USAID supports the 7 Billion Actions campaign, a global movement for all humanity. The UNFPA-led 7 Billion Actions campaign unites multiple corporations, organizations, and individuals to raise awareness around key issues identified as imperative to sustaining our growing global population.
The World at 7 Billion
Since 1950, the world population has more than doubled from 2.5 billion as this October 31st will mark the arrival of the seven billionth human being on earth.
The 7 billion milestone gives us the opportunity to celebrate the successes that have been achieved in global health – around the world people are living longer, healthier, more productive lives. However, it is also imperative to reflect on the challenges that face governments, communities, and families to ensure that all people everywhere are able to lead dignified, healthy lives.
USAID celebrates more than 45 years as the largest bilateral donor of voluntary family planning programs in developing countries. For decades research has shown that family planning is one of the most cost-effective health interventions in the developing world. For example, in Zambia, every one dollar invested in family planning saves four dollars in other development areas.
More than 215 million women worldwide have an unmet need for family planning, meaning they do not want to become pregnant, but they are not using a modern method of contraception. As world population rises it is imperative to focus on meeting the unmet need for family planning – and in the process, help solve any number of problems and contribute to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) [PDF, 653KB]. More than 190 nations have committed to achieve the MDGs, eight international development targets, which range from reducing poverty by half to improving maternal health, by 2015.
A World of Seven Billion Means We Must Take Measures Now to...
Reduce Poverty and Inequality: Family planning is a contributing component of sustainable development and poverty alleviation. In a recent USAID-supported study in Bangladesh [PDF, 147KB], families who received reproductive health services were not only healthier but also had larger incomes, higher levels of education, and improved access to water.
Improve maternal and child health: More than 350,000 maternal deaths occur every year. By allowing women to delay and space births, family planning could prevent as many as one in every three of maternal deaths. In the developing world, an estimated 90 percent of infants whose mothers die in childbirth will die by their first birthday. Family planning helps women have healthier children, and increases the likelihood that infants will survive and remain healthy.
Empower women and girls: When women have more opportunities to pursue an education, a career, and financial security, more money can then be spent on education and nutrition for their children, launching a cycle of opportunity rather than perpetuating a cycle of poverty. Enabling young women to avoid early pregnancy allows many to attend school longer, and as fertility falls, more women are able to join the labor force.
Meet the needs of youth: More than a quarter of the world's population – nearly 1.8 billion people – is between the ages of 10 and 24, and the numbers are growing. Our ability to meet this generation's reproductive health needs will not only determine future population levels, but also the quality of life for generations to come. USAID supports a variety of initiatives to reach young people with reproductive health education, "youth-friendly" services, and broader programs to increase education and job opportunities for young people, especially girls.
Protect the environment: A growing world population means more people will depend upon a healthy planet. Family planning slows population growth, which helps alleviate population pressure on key resources such as water, food and land. Maintaining the delicate balance between human health and productivity and protecting the environment and resources on which all life depends is crucial.
Plan for urban growth: Today, half of the world’s population lives in cities, and in the next three decades more than 90 percent of the world’s population growth will occur in cities in the developing world. The urban poor face many health hazards like air pollution, inadequate housing, insufficient water supply and sewage disposal. As a result, mortality rates are on the rise, particularly those of women and children. Responding to these challenges, USAID supports programs to improve access to reproductive health services in urban areas.
Stories of One of Seven Billion
The following stories represent individuals who are working to advance access to reproductive health in their communities. Although they are just one in seven billion, they are making a difference to improve health and save lives.
Rukia Seif is a population, health, environment (PHE) peer educator who promotes simple economic, environmental, and health behaviors to help her community.
Mahamadou Dembélé is a well-respected imam—an Islamic religious leader—in the rural area of Tambaga, which is located near Kita in southwestern Mali. Like his father, who was also an imam, he believes that to be a man of great influence, you must always practice what you preach.
As a mother of 10, Esther gave birth only once at a hospital; another delivery left her legs paralyzed. In spite of these challenges, Esther is a leader in her community working to create better maternal health care and family planning services.
Beatrice Delva is one of many women working to improve the use of contraception and the high rate of maternal mortality in Haiti. A mother of two, she has been working for three years in commodity security and management under the USAID-funded Leadership, Management & Sustainability Project.
Join in the conversation: We invite you to share your thoughts on the world at 7 billion on USAID for Global Health’s Facebook and Twitter pages.
In the interactive map below, place your mouse over each world region to see population projections for the remainder of the century. These numbers represent individual lives, each distinctively valuable, with needs to be met and rights to be respected.
Source: Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat,
World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision (Medium variant).
Africa
The population in Africa has more than quadrupled since 1950 from approximately 230 million to around 1.02 billion in 2010.
Asia
The population of Asia has more than doubled since 1965 from approximately 1.89 billion to around 4.16 billion in 2010.
Europe
The population of Europe has increased from approximately 547.3 million in 1950 to around 738.2 million in 2010.
Latin America
In the past 40 years, the population in Latin America and the Caribbean has more than doubled from approximately 286.4 million to around 590.1 million in 2010.
Northern America
Since 1950, the population of Northern America has more than doubled from approximately 171.6 million to around 344.5 million in 2010.
Oceania
The population of Oceania has more than doubled since 1965 from approximately 17.5 million to around 36.6 million in 2010.
