<P> In 2000, the United Nations estimated that the world's population was growing at an annual rate of 1.14% (equivalent to around 75 million people), down from a peak of 88 million per year in 1989 . By 2000, there were approximately ten times as many people on Earth as there had been in 1700 . Globally, the population growth rate has been steadily declining from its peak of 2.19% in 1963, but growth remains high in Latin America, the Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Td> 7--8 children 6--7 children </Td> <Td> 5--6 children 4--5 children </Td> <Td> 3--4 children 2--3 children </Td> <Td> 1--2 children 0--1 children </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> 7--8 children 6--7 children </Td> <Td> 5--6 children 4--5 children </Td> <Td> 3--4 children 2--3 children </Td> <Td> 1--2 children 0--1 children </Td> </Tr> <P> During the 2010s, Japan and some countries in Europe began to encounter negative population growth (i.e. a net decrease in population over time), due to sub-replacement fertility rates . </P>

When was the last time earth had a decrease in population