Day of Seven Billion

The world had already reached a population of five billion on July 11, 1987,{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/07/12/world/and-baby-makes-five-billion-un-hails-a-yugoslav-infant.html|title=And Baby Makes Five Billion:U.N. Hails a Yugoslav Infant|date=July 12, 1987|work=New York Times|accessdate=October 16, 2011}} and six billion, twelve years later on October 12, 1999.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/19991012/aponline181217_000.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130916072735/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/19991012/aponline181217_000.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 16, 2013|title=World Population hits 6 Billion|last=Lederer|first=Edith|date=October 12, 1999|accessdate=October 16, 2011|newspaper=The Washington Post}}

United Nations Population Fund spokesman Omar Gharzeddine disputed the date of the Day of Six Billion by stating, "The U.N. marked the '6 billionth' [person] in 1999, and then a couple of years later the Population Division itself reassessed its calculations and said, actually, no, it was in 1998."

According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division, October 31, 2011, is a symbolic date chosen based on data interpolated from its 5-year-period estimates. The estimates are based on data sources such as recent censuses, surveys, vital and population registers, and are published every other year as part of its World Population Prospects.

The actual date that the world population reached 7 billion had an error margin of around 12 months owing to inaccuracies in demographic statistics, particularly in some developing countries (even the world's best censuses have 1–2% error).{{Citation needed|date=October 2015}} Assuming a 1% global error margin, the 7 billion world population could have been reached as early as March 20, 2011, or as late as April 12, 2012.[http://esa.un.org/wpp/Other-Information/faq.htm#q4 How do we know that the world population reaches 7 billion on October 31, 2011?]

However, the International Programs Division of the United States Census Bureau estimated that the total world population would not reach 7 billion until sometime on March 12, 2012.{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/population/popclockworld.html |title=World Population Clock }} It also offered an estimate that differed by about three months from the UN estimate for the Day of Six Billion.{{cite web|url=http://www.infoplease.com/spot/6billion.html|title=Population hits Six Billion|last=Brunner|first=Borgna|publisher=infoplease.com|accessdate=October 16, 2011}}

The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis estimated a date between February 2012 and July 2014.Scherbov, Lutz and Sanderson, "[http://pure.iiasa.ac.at/id/eprint/9832/1/IR-11-002.pdf The Uncertain Timing of Reaching 7 Billion and Peak Population]", International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, 2011 : « The distribution is highly skewed with a mode in July 2012, a median in January 2013, and a mean in April 2013. There is a 60 percent chance that the world's population would reach 7 billion between February 2012 and July 2014. According to the United Nations, the "Day of 7 Billion" should be celebrated on August 26, 2011 ».

United Nations Population Fund spokesman Omar Gharzeddine said, "There's no way that the U.N. or anyone could know where or at what minute on the 31st the 7 billionth baby will be born", and that the United Nations would not be giving official status to this and similar publicity efforts.[https://web.archive.org/web/20111030234850/http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/10/28/8525681-7-billion-people-how-do-they-know Cosmic Log – 7 billion people? How do they know?] Nevertheless, several newborns were selected by various groups to represent the seven billionth person.

On the Day of Seven Billion, the group Plan International symbolically marked the birth of the 7 billionth human with a ceremony in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh where a birth certificate was presented to a newly born baby girl, Nargis Kumar,{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-15517259|title=India welcomes 'world's seven billionth baby'|date=October 31, 2011|accessdate=October 31, 2011|work=BBC News }} to protest sex-selective abortion in the state. The Indian girl-to-boy ratio for 0–6-year-olds is at 914 girls per 1,000 boys nationwide, with Uttar Pradesh's one of the lowest at 889 girls for every thousand boys.{{cite web |url=http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/baby-7-billion-countdown-begins-for-a-girl-in-india |title=Baby 7 Billion: Countdown begins for a girl in India |date=October 14, 2011 |publisher=Reuters NewsAlert |accessdate=October 16, 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111019031130/http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/baby-7-billion-countdown-begins-for-a-girl-in-india/ |archivedate=October 19, 2011 }}

Other babies selected include Danica May Camacho, born in the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital, Manila, Philippines just before midnight on the eve of the Day of Seven Billion,{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/oct/31/seven-billionth-baby-born-philippines?newsfeed=true|title=World's 'seven billionth baby' is born|date=October 31, 2011|newspaper=The Guardian|accessdate=2011-10-31|location=London|first=Jasmine|last=Coleman}} and Wattalage Muthumai, of Colombo, Sri Lanka.{{cite web|url=http://www.dailymirror.lk/caption-story/14447-seven-billionth-child-born-in-sl.html |title=Seven billionth child born in SL | Caption Story |publisher=Dailymirror.lk |date=October 31, 2011 |accessdate=2012-10-05}}

• World population
• Day of Six Billion – 12 October 1999
• Day of Eight Billion – 15 November 2022

{{Reflist|colwidth=33em}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20111026172417/http://www.7billionactions.org/ 7 Billion Actions homepage]

{{Population}}

Category:United Nations Population Fund

Category:Population statistics

Category:2011 in international relations