How fast population grows in the world?

Grade level:  4th – 6th grades

Skills: Line graphs

Related environmental issues: Energy

Global population reached seven billion.  Population growth has become one of the biggest problems today because our planet may not be able to support us in the future if the population keeps increasing. It is stated that food, water, and other non-renewable resources (such as fossil fuels) will be strained by the increasing demands of a growing population. And environmental problems will be aggravated. The line graph below shows the world’s population between 2000 and 2015. 

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  1. Has the world’s population increased or decreased over the years?
  2. Since what year the world’s population has become greater than 7,000 million?
  3. How many more people live in the world in 2015 than in 2000?
  4. On average, how many people increased in a year?
  5. If the population growth continues at the same pace, how many people live in the world in 2020?

Sources: World Bank

Note) The population in 2015 was modified from 7,347 to 7,345 to fit the purpose of this math problem.

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Answer keys

  1. increased
  2. 2011
  3. 1,230 million (7,345 – 6,115 = 1,230)
  4. 82 million (1,230 / 15 = 82)
  5. 7,755 million (82 x 5 = 410        7,345 + 410 = 7,755)

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