New population forecasts from the UN point to a global population spurt from 7.3 billion to 9.7 billion in 2050 – 100 million more than estimated by the UN’s last report two years ago. More than half this growth comes from Africa that is set to double its population rate. In Europe, the average age will rise from 30 to 36 in 2050 and 42 in 2100. A quarter of Europe’s population are already more than 60 years, whereas deaths will outnumber births in 2050 by 32 million.