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Overpopulation

A common concern about life extension is that we would rapidly overrun the planet, and without management, this could happen. However, there a few factors in our favour.

In many countries, fertility rates are already dropping below that required to maintain a population, and without immigration the number of people living there would be falling.

Even with biological immortality, if people were limited to one child each, then there would be a finite maximum population to deal with. And biological immortality does not mean fictional immortality - people will still die in accidents, conflict or by choice, meaning the global population would eventually start falling again.

We will have a lot of time to come up with a solution - the population won't double overnight, it might take a 100 years or so, and it's impossible to imagine what technologies may have been developed by then to help.

According to David Wood of London Futurists if death stopped tomorrow it would take a hundred years to double the planet's

See also: Space Colonization

Overpopulation News

Italy’s population decline is closing schools and stressing families

Italy’s population decline is closing schools and stressing families

BBC - 19-Jul-2025

Immigration is helping industries, but not solving school enrollment drops

UK could become Europe's most populated country by 2100

UK could become Europe's most populated country by 2100

Business Standard - 16-Jul-2025

Experts want a new office to track and plan for future population changes

South Korea faces alarming 85% population decline by 2125, study warns

South Korea faces alarming 85% population decline by 2125, study warns

Korea Herald - 02-Jul-2025

Shrinking birth rates and economic pressures could leave Korea with just 7.5M people in 100 years

China faces third consecutive year of population decline

China faces third consecutive year of population decline

Independent - 17-Jan-2025

Efforts to reverse low birth rates struggle against economic, cultural, and structural challenges

More Overpopulation News

Overpopulation Resources

Click on resource name for more details.

The Population Bomb

Amazon

Book that warned of the perils of overpopulation: mass starvation, societal upheaval, environmental deterioration, written by Paul Ehrlich

The Children of Men

Amazon

A modern science fiction classic written by P. D. James

Irreplaceable: Adapting to lower birth rates and longer lives

29-Apr-2025

Lunchtime webinar organised by International Longevity Centre UK and supported by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries

The Toll

Amazon

Dystopian book of a thrilling series written by Neal Shusterman

Thunderhead

Amazon

Dystopian book of a thrilling series written by Neal Shusterman

Scythe

Amazon

Dystopian book of a thrilling new series written by Neal Shusterman

More Overpopulation resources

Overpopulation Blog Posts

Longevity and coping with an ever increasing population
07-Jul-2015

Longevity and coping with an ever increasing population

Replace the defence budget with a space colonisation budget and everyone board can be shipped off planet

More Overpopulation blog posts
Topics covered in this page:
Overpopulation