University of Washington researchers peg world population at 11 billion by 2100

The world population is expected to soar to almost eleven billion people by the end of the century, according to new projections developed, in part, at the University of Washington.

The new estimate is about 800 million people, or eight percent higher, than the previous United Nations projection in 2011.

Birth rates in Africa are not slowing as fast as expected, leading to the revised population figure.

The projection is based on a statistical analysis developed at the UW’s Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences. The population analysis uses improved fertility forecasting as well as better statistics for anticipating life expectancy, according to Adrian Raftery, UW professor of statistics and sociology.

The global population passed 6 billion people in 1999 and passed 7 billion in 2011.