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People around the world are living longer and having fewer children. Those are just a few of the trends the United Nations described in a report on the world's population. While the

average life expectancy is projected to rise from 72.98 in 2019 to 77.2 in 2050, the rate of growth will continue to slow down across the globe, according to the report released Tuesday. The

world reached 7 billion people in 2011 and the U.N. predicts it will not reach 9 billion for another 15 years. This decelerated growth in population is explained by a number of factors,

including more readily available birth control and better education. Some countries have birth rates so low the U.N. predicts they will not be able to maintain their populations. Life

expectancy for the least developed countries lagged seven years behind that of the most developed countries as of last year. The U.N. cautions that countries with older populations will need

to develop better systems to take care of their elders, including social security and universally available health care. The report also forecasts a reordering of the most populous

countries. China will be overtaken by India as the number one most populous country in 2023 and remain so through 2050, the report predicts. The United States will be displaced by Nigeria

for the third most populous country in that same time period. Migration, and especially international migration, is a major factor in population changes, according to the report. All

countries – whether experiencing "inflows or outflows" of migrants — should do whatever they can to create order and stability in these changes, say the authors. Writing in an

opinion piece in USA Today, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres cautioned that inequalities in the world population will continue to be a threat to the overall stability and longevity of

the world's population. "Divisions are causing delays and deadlock on issues from nuclear disarmament to terrorism to global health," Guterres wrote. "But I never bet

against human ingenuity, and I have enormous faith in human solidarity." Guterres applauded the progress of science and public health around the globe, but warned that the "human

family" risks great peril if it continues to grow more divided. Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.