World population to hit 9.3 bil. by 2050

3 billion in 1950 -- 6 billion in 2000 -- 9.3 billion in 2050

The ongoing sharp upturn in population growth is expected to bring the number of the earth`s inhabitants to 9.3 billion in 2050, up 50 percent from its present size, a report prepared by the United Nations said on Jan. 28. Developing countries would account for 90 percent or approximately 8.5 billion of the total population by that time.

The population explosion in India, which had over 1 billion people as of last May, is likely to sustain its current momentum until the figure reaches 1.5 billion in 2050.

The report said AIDS killed hundreds of millions of people in Africa but that the 48 poorest countries, many of them concentrated in and around the western Sahara, would have three times more people in the coming 50 years than they do today.

On the other hand, Ukraine will see its population dwindle 40 percent by 2050 while Russia and Italy will see their populations fall by 25 percent in the same span. The report predicted that falling birth rates, increased elderly populations and the contraction of the workforce in most European nations and Japan would call for sweeping reforms in social security and immigration policies.

The influx of about one million immigrants to the United States every year is forecast to boost its population from 283 million today to 400 million in 2050.

The U.N. population bureau director, Joseph Shemi, said high birth rates combined with aging populations and social diversification would give rise to new ways of addressing a range of problems caused by globalization and immigration.

Paik Kyung-Hak stern100@donga.com