There are over 8 billion people on earth at this point with India being the most populous country after it overtook China. Although the number of people on earth is increasing, the United Nations (UN) published a report that it will start to decrease again in 2084.
Predictions are made after looking at birth and death patterns at the global level. In countries such as South Korea, Japan, the United States and the UK, the birth rate is already decreasing. In the case of South Korea the birth rate is 0.72 babies for every woman which causes the population to be unsustainable for the long term.
Economic constraints, the importance given to careers, urbanisation, women's higher education levels, access to contraception and a new generation that refuses to marry contribute to a reduction in the world's birth rate by 2100.
In Malaysia the birth rate is 1.6 babies per woman which is a sharp decrease compared to 6 babies per woman in 1957 and 2.1 babies per woman in 2010. A birth rate of 2.1 babies per woman is needed to maintain the population of a country.
Although Africa is currently the continent with the highest birth rate, it is predicted to shrink like other continents within six decades.