ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the main conclusions of the United Nations Global Population Projections, 2012, for an increase in the global population from about 6 billion in 2000 to over 9 billion in 2050. It highlights the critique of the technical assumptions on mortality, fertility and distribution, and of development on which the projections are based. It discusses whether and how a global population of over 9 billion can be sustainable, and at what levels and styles of consumption and production in a world of threats and opportunities in development associated with climate change, environmental crisis and greater concern for equality and human rights. The most important projections of future global population trends are those of the United Nations Population Division, and published in its World Population Prospects, with projections to 2050, and updated every two years. They are based on a set of assumptions about each of the components of population change.
