7 billion (7,000,000,000)

The number of people on Earth topped the 7 billion mark today according to the United Nations Population Fund.  The 6 billion mark was crossed in 1999 and it took the entirety of history until approximately 1804 to reach the 1 billion population figure.  Different projections have the figure reaching between 8 billion and 10.5 billion by 2050, although if the population growth over the past decade were to be used as the basis for future growth – the global population would be between 12 and 13 billion by 2050 and between 18 and 20 billion by 2100.

In honor of this historic event, The Road Not Taken will begin publishing a daily statistic that is both thought provoking and whose significance is worthy of debate.

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