Throughout most of human history, global population growth was very low; between 10,000BCE and 1700CE, the average annual increase was just 0.04 percent. Therefore, it took several thousand years for the global population to reach one billion people, doing so in 1803. However, this period marked the beginning of a global phenomenon known as the demographic transition, from which point population growth skyrocketed. With the introduction of modern medicines (especially vaccination), as well as improvements in water sanitation, food supply, and infrastructure, child mortality fell drastically and life expectancy increased, causing the population to grow. This process is linked to economic and technological development, and did not take place concurrently across the globe; it mostly began in Europe and other industrialized regions in the 19thcentury, before spreading across Asia and Latin America in the 20th century. As the most populous societies in the world are found in Asia, the demographic transition in this region coincided with the fastest period of global population growth. Today, Sub-Saharan Africa is the region at the earliest stage of this transition. As population growth slows across the other continents, with the populations of the Americas, Asia, and Europe expected to be in decline by the 2070s, Africa's population is expected to grow by three billion people by the end of the 21st century.
Number of years taken for the world population to increase by one billion people from its first billion in1803 until its projected 11 billion in 2088
Characteristic
Years taken to increase by one billion
1803-1927: 1 to 2 billion
124
1927-1960: 2 to 3 billion
33
1960-1975: 3 to 4 billion
15
1975-1987: 4 to 5 billion
12
1987-1999: 5 to6 billion
12
1999-2011: 6 to 7 billion
12
2011-2024: 7 to 8 billion*
13
2024-2038: 8 to 9 billion*
14
2038-2056: 9 to 10 billion*
18
2056-2088: 10 to 11 billion*
32
Created with Highcharts 7.2.2Years taken to increase by one billion1241243333151512121212121213131414181832321803-1927:1 to 2 billion1927-1960:2 to 3 billion1960-1975:3 to 4 billion1975-1987:4 to 5 billion1987-1999:5 to6 billion1999-2011:6 to 7 billion2011-2024:7 to 8 billion*2024-2038:8 to 9 billion*2038-2056:9 to 10 billion*2056-2088:10 to 11 billion*
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*Estimates. The source uses UN estimates from its World Population Prospects report from 2015; the most recent version of the report (2020) does not give estimates for each year, but at five year intervals. The most recent report is consistent with estimates for when the population will reach eight, nine, and ten billion people respectively, however figures do not reach 11 billion in the 2020 report.
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OWID. (April 19, 2022). Number of years taken for the world population to increase by one billion people from its first billion in1803 until its projected 11 billion in 2088 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved February 23, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1291648/time-taken-for-global-pop-grow-billion/
OWID. "Number of years taken for the world population to increase by one billion people from its first billion in1803 until its projected 11 billion in 2088." Chart. April 19, 2022. Statista. Accessed February 23, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1291648/time-taken-for-global-pop-grow-billion/
OWID. (2022). Number of years taken for the world population to increase by one billion people from its first billion in1803 until its projected 11 billion in 2088. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: February 23, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1291648/time-taken-for-global-pop-grow-billion/
OWID. "Number of Years Taken for The World Population to Increase by One Billion People from Its First Billion In1803 until Its Projected 11 Billion in 2088." Statista, Statista Inc., 19 Apr 2022, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1291648/time-taken-for-global-pop-grow-billion/
OWID, Number of years taken for the world population to increase by one billion people from its first billion in1803 until its projected 11 billion in 2088 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1291648/time-taken-for-global-pop-grow-billion/ (last visited February 23, 2025)
Number of years taken for the world population to increase by one billion people from its first billion in1803 until its projected 11 billion in 2088 [Graph], OWID, April 19, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1291648/time-taken-for-global-pop-grow-billion/
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