As a wildlife biologist I am interested in many large and small populations of large and small organisms. Among the large animals none is so well known and so important as the population of humans. I am told that among all of the so-called large animals (body size greater than 50 kilograms or 110 pounds), humans are currently more numerous than any other—past or present. We are important in large numbers because of our impact on our environment.
The “environmental fact sheet” below summarizes our current size and rate of growth. The population size, birth rate and death rate statistics are from the Population Reference Bureau’s 2015 “World Population Data Sheet.” This useful summary is published every September and reflects the mid-year (July) world population information for all countries and regions of the world.
