According to a report published by the U.N., the world's population reached 8 billion people on Nov. 15.

The UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities) held a conference in Abuja on this occasion. The U.N. predicts that the world's population will increase by another 9 billion over the next 15 years, with low and lower-middle-income countries such as Nigeria accounting for 90 percent of the growth.

Nigeria is one of the eight countries that the U.N. predicts will contribute to more than half the world's population growth between now and 2050. With resources already stretched thin, over 15 million people in Lagos compete for everyday necessities.

The world's population is growing at an unprecedented rate which is a significant milestone as it took over a decade to achieve, but it doesn't necessarily mean that it's a good thing.

In the next three decades, Nigeria's population is expected to increase even more: from 216 million this year to 375 million, according to the U.N. That would make Nigeria the fourth-most populous country in the world after India, China, and the United States.

Sustainable economic growth and development are necessary to match fertility rates and rapid population growth, according to U.N. officials.

Erika Goldson, the deputy country representative for Nigeria at the UNFPA, stated that population growth must be in line with economic growth and development.

"One of the things that concern us as the U.N. is that this progress is not received equally across the board," said Goldson.

"There are some citizens within countries who are denied access to basic healthcare, and education, and the whole overall quality of life are affected negatively. We see this as an opportunity for the global community to come together to see that 8 billion of us have a quality life," she added.

President Muhammadu Buhari's efforts to reduce fertility rates by expanding birth control earlier this year may help reduce the population size in the next half-century, according to the U.N.

The world's population growth from 7 to 8 billion people in just 12 years is the fastest it has ever been in recorded history.

This is thanks to improvements in public health, nutrition, personal hygiene, and medicine, which have led to an increase in human lifespan.

High and persistent fertility levels in some countries also contribute to the growth.

However, it is concerning that the countries with the highest fertility levels are almost always those with the lowest income per capita. This means that global population growth is becoming increasingly concentrated among the world's poorest countries most of them in sub-Saharan Africa.

Nigerian Children
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