## Infographic — Global population trends: Picture

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**Canonical URL:** [Infographic — Global population trends: Picture](https://www.imf.org/-/media/files/publications/fandd/article/2020/march/infographic-global-population-trends-picture.pdf)

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### Overview
- Since 1950, the global population has grown from 2.5 billion to more than 7.7 billion.
- By 2050, the global population is projected to reach just 9.7 billion.
- Population growth is slowing—from about 1–2 percent to 0.5 percent annually—largely because of falling birth rates and aging populations (Pew Research Center’s analysis of the United Nations’ World Population Prospects 2019 report).

### Fertility and median age
- By 2050, global fertility is expected to be 2.2 births per woman, down from 2.5 today.
- The replacement rate is identified as 2.1 births per woman.
- The world’s median age is projected to be 36 years by 2050, up from the current age of 31.
- Europe is projected to have the oldest median age, 47 years, in 2050.
- Africa is projected to have the youngest median age, 25 years, in 2050.
- Latin America and the Caribbean: median age currently 31 and expected to increase to 41 by 2050.

### Regional population growth and change
- Africa is the only region whose population is expected to grow more than 1 percent a year.
- Europe’s population is expected to decline the most by 2050.
- Many countries will face shrinking populations as births fall and lifespans increase.
- Consequence highlighted: future generations will have smaller workforces to shoulder the burden of an aging population.

### Dependency ratios
- Europe is projected to face the highest dependency ratio by 2050: 75 percent.
- Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean are expected to have the lowest dependency ratio, 56 percent, in 2050.
- Note: The dependency ratio is the ratio of the population ages 14 or younger and 65 or older per 100 people ages 15–64.

### Visual summary (key projected figures)
- Global population in 2050: 9.7 billion.
- Global fertility in 2050: 2.2 births per woman.
- Current global fertility: 2.5 births per woman.
- World median age now: 31 years.
- World median age in 2050: 36 years.
- Europe median age in 2050: 47 years.
- Africa median age in 2050: 25 years.
- Latin America and the Caribbean median age: from 31 to 41.
- Europe dependency ratio in 2050: 75 percent.
- Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean dependency ratio in 2050: 56 percent.
- Population growth slowing from about 1–2 percent to 0.5 percent annually.
- Africa: population growth expected to be more than 1 percent a year.

*Prepared by NEIL RUIZ and LUIS NOE-BUSTAMANTE, Pew Research Center, and NADYA SABER, IMF, based on the Pew Research Center’s analysis of the United Nations’ 2019 World Population Prospects Report.*

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_Source: https://www.imf.org/-/media/files/publications/fandd/article/2020/march/infographic-global-population-trends-picture.pdf_