Having a kid is viewed in many cultures as a blessing, and having many children is seen by some as a gift from God. Thus, the proverb "God gives children." However, with the world population surging to 8 billion, up from 5 billion in 1987, that phrase and belief have come under intense scrutiny with an attitudinal change. The world's population rose from just 1 billion people in hundreds of thousands of years to 8 billion people in just 200 years.

Around 8.5 billion people are projected to live on Earth in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050, and 10.9 billion in 2100. The world population is increasing by 83 million people yearly at the current pace of growth.

That alarming figure comes with challenges.

On July 11, World Population Day, we should emphasise the significance of global population concerns, significantly raising public awareness of the effects of the rapidly expanding human population. 

We have substantial cause to be concerned about the effects of overcrowding, even as we celebrate humankind. Population-related issues include many topics, such as family planning, gender equality, environmental impacts, and human rights challenges. 

According to the latest data, Africa's population is expanding while Europe's is declining.

There are weighty reasons to be concerned about overpopulation and to take immediate action to stabilise it.

We all are inescapable from the dangers of a high population. 

Overpopulation may result in severe food shortages, poverty, and decreased access to health and educational services; water and sanitation impact employment, income distribution, and other economic trends. All these challenges associated with overpopulation call for urgent attention to family planning.

Fertility rates and life spans have changed as a result of family planning. Women had less than 2.5 children per woman by 2015, down from an average of 4.5 children per woman in the early 1970s.

We must pay close attention to the high population rate to accomplish social and economic growth, decent health care, sanitation, water, and education, as well as more employment and improved income distribution. Otherwise, the adage "God gives children" may not be enough to tackle the challenges of overpopulation. God may have given us children, but we equally have the intellectual capacity to make the right choices and decisions in having children, which will prevent us from entering into precarious situations due to overpopulation. 

Time to combat overpopulation!