A pioneering study has unveiled a potential reason suggesting there may be over one billion more individuals on Earth than was previously estimated.
It might seem that by now we should have a comprehensive understanding of our planet, yet recent studies frequently challenge this assumption.
The United Nations estimates the global population to be approximately 8.2 billion, a number projected to rise to ten billion by the mid-2080s.
But how reliable are these estimates?
Research featured in the journal Nature Communications suggests that rural populations might have been undercounted by the United Nations in their official figures.
The study, published last month, indicates that between 1975 and 2010, officials may have undercounted rural populations by 53 to 84 percent.
The researchers stated: “This is remarkable, as countless studies have employed these datasets without questioning their accuracy in the rural domain.
“Communities in remote locations or impacted by conflict and violence are difficult to access, and census enumerators often face language barriers and resistance to participation.”
To illustrate their findings, the team used Paraguay’s 2012 census as an example, suggesting it may have missed a significant portion of the population.
Josias Láng-Ritter, a co-author of the study, remarked: “For the first time, our study provides evidence that a significant proportion of the rural population may be missing from global population datasets.
“The results are remarkable, as these datasets have been used in thousands of studies and extensively support decision-making, yet their accuracy has not been systematically evaluated.”
While the researchers focused heavily on the years between 1975 and 2010, they also highlighted that there is ‘strong reason’ to believe that even the latest figures may be inaccurate.
Dr. Láng-Ritter stated: “While our study shows accuracy has somewhat improved over decades, the trend is clear: global population datasets miss a significant portion of the rural population.
“To provide rural communities with equal access to services and other resources, we need to have a critical discussion about the past and future applications of these population maps.”
The scientists and experts involved are advocating for enhanced population censuses and new population counts to improve the precision of such data.