World Population Prospects 2022 | United Nations - Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division

Understanding population trends and anticipating demographic change are crucial for national development planning and for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.2 The 2030 Agenda emphasizes that people are at the centre of sustainable development, echoing the ideals set forth in the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) adopted in Cairo in 1994.

The report is organized into three parts. Part one describes the most likely trends in population size, growth and age structure from 1950 to 2050. Part two discusses the demographic drivers of population change— fertility, mortality and international migration and offers an assessment of the demographic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Part three provides an overview of population trends until 2100 and their potential implications.