In the next minute, 268 babies will be born somewhere in the world. In that same minute, 98 people will die. The world population is growing by 170 people a minute, or 90 million people a year.

The term "population explosion" came into wide use when the global population total began to increase rapidly in the 20th century. The world's population did not reach 2 billion until 1930, but as population growth accelerated, it took only decades — or even less time — to add additional billions. But this explosive growth did not occur worldwide. It was, in fact, almost completely confined to the developing countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. These countries were experiencing an unprecedented decline in mortality, particularly infant mortality; combined with large numbers of young people, the fall in mortality spurred an unprecedented pace of growth. The stark contrast in growth between the more developed and less developed countries has continued to increase. Today, 99 percent of the world's population growth is in developing countries. Only the United States, which has a relatively high birth rate for a developed country, as well as steady immigration, shows robust growth.

According to the U. S. Census, the population of the United States in 1860 numbered 31,443,321 persons. Of these, approximately 23,000,000 were in the 22 Northern states and 9,000,000 in the 11 Southern states.

According to the United Nations, one out of every 10 persons is now 60 years or older; by 2050, one out of five will be 60 years or older; and by 2150, one out of three persons will be 60 years or older. There were an estimated three women for every two men age 65 or older in 2000, according to "Elderly Americans," a new publication of the Population Reference Bureau (PRB). The sex ratio is even more skewed among the oldest-old. At ages 85 and older, the ratio is 41 men per 100 women, says the new Population Bulletin. The preponderance of women among the elderly reflects the higher death rates for men than women at every age.

The oldest known age ever attained was by Jeanne Calment, a Frenchwoman who died in 1997 at the age of 122. Ms. Calment is also the only documented case of a person living past 120, which many scientists had pegged as the upper limit of the human lifespan. In April 2003, the oldest living woman appears to be 115-year-old Kamato Hongo of Japan, born in 1887. The oldest living American woman is Californian Mary Christian, age 113.

The oldest documented age for a man is believed to be a Danish immigrant to the United States, Christian Mortensen, who died in 1998 at age 115. One man, Shigechiyo Izumi, is often reported as having reached the age of 120 before his death in 1986 in Japan, but his age has not been verified. Yukichi Chuganji, reaching age 114 in 2003, is believed to be the oldest living man. Maine resident Fred Harold Hall is the oldest living American man at 112 years of age.

There are 10,000 men and 40,000 women between the ages of 100 and 105 living in the United States. (2000Census)