It was just over two centuries ago that the global population was 1
billion — in 1804. But better medicine and improved agriculture resulted
in higher life expectancy for children, dramatically increasing the
world population, especially in the West.

As higher standards of
living and better health care are reaching more parts of the world, the
rates of fertility — and population growth — have started to slow down,
though the population will continue to grow for the foreseeable future.

U.N.
forecasts suggest the world population could hit a peak of 10.1 billion
by 2100 before beginning to decline. But exact numbers are hard to come
by — just small variations in fertility rates could mean a population
of 15 billion by the end of the century.

Produced by Adam Cole
Cinematography by Maggie Starbard