Hans Rosling: Global population growth, box by box

Summary

In this talk, Hans Rosling reflects on the global population growth since 1960, noting the significant shift from three billion people to a projected nine billion by 2050. Using an analog teaching method, he highlights the economic disparities between the industrialized and developing worlds. Rosling emphasizes the importance of improving child survival rates, investing in green technology, and alleviating poverty to achieve sustainable population growth. He advocates for a realistic and analytical approach to creating a more equitable and just global society.

Takeaways

• 🌍 The world population in 1960 was three billion, with one billion in the industrialized world and two billion in the developing world.
• 💼 In 1960, the industrialized world was healthy, educated, rich, and had small families, while the developing world struggled for basic needs like food and shoes.
• 📈 Since 1960, the world population has doubled, adding four billion people, with significant economic growth in the West and emerging economies.
• 🚗 The aspirations of people have shifted: the industrialized world now desires holidays and flights, while emerging economies aspire to buy cars.
• 🏭 The gap between the richest and poorest has widened, but there is now a continuous range of economic levels worldwide.
• 📊 By 2050, projections suggest that emerging economies will continue to grow, adopting green technologies to avoid severe climate change.
• 👶 Population growth will continue among the poorest, increasing from two billion to four billion unless poverty is alleviated.
• 📉 Improved child survival rates are key to controlling population growth, as seen in historical data showing that better child survival leads to smaller families.
• 🌿 Investments in education, health, and poverty alleviation are crucial for a sustainable population and a more just world.
• 🤔 The speaker identifies as a 'possibilist,' advocating for analytical and realistic approaches to global challenges, aiming for a fair and sustainable future.

Q & A

What was the world population in 1960?

The world population was three billion people in 1960.

How did the teacher describe the industrialized world and the developing world in 1960?

In 1960, the industrialized world had one billion people who were healthy, educated, rich, and had small families, while the developing world had two billion people who were mostly poor and focused on basic necessities like food and shoes.

What analogy does the speaker use to represent population growth?

The speaker uses boxes from IKEA to represent population growth, with each box containing one billion people.

How has the world population changed from 1960 to 2010?

The world population doubled from three billion to seven billion people from 1960 to 2010.

What significant change in the global economy does the speaker highlight?

The speaker highlights the acquisition of the Swedish car company Volvo by the Chinese company Geely as an indication of the shift in global economic power.

What are the aspirations of people in the industrialized world today, according to the speaker?

Today, people in the industrialized world aspire to have holidays in remote destinations and to fly.

What is the predicted population growth for the poorest two billion people?

The population of the poorest two billion people is expected to increase to four billion in the coming decades.

What does the speaker suggest is necessary to stop population growth by 2050?

To stop population growth by 2050, it is necessary to improve child survival rates, invest in education, and alleviate poverty.

How does the speaker illustrate global economic progress and disparities?

The speaker uses a visualization with bubbles representing countries, showing the improvement in child survival rates and economic progress but highlighting that the poorest billion still have low child survival rates and large families.

What role does the speaker envision for the old Western world in the future?

The speaker envisions the old Western world becoming the foundation of the modern world, playing a crucial but not dominant role.