ABSTRACT
World population data are presented from antiquity to our times. This puts in perspective the explosion of the global population growth over the last couple of centuries. It took us until 1804 to reach one billion but we exceeded 2.5 billion by 1960. Particularly in the decades since then, population growth has been the fastest. We’re approaching eight billion today and are forecast to reach ten billion by 2057. The chapter then uses national population censuses as props to demonstrate how such data are actually produced from individual observations that are transformed into actual, usable statistics. Many decisions made along the way are discussed, as are data aggregation and harmonization methods. The importance of metadata documentation is also stressed for international comparability. A discussion of life expectancies is also included. The fact-checking tips discuss the need for familiarity with data sources and flows, as well as how to deal with predictions and exaggerated claims.
