All the FAQs

Question 7

How many people have been born since the first humans lived on Earth?

Answer 7

The number of humans ever born is probably around 80 billion, though many died in infancy. Out of this total, almost half have been born in the last two millennia (since the year 1 AD). One human in five (15 billion) was born during the last two centuries and almost one in ten (6.5 billion) is still alive. This recent pattern of rapid population increase is specific to human beings. Each year, 130 million new babies are born. The number of births may remain at this level throughout the twenty-first century, adding a further 13 billion to 80 million already born, followed by a further 13 billion in the twenty-second century and so on…