Groundbreaking Study Suggests Earth’s Population Might Be Over A Billion More Than We Thought

A major new study has come to a surprising conclusion—there could actually be more than one billion additional people living on Earth than we previously thought.

At this point, you'd think we’d have a pretty solid grasp of the basic stats about our planet. But every now and then, research comes along that completely changes our perspective and this is one of those moments.

According to the United Nations, the current global population stands at roughly 8.2 billion people. That number is expected to rise even further, reaching an estimated ten billion by the mid-2080s.

But it raises the question—just how reliable are these numbers?

A new study published in the journal Nature Communications suggests there could be a significant undercounting issue, particularly when it comes to rural populations.

The researchers discovered that global datasets used by the UN might have missed a substantial portion of people living in remote areas. In fact, they estimated that between 53 percent and 84 percent of rural populations may have been undercounted in datasets covering the years between 1975 and 2010.

A new study has looked into population data Getty Stock Photo

The researchers wrote in the paper: "This is remarkable, as countless studies have employed these datasets without questioning their accuracy in the rural domain."

"Communities in remote locations or impacted by conflict and violence are difficult to access, and census enumerators often face language barriers and resistance to participation."

To help illustrate this gap, the team pointed to Paraguay as an example. They argued that the country’s 2012 census might have completely missed about 25 percent of its actual population.

Study co-author Josias Láng-Ritter added: "For the first time, our study provides evidence that a significant proportion of the rural population may be missing from global population datasets."

"The results are remarkable, as these datasets have been used in thousands of studies and extensively support decision-making, yet their accuracy has not been systematically evaluated."

The researchers focused heavily on the years between 1975 and 2010. While that was their main timeframe, they also made it clear that there’s plenty of reason to think even the most recent global figures could still be off.

The experts believe a 2012 census may have 'missed a quarter' of Paraguay's population Getty Stock Photo

Dr. Láng-Ritter emphasized: "While our study shows accuracy has somewhat improved over decades, the trend is clear: global population datasets miss a significant portion of the rural population."

"To provide rural communities with equal access to services and other resources, we need to have a critical discussion about the past and future applications of these population maps."

The group behind the study is now pushing for more accurate and inclusive population censuses. They believe updated counting methods are crucial for making sure no communities—especially in rural or hard-to-reach areas are left out again.