Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) on November 15 commemorated the global population having reached eight-billion, with the eight-billionth person born in the Philippines that morning.

The global population had grown by about one-billion since 2010.

“The world population continues to grow, but the pace of growth is slowing down. While it took about 12 years for the global population to grow by one-billion, the next one-billion is expected to take 14.5 years and will occur in 2037.

“This shows a slowdown in global growth,” United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) representative Dr Bannet Ndyanabangi said during a briefing at Stats SA’s headquarters in Pretoria.

He added that the population was projected to reach a peak of about ten-billion people during the 2080s, where it would remain until 2100.

“This is a time for celebration and a moment of reflection, a time for all countries to take stock and drive action, no matter the direction of their population growth.

“To achieve the 2030 Agenda, countries must anticipate and understand the way their populations are changing and develop unique responses, based on data that can help mitigate potentially negative effects and fully harness the opportunities that come with demographic change,” Ndyanabangi said.

Stats SA statistician-general Risenga Maluleke explained that South Africa’s population was currently estimated at 60.8-million, according to 2022 mid-year population estimates, making it the twenty-fifth most populous country in the world.

He said the National Development Plan recognised that the country’s population had hit a “sweet spot”, with a favourable age distribution profile made up of a large youthful and working-age population, along with proportionally fewer old persons and young children.

Through more targeted policy actions and investments to realise a youthful population that was healthy, educated and productive – with the requisite skills for a twenty-first century economy – Maluleke believed South Africa could accelerate its pace towards closing the gap in addressing its challenges.

“We must pause and reflect on the contribution of South Africa to the global population, identify key challenges that our population is facing, as well as identify emerging issues and how we are progressing as a country in relation to these,” Ndyanabangi said.

He added that the eight-billion mark was a reminder of how far humanity had come in terms of improved healthcare and access to emergency services – particularly in Africa – thereby extending and saving lives.

“If we look at the African continent, for example, the deaths of infants declined by 81% and maternal deaths declined by 37% between 2000 and 2020,” Ndyanabangi said.

He noted that Africa was home to one-fifth of the global population, with about 1.42-billion people calling the continent home.

“We have to invest in education, health, gender equality and access to decent work. We must be transformative by changing traditional norms that place women in situations of vulnerability and risk suffering violence to their families and communities.

“By investing in their people, countries can ensure their societies are resilient and meet demographic changes,” Ndyanabangi said.