World Population Day is being marked today, July 11.
In 1989, the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Program recommended that, in order to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues in the context of overall development plans and programs and the need to find solutions for these issues, July 11 should be observed by the international community as World Population Day.
The unprecedented decrease in mortality that began to accelerate in the more developed parts of the world in the nineteenth century and expanded to all the world in the twentieth century is one of the major achievements of humanity. By one estimate, life expectancy at birth increased from 30 to 67 years between 1800 and 2005, leading to a rapid growth of the population: from 1 billion in 1810 to nearly 7 billion in 2010.
The global population is projected to reach 7 billion on October 31 this year. To engage the public in the lead-up to that day, UNFPA is launching "7 Billion Actions," a global movement to raise awareness for the challenges and opportunities presented by a world of 7 billion, and mobilize individuals to take action in their community.
