A new U.N. report forecasts that the global population will increase from 7.2 billion now to 8.1 billion in 2025 and 9.6 billion in 2050. The report, released Thursday, said most of the population growth will happen in developing regions whose populations are projected to increase from 5.9 billion this year to 8.2 billion in 2050. During the same period, the report said, the population of developed countries is expected to remain unchanged at around 1.3 billion people. Much of the overall increase between now and 2050 is expected to take place in Africa and countries with large populations, such as India, the United States, Indonesia, Pakistan, and the Philippines.
