World Population Day 2025: 8 billion reasons to rethink society

World Population Day invites us to reflect on the social, environmental and ethical challenges of an ever-changing human race.

About the author

Yolanda G. Menéndez

Journalist and communicator

Journalist and content manager specialising in sustainability. Trained at the Carlos III University of Madrid, she works at the intersection between the environmental, the human and the organisational from a conscious and committed point of view.

Her texts seek to provide clarity and perspective, integrating a critical, conscious and documented look at the challenges of the present.

Meet the author

Every year, World Population Day is observed on July 11th, a date promoted by the UN to reflect on the challenges and opportunities of a world with more than 8 billion people. In 2025, this anniversary takes on a special significance: how can we ensure collective well-being in a constantly changing planet?

What will I read in this article?

What is World Population Day, and why is it being held?

The initiative emerged in 1989, when the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) decided to commemorate a symbolic date: 11 July 1987, the day on which the human race reached 5 billion inhabitants according to demographic estimates. That milestone sparked unprecedented interest in the social, economic and environmental challenges linked to population growth.

Since then, World Population Day has been held every year as an opportunity to address key issues: from family planning to gender equity, an ageing population, human mobility, and resource distribution.

In 2025, this day takes on a special significance. Not only because the number of inhabitants continues to grow - albeit at a slower pace than in previous decades - but also because we are facing global transformations that test our ability to adapt, work together, and build the future.

Towards a positive society

When people talk about population, they often think in terms of numbers. Behind every issue there is a story, however, Each person represents a possibility, a need, and a contribution to the world. The real challenge does not lie in how many of us are here on the planet, but in the access we have to education, health, decent work, equal opportunities and inclusion.

World Population Day 2025 is, in essence, a call to look beyond statistics. To put people at the centre. And to ask ourselves how to make it possible for all of them to live in a society that guarantees their well-being.

One planet, many realities

people with their backs What is most interesting - and also most complex - is that there is no single demographic trend. Population growth does not take place uniformly across the world. While some regions in sub-Saharan Africa have high birth rates, other areas such as Europe, Japan, and South Korea, are facing a steady decline and a general ageing of their populations. At the same time, many developing countries are experiencing an accelerated demographic transition: a combination of population growth, improvements in health and education, and poverty reduction.

These contrasts create different challenges. On the one hand, some countries need to ensure education and employment for millions of young people entering the workforce. On the other, some societies have to reinvent their health and pension systems to cater for an increasingly ageing population. A shared question arises in all cases: how can we create models of development that are sustainable, equitable and resilient?

A problem or an opportunity?

For years, population growth has been perceived as a threat. There has been talk of the "population bomb", of resource depletion and urban collapse. However, an increasing number of expert voices are calling for a different approach. What really matters, they say, is not how many of us there are, but how we organise our societies. It is crucial to rethink our production and consumption patterns, promote urban planning that prioritises equity and resilience, ensure decent care systems for an ageing population, and ensure that every child grows up in an environment that offers real opportunities.

Population is not a problem in itself. It can be a lever for development if the resources we have are well managed. A country with a strong and well-educated youth base has a huge competitive advantage. A society that values its elders and gives them an active role also benefits from greater cohesion.

More than an anniversary, 11 July is an opportunity to broaden our perspective. World Population Day 2025 is a call to rethink how we live and how we might improve our quality of life. It is not just about the number of us here, but about how to safeguard the collective well-being, equity, and resilience of our societies.

Source: