Part 2/14:
Historically, humanity has been haunted by fears of overpopulation and resource depletion. Yet, recent data tells a different story: the world’s population is not expanding indefinitely but declining sooner and at lower peaks than previously projected.
Current forecasts, including those from the European Commission and medical journals like The Lancet, suggest that global population will peak at about 9.7 billion in the 2060s—well below earlier estimates of 12 billion by 2100—and then begin a rapid decline. This signals a seismic shift from the notion of endless growth towards a future of shrinking populations.