Baby girl born in Manila is symbolic 8 billionth person in the world
As demographers have estimated humanity hit a global population of more than 8 billion people on Tuesday, the world’s symbolic 8 billionth baby was born in the Philippines.
Vinice Mabansag, who was born on Nov. 15 at the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital in Tondo, Manila, was welcomed into the world at 1:29 a.m. local time by officials of the Philippine Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM).
Mabansag was chosen to mark the milestone and given the symbolic title. The POPCOM took to Facebook to share photos of the baby girl and her mother.
“The world welcomes Vinice Mabansag of Delpan,Tondo as the symbolic 8 billionth baby from the Philippines,” the organization wrote in the post.
Across the globe, baby Damian, who was born in the Nuestra Senora de la Altagracia maternity hospital in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, was also reportedly selected for the symbolic milestone birth.
On the same day, demographers estimated humanity will continue growing its global population for the next 60 years. According to the U.N., the growth indicates a gradual increase in human lifespan, which has been generated by improvements in medicine, nutrition and personal hygiene.
“The latest UN projections suggest that the world’s population could grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050, before reaching a peak of around 10.4 billion people during the 2080s. The population is expected to remain at that level until 2100,” a recent U.N. report stated.
According to reports, it has only taken 12 years for the global population to jump from 7 to 8 billion as compared to the 300,000 years it took for humans to hit the first billion in 1804.
“More than half of the projected increase in the global population up to 2050 will be concentrated in eight countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania,” the U.N. wrote.
The U.N. report also noted that India is expected to overtake China as the world’s most populous country within the next year.
Although the milestone may seem alarming, the U.N. also noted that the global population is actually growing at its slowest rate since 1950 due to global events like the COVID-19 pandemic, wars and climate change.
Featured Image via Commission on Population and Development NCR
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