World’s population may actually be vastly undercounted, study claims
There could be billions more people in the world than we think
- A new study reveals that there could be billions more people in the world than currently thought, as populations in rural areas have been significantly undercounted.
- Researchers compared widely used population datasets with resettlement data from rural projects and found discrepancies ranging from 53 per cent to 84 per cent.
- The inaccuracies stemmed from difficulties in conducting censuses in remote or conflict-affected areas, meaning many people had historically not been counted, they said.
- Currently, the UN estimates the world population to be about 8.2 billion, which is projected to peak at over 10 billion by the mid-2080s. The study doesn't offer a revised global population estimate.
- Researchers are calling for improved census methods and alternative counts to get a better idea of the Earth’s true population.
