World Population Day, celebrated each year on July 11 since 1990, recognizes the state of global population trends and their effects on society. Population growth remains important today in terms of social, economic, and environmental challenges. Resource depletion, climate change, and strain on infrastructure, especially in developing countries, are all significant issues. At Population Connection, we envision achieving a sustainable, stable global population by mobilizing grassroots action, educating young people, and advocating progressive initiatives.
We worked with YouGov to conduct a short online survey of 2,000 Americans to find out how much the general public really knows about population sizes and trends, as well as their levels of concern about these topics. We also asked about their exposure to stories about fertility decline for a rough idea of how this may shape demographic knowledge and perceptions.
Click the blog post link below to find out!
Photo of a seagull in flight, c/o John Fix (2025 Summer Photo Contest)
Read more here!
Surprisingly, according to our survey, up to 40% of Americans do not know that our population is growing. Are “baby bust” headlines leading to misinformation about population numbers and trends among the general public?
The results are now published in the press release below!
Photo of Morro Bay, CA, c/o Lorraine Sumner (2025 Summer Photo Contest)
Read more here!
We explored the findings from our latest survey, which evaluates Americans’ understanding of and concerns around population issues. The results shed light on public awareness of population trends and the influence of the growing pronatalist rhetoric.
During the event, we gained insight into how much alarmist headlines about declining birth rates are shaping attitudes. We used this opportunity to discuss what these results mean for public discourse, policymaking, and advocacy. We aim to use this new data to spark dialogue, raise media awareness, and amplify often-overlooked perspectives in the population conversation.
We received a great turnout from participants, and had an engaging discussion!
Date: July 8, 2025
Marian Starkey
Vice President for Communications
Olivia Nater
Communications Manager
I updated some data on slide 4 after I realized I had made a mistake and used averages for all participants instead of for the women under 50 and Gen Z groups I had singled out. This is why the slide doesn’t match what I say when I talk about that slide in the recording above. Apologies! – Marian Starkey
Our Global Partner in Nepal, the Rural Women’s Development and Unity Center (RUWDUC), helps girls stay in school and avoid child marriage, empowers women to become leaders in their communities, and provides family planning education and outreach. Read about this inspiring organization in the June issue of our quarterly magazine.
Take a look at the online version or download the PDF of the print version. Either way, we hope you enjoy the read!
Read the June issue here
The portrayal of population issues in the media continues to be challenging, with frequent inaccuracies that can mislead public understanding.
Our team consistently monitors news coverage and swiftly responds to articles with op-eds, letters to the editor (LTEs), and press releases. By doing so, we ensure that population issues are accurately represented in broader conversations about global challenges, offering clarity and keeping population stabilization a central part of the dialogue on sustainable solutions.
Read Our Responses
Population Connection holds webinars, presentations, film screenings, and training courses throughout the year! You can partake in these virtual events to educate yourself on population issues and connect with others interested in working together to create a better future for our planet.
Register for a virtual event
Become part of a crucial national movement advocating for increased funding for international family planning. Learn about our policy priorities and how to get in touch with your representative.
Contact CongressShare your passion about population stabilization with your community members! Use your knowledge and enthusiasm to spread the word by writing to your local newspaper.
Review our Media GuideHave you ever wondered where you stand amidst this exponential growth? In a world of over 8 billion people, your population number marks your unique position within the global population.
Find Your NumberOur Population Education (PopEd) program develop K-12 curricula and secondary education materials for teachers and professors so they can easily incorporate population studies into their classes. These materials are teacher-tested, and many of them are available at no cost!
Population Education for K-12In addition, we lead grassroots outreach efforts to college students and educators across the country to motivate them to take action on behalf of marginalized communities and our planet.
Population Studies for Higher EducationIncorporating population trends and dynamics in higher education prepares the next generation’s professionals and leaders to work towards sustainable solutions to climate change and challenges like voluntary family planning and girls’ education.
Our trained speakers seek to engage college-level students, Population Connection members and their networks, and progressive activists in thinking about human population dynamics through thought-provoking presentations focused on causes, impacts, and solutions to global population challenges.
Invite a Speaker
PopEd is the only national program for teachers that focuses on human population issues. Hands-on, innovative learning experiences for K-12 students are integral to raising awareness of about human population growth and its effects on the environment and human well-being. Our PopEd program reaches thousands of students and educators each year with our engaging classroom activities and lesson plans.
Explore PopEd Resources
Population Education recently announced the winners of the World of 8 Billion student video contest! Middle and high school students across the globe created one-minute videos that addresses a topic related to human population growth. This year’s topics were Sanitation, Child Wellbeing, and Rainforest Ecosystems.
Our contest encourages students to find new ways to tackle modern problems, show off their filmmaking skills, and win prizes! We had over 4,600 students work on the submitted videos, with more than 2,600 videos submitted.
You can check out the below video for perspectives from Population Connection staff on this year’s contest!
Explore the winning videos here!
Large numbers can be intimidating, including when it comes to population.
PopEd has created a blog post on methods and tools, as well as riddles, an art project, and a small group activity, that can help us visualize the big numbers.
Read more hereFind classroom resources and creative ideas for teaching about human population growth and its impact on the environment and human well-being on the PopEd blog!
Follow along for quarterly themes, informative articles, ready-to-use lesson plans, and hands-on classroom activities that bring these topics to life.
Read more hereThe U.S. is currently almost 250 years old, with a long history of shifting demographic trends.
This article delves into the last 150 years, where dramatic changes in the nation’s population age and sex make-up occurred.
Read more hereThank you for speaking to our class, I found the entire presentation to be extremely insightful, and I truly commend the work you and your team are doing. What has stayed with me the most is something you said during your presentation “Human health is dependent on the health of the environment.” I think people who ignore environmental issues, don’t think about how harming our planet impacts people, especially disfranchised people the most. Kaylaa' White, NYU Student
The news these days just objectively feels pretty depressing, doesn’t it? Political polarization, nuclear threats, misguided trade deals, destructive natural disasters, and a rapidly increasing global population might even induce…
Read MoreOur team has written multiple Op-Eds and Letters to the Editor (LTEs) that were displayed in different media publications. Topics range from birth rates and population growth to climate change.
Photo of a meadow across from Mount Rainier, c/o Catherine H. Knoop (2024 Summer Photo Contest)
Read more here
Take a look into our blog posts, which feature our responses to prevalent issues regarding population growth and environmentalism.
Photo of a Baltimore Oriole, c/o John Nelson (2024 Summer Photo Contest)
Read more here
If women are not educated, empowered and given free access to contraceptives and abortion services, Homo sapiens have no chance at a sustainable future. We all need to acknowledge that 8 billion humans overwhelming the planet is a ticket to catastrophe. Population Connection is the only organization that I know of which passionately spreads the truth of population reality. Thank you. Peace. David S. High, Population Connection Member
