World Population Day is observed on July 11th as a reminder of the year 1987 when the global population reached five billion. The United Nations General Assembly included this day in the calendar of globally significant dates in 1989 to draw attention to current population issues and needs.
It took hundreds of thousands of years for the world population to reach one billion, but it grew sevenfold in just the next 200 years. Currently, there are 7.8 billion people living on planet Earth, according to the latest estimates from the United Nations.
Experts urge that this day be used to raise awareness for maintaining the balance in nature, of which we are a part and upon which we have the greatest impact.