world population distribution

The world population is the total number of living humans on the planet Earth. As of today, it is estimated to be 6.975 billion by the United States Census Bureau. According to a separate estimate by the United Nations, it has already exceeded 7 billion. The world population has experienced continuous growth since the end of the Great Famine and Black Death in 1350, when it stood at around 370 million. The highest rates of growth increases above 1.8% per year were seen briefly during the 1950s, and for a longer period during the 1960s and 1970s. The growth rate peaked at 2.2% in 1963, and had declined to 1.1% by 2009. Annual births peaked at 173 million in the late 1990s, and are now expected to remain constant at their 2011 level of 134 million, while deaths number 56 million per year, and are expected to increase to 80 million per year by 2040.Current projections show a continued increase in population (but a steady decline in the population growth rate), with the global population expected to reach between 7.5 and 10.5 billion by 2050.