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In 2008, 43% of people under age 20 in the U.S. were racial and ethnic minorities. More...

(Population Today, July 2000) Does time stand still? In population terms, yes and no.

The world population clock, shown here and based on PRB's 2000 World Population Data Sheet, shows time standing still in one sense: In the "time zone" of more developed countries, the natural increase per second is practically zero, where it has remained since the publication of the 1997 data sheet. (Natural increase is the surplus of births over deaths in a population in a given period.)

The clock shows that the other time zone — that of the less developed countries — is bustling, accounting for the entire 2.6 people-per-second increase in world population. China contributes 0.4, and the remaining countries add 2.2 people per second.

Because of this bustling growth, global population — which passed the 6 billion mark just last October — is well on its way to reaching 7 billion. UN medium-variant projections indicate that this level could be reached in 12 or 13 years. And this scenario assumes increasing use of voluntary family planning in less developed countries, even in areas where it is now virtually unknown.

World Population Clock, 2000

		World	More Developed Countries	Less Developed Countries	Less Developed Countries (less China)
Population:		6,067,267,000	1,184,155,000	4,883,112,000	3,618,576,000
Births per:	Year	136,157,471	13,099,727	123,057,744	103,798,860
	Month	11,346,456	1,091,644	10,254,812	8,649,905
	Week	2,618,413	251,918	2,366,495	1,996,132
	Day	373,034	35,890	337,145	284,380
	Hour	15,543	1,495	14,048	11,849
	Minute	259	25	234	197
	Second	4.3	0.4	3.9	3.3
Deaths per:	Year	53,775,149	12,084,911	41,690,238	33,521,335
	Month	4,481,262	1,007,076	3,474,186	2,793,445
	Week	1,034,137	232,402	801,735	644,641
	Day	147,329	33,109	114,220	91,839
	Hour	6,139	1,380	4,759	3,827
	Minute	102	23	79	64
	Second	1.7	0.4	1.3	1.1
Natural Increase per:	Year	82,382,322	1,014,816	81,367,506	70,277,525
	Month	6,865,193	84,568	6,780,626	5,856,460
	Week	1,584,275	19,516	1,564,760	1,351,491
	Day	225,705	2,780	222,925	192,541
	Hour	9,404	116	9,289	8,023
	Minute	157	2	155	134
	Second	2.6	0.0	2.6	2.2
Infant Deaths per:	Year	7,817,291	100,199	7,717,092	7,112,363
	Month	651,441	8,350	643,091	592,697
	Week	150,333	1,927	148,406	136,776
	Day	21,417	275	21,143	19,486
	Hour	892	11	881	812
	Minute	15	0.2	15	14
	Second	0.2	0.0	0.2	0.2

Source: 2000 World Population Data Sheet of the Population Reference Bureau.