World Population Surpasses 6 Billion Tomorrow

The population of the world will at last surpass the 6 billion barrier Tuesday.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare Sunday revealed statistics produced by the United Nations which predicted the world's population will exceed 6 billion this week, although the rate of population increase fell from 2.4 percent to 1.3 percent.
The population grows by 78 million every year, adding to problems such as poverty, sexual discrimination, AIDS and environmental destruction.
During the 1950s in most developed countries, a couple had 2.8 children on average, which changed to an average of 1.6 children in the 1990s.
The average for underdeveloped countries was 6.2 children in the 1950s but it has now decreased to less than 3 children per couple.
African nations south of the Sahara show no big differences in their rates of population increase.
The UN anticipated that the number of people on the planet will reach 9 billion in 2050.
Bong Hwa-shik:trojans@joongang.co.kr