The global population is projected to reach an estimated 10.3 billion people by the mid-2080s, according to a new report from the United Nations. This is a significant increase from the current population of 8.2 billion.

The report highlighted several key trends, including a revised projection for the end of the century, which is now expected to be 6% smaller than estimates from a decade ago. Notably, one in four people worldwide resides in a country where the population has already peaked. This includes 63 countries where the population peaked before 2024, such as China, Germany, Japan, and the Russian Federation.

Historically, it took humanity hundreds of thousands of years to reach a population of 1 billion. However, the population has grown sevenfold in roughly two centuries, crossing the 7 billion mark in 2011. This dramatic increase has been driven by higher survival rates to reproductive age, urbanization, and large-scale migration.

Predicting future population sizes involves significant uncertainties. For example, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the world reached 8 billion people last September, while the UN marked this milestone nearly a year earlier.

The report also underscores a significant demographic shift: the global population is aging. By 2080, people aged 65 and older are expected to outnumber those aged 18 and younger, with the senior cohort projected to reach 2.2 billion. By the mid-2030s, the number of people aged 80 and older will surpass the number of infants.

In the United States, currently home to 341.8 million people, population growth is expected to continue until the 2050s. California remains the most populous state, followed by Texas, while New York City is the most populous city. Recent growth has been concentrated in the South, particularly in Texas and Florida, which saw significant population increases between 2022 and 2023.