A new report by the United Nations suggests that the world's population will likely reach 10.1 billion by the year 2100, the The New York Times reports. Though population growth has "long [been] expected to stabilize just above nine billion in the middle of the century," UN researchers found that a combination of a slowed decline in the global fertility rate, limited contraceptive use, and higher than expected AIDS survival rates may all contribute to greater population growth in the next 89 years. Check out some other interesting statistics found in the report.

• $238 million was dedicated to contraceptive distribution by foreign aid in 2009, a number that has hardly changed over the past 10 years. "The United States has long been the biggest donor for such programs, but the budget compromise in Congress last month reduced support for such efforts," the Times notes.
• "While about three-quarters of married American women use a modern contraceptive during their child-bearing years, the comparable proportions were only at a quarter of women in East Africa, one in 10 in West Africa, and a mere 7 percent in Central Africa."

• Even countries with relatively low populations may see big growth. "Malawi, a small country of 15 million people today, could grow to 129 million."
• On the BRICS: "The report projects that the Chinese population will peak at 1.4 billion in the next couple of decades, then begin falling, declining to 941 million by 2100," while "India would become the world's largest country by mid-century, with a 2050 population projected at 1.7 billion, up from today’s 1.2 billion."
• "The United States population will continue to grow throughout this century, rising from today’s 313 million to reach 403 million by 2050 and 478 million by 2100."

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Caitlin Dickson