World population could peak at 8.5 billion people by the 2050s, study predicts

The global population has steadily increased at a high rate for decades. For instance, in 2003 the population of the planet came in somewhere around 6.4 billion. Today, humanity has crossed the eight billion population mark. No shortage of studies and organizations attempt to predict what the future holds for humanity in terms of population statistics. Now, a new report states that if global society takes a “Giant Leap” in terms of investment in economic development, education, and health, the world population may peak at around 8.5 billion people by 2050.

This project was put together by scientists from the Earth4All initiative for the Global Challenges Foundation. Earth4All describes itself as an international initiative aimed at accelerating the systems-change urgently needed to promote an equitable future on a finite planet.

Study authors took advantage of a newly developed dynamics model, also referred to as Earth4All, to help them explore two distinct possible scenarios that could play out over the course of this century. The first scenario, called Too Little Too Late, entails the planet continuing to develop economically in the same way it has for the past 50 years. According to this version of events, many of the very poorest countries will actually break free from extreme poverty. Moreover, researchers estimate the global population may peak at around 8.6 billion in 2050 before declining to seven billion by the year 2100.