New projections predict that the world's population will peak at 8.5 billion by 2040 and fall to around 6 billion by the end of this century.
According to forecasts announced by the international initiative "Earth4All" on Monday, the condition for this to happen is a "giant jump" in investments in economic development, education and health.
The United Nations predicts a population peak of about 10.4 billion people globally by 2080, according to a report released in the summer of 2022.
According to the United Nations, the world's population exceeded 8 billion last November, up from 6 billion in 2000.
People and planet
In a report titled "People and Planet" published on Monday, the initiative's researchers laid out two possible scenarios for the future, in the first scenario the world will continue to develop economically in a similar way to what it has been in the past 2050 years, in which case the population will reach its peak by <>.
In the other scenario, this peak could be reached earlier by 2040 if, among other things, there is greater investment in the fight against poverty.
According to the initiative's experts, other popular population growth forecast reports often downplay the importance of the rapid economic development factor.
"We know that rapid economic development in low-income countries has a significant impact on fertility rates, as their rates decline when girls have access to education, women are economically empowered and have access to better healthcare," said Initiative Director Per Espin-Stokins.