World's population to reach 9.7 billion in 2050: UN report

UNITED NATIONS, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The world's population is projected to reach aroUNd 9.7 billion in 2050 and rise further to about 11 billion by the end of the century, according to a UN report released Monday.

"The world's population, estimated at 7.7 billion in 2019, continues to grow, albeit at a decreasing rate. It is projected to continue growing, reaching aroUNd 9.7 billion in 2050 and rising further to roughly 11 billion by the end of the century," said the UN report.

The UN report is titled "Review and Appraisal of the Program of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and its contribution to the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development."

The report was submitted by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to the 52nd substantive session of the UN Commission on Population and Development, which was held on Monday.

"The continued increase in global population and an expected rise in prosperity will place additional pressure on natural resources and ecosystems," the report said.

"The world's population is becoming larger, older, more mobile and more spatially concentrated than ever before," according to the report.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of a landmark achievement in global cooperation -- the adoption of the Program of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo of Egypt in 1994.