World population increased 75 million in 2023

Data released by the US Census Bureau on Thursday, 28 December said the world population grew by 75 million people over the past year. On New Year's Day it will stand at more than 8 billion people. 

The projected world population on January 1, 2024 is 8,019,876,189, up by 75,162,541 (0.95%) from New Year’s Day 2023. 

At the beginning of 2024, 4.3 births and two deaths are expected worldwide every second, according to the Census Bureau.

US population growth slows

The US had a growth rate of 0.53%, just over half the worldwide average figure. It added 1.7 million people and will have a population on New Year's Day of 335.8 million people.

The slowest-growing decade currently was in the aftermath of the Great Depression in the 1930s, at 7.3%.

If the current pace continues through the end of the 2020s, it could be the slowest-growing decade in US history, at less than 4%, William Frey, a demographer at The Brookings Institution told the AP news agency.

"Of course growth may tick up a bit as we leave the pandemic years. But it would still be difficult to get to 7.3%," he said.

Migration keeps US population from dropping

At the start of 2024, the United States is expected to experience one birth every nine seconds and one death every 9.5 seconds. But due to immigration, the population will not drop.

Net international migration is expected to add one person to the US population every 28.3 seconds. 

The Census Bureau estimates the world population hit 8 billion on September 26, 2023. However, according to United Nations Population Division estimates, this occurred on 15 November, 2022.

The world population growth has been slowing down since the 1960s. It took 12 and a half years for the global population to go from 7 billion to 8 billion. But the Census Bureau says it will take 14.1 years for it to go from 8 billion to 9 billion, and 16.4 years to go from 9 billion to 10 billion, which may occur around 2055.