Theme: According to UNFPA, this year focuses on how to safeguard the health and rights of women and girls; and putting the brakes on COVID-19.

World Population Day on July 11 is a holiday that’s dedicated to focusing on the importance of population issues. The day was established by the United Nations as a result of the massive interest people had in Five Billion Day in 1987. Sure, you might know that there are more than seven billion people on earth right now, but how often do you stop to think about what that really means? Five Billion Day, in 1987, was meant to acknowledge the date on which the world’s population reached an estimated five billion people, which supposedly happened on July 11 of that year (hence the annual date for World Population Day). And look how much the population has increased since then! Population issues cover a lot of territories, from family planning, gender equality, and environmental impacts to human rights concerns.

The issue of population is also causing strain on society: heinous crimes are happening more than ever in the areas of gender inequality and human rights, especially in developing countries. Leadership is already doing a subpar job at taking care of its citizens, and as more people come into the world, violations such as human trafficking and child labor are increasingly becoming normal.

This year’s theme according to UNFPA, focuses on how to safeguard the health and rights of women and girls; and putting the brakes on COVID-19. We can’t ignore the fact that COVID-19 pandemic disturbed and staggered people, communities, and economies everywhere. But everyone is not affected equally. For example, women, who account for the largest share of front-line workers, are disproportionately exposed to the coronavirus.

Around the world supply chains are also disturbed, which is impacting the availability of contraceptives and heightening the risk of unintended pregnancy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, countries are on lockdown, health and systems are struggling for coping, several services are affected including sexual and reproductive health services and also, gender-based violence increased.

HOW TO OBSERVE WORLD POPULATION DAY

• Educate yourself and take a deep dive into their problems and potential solutions.
• Share that information with your networks. Use World Population Day to ask people to have a good long think on these issues and what they can do to help. If you’re posting on social media, make sure to hashtag it with #worldpopulationday.
• Donate to organizations focused on population issues. There are so many amazing nonprofits and NGOs out there that are doing tough work on population issues every single day, especially in the developing world. They include organizations that educate women about contraception and family planning, ones that help people lift themselves out of poverty, and ones that help refugees that have fled their homes because of environmental issues or human rights abuses. If you are able, find ways to donate your time and/or your money to these heroic organizations.

AMAZING POPULATION FACTS

• The rate at which population grows: The world population increases by about 83 million people every year.
• A change in pattern: The population in Africa is growing, whereas the European population is shrinking.
• Monaco has the most dense population in the world: While it is the second smallest independent state in the world, its population is a staggering 39,500, which is about 68,212 people per square mile.
• Life expectancy is unexpectedly increasing: In 2000, the average global life expectancy was 67 years old. Fast forward 20 years, and it increased to 72.
• Millennials make up 27% of the world’s population: About two billion people all over the world are part of this generation.

WHY WORLD POPULATION DAY IS IMPORTANT

• It touches everyone: However, the more people are added to the population, the more power and food is needed to sustain all of them. It’s hard to keep up with food and power production at the rate that the population is growing, and efforts to do so are contributing greatly to climate change, which affects you no matter where you live.
• It makes us focused: World Population Day obviously reminds us to look at the current population and population issues that influence how people live now. However, it’s really focused on the future, and what efforts it will take to slow population growth. The most important thing to think of is what the world will look like for your kids, grandkids, great-grandkids, etc. if the population continues to grow at this rate.
• There’s a big disparity in how population issues affect different countries: Population issues disproportionately affect people in developing countries. For instance, did you know that people in very poor countries have a life expectancy that’s about 20 years shorter than people in rich, developed countries? How about that 1/3 of population growth is due to unplanned pregnancies, which often happen when people are lacking education and family planning services? World Population Day is a good reminder to step outside ourselves and focus on these important issues.

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