. Equally while migration was seen as the solution for economies, it was always in a measured predictable numerical form and one that did not enable systems to deal with sudden, large displacements of people such as from the Ukraine or Venezuela.
Will reaching a global population of 8 billion make anything easier ?
