Earth's 7-billion population milestone: By the numbers

The global population is expected to pass the 7-billion mark next week, raising concerns about our limited natural resources and public health

A busy street walk in Hong Kong: While China has long suffered from overpopulation, it is actually Qatar that is the world's fasted-growing country.
(Image credit: REUTERS/Bobby Yip)

Seven billion. Sometime next week, that will become the number of human beings living on Earth, the United Nations projects. The world's population has grown incredibly fast in recent years, fueling both environmental and public health crises. It's a "sobering reminder of our planet's predicament," says Roger Martin at Britain's Guardian. Here, a brief guide, by the numbers to Earth's human inhabitants:

500 million

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