World Population Day-2025: July 11

Why in news?

• World Population Day is celebrated every year on July 11 all over the world.
• This year's theme (2025)-  Empowering young people to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world

Objectives:

• To increase public awareness about the rate of population growth.
• To spread awareness about family planning, health services, and contraceptive measures.
• To highlight issues such as gender equality, youth empowerment, education, reproductive health and maternal and infant mortality.
• To explain the ill effects of population growth such as poverty, unemployment and environmental pressure.
• To inspire governments to consider population policy.

Establishment and historical background

• In the year 1987, on July 11, the population of the Earth crossed the figure of 5 billion.
• In memory of this important event, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) decided to celebrate this day as "World Population Day" in the year 1989.
• It is being celebrated globally every year since 1990.

Population status in 2025

• The world population has crossed about 8.1 billion (810 crores) in the year 2025.
• India has become the most populous country in the world by overtaking China in the year 2023.
• At present, the pace of population growth in India has slowed down, but the population base is very large, due to which challenges remain.

Major challenges

• Pressure on health services – Population growth increases the burden on the health system.
• Quality and access to education – Due to lack of resources, it becomes difficult to reach quality education to all.
• Lack of employment – ​​Lack of jobs in proportion to population growth leads to unemployment.
• Environmental degradation – Climate change, pollution, reduction in forest areas, and threat to biodiversity.
• Problems of urbanization – expansion of slums, traffic, pollution and social inequalities.

Initiatives and Programmes in India

• Schemes like National Population Policy (2000), Mission Parivar Vikas and Population Stabilization Fund are being run by the Government of India.
• Work is being done at the grassroots level through ASHA workers, population based surveys and reproductive health campaigns.
• NGOs and health institutions organize rallies, dramas, poster competitions, radio shows, camps etc. on this day.