Is it true that a quarter of the people who have ever lived are alive today?

Question

I was told this in a pub recently, the fact representing the rate of growth in the human population. Could it possibly be true? I find it hard to believe.

Answer 1

Frankly that is a ridiculous proposition to assert.

Answer 2

Since it is a mathematical impossibility, no.

When did we lose the ability to reason and just start regurgitaing everything we hear?

Answer 3

honestly, more than likely. I can definitely see it as a possibility. When you think about it, the older time gets, the more and more people birth each year. its a neccesity, unlike it used to be, that each child in a family reproduces. And now, it's not as popular to have one kid as it is to have two, or three, or more. The way China's going, their one country will end up having more people than the rest of the world combined. I got to go. Hope it helped. Mags

Answer 4

No.

Myth created by bored trivia fans.

Answer 5

No, it isn't.

The number of humans that have ever lived fall into the range of 90.000.000.000 and 110.000.000.000.

And the present world population as of 2007 reached 6.600.000.000.

That is less than 7% percent.

Take care.

Answer 6

I actually thought it was more than that.

Answer 7

exponential growth makes it mathematically possible.  as the earth's population gets bigger, it doubles in shorter and shorter periods of time, so it has taken a lot of time and momentum to get to this point.  whether you think humans started with 2 people, adam and eve, or if you think it started with a few freak genetic mutations, it was an excruciatingly slow process.

Answer 8

I don't know,but they tell me if you stand everyone in the world on their feet they would fit on the Isle of Wight.Also that if you could put a plank of wood off the world.lined up the Chinese people 3 abreadth and marched them of the edge of the world (using the plank)They would never stop walking

Answer 9

I wouldn't be surprised - In my living memory, India's population has gone over 1bn from about 750million when I did a project on India at school.  Brazil's going the same way - tipped to hit the billion by about 2020.

We're massively over-populating this planet - and missionaries and anti-abortionists don't help...

Thing is, we've outgrown natural selection - we give charity and healthcare to those who would otherwise die out, but we're still obsessed with breeding.  Sounds a bit harsh, but it's true.  We should cull some of the stupid and weedy ones...

From doing history A level, I know the population of the UK was around 25million about a hundred years ago - it's 60million now.

And as for the inbreeding - you only have to spend an afternoon browsing this site...

Besides - we all started from just Adam and Eve, if you believe the religious brigade.  We should all be mutants by now.

Answer 10

not sure but I can tell you that 1 in every 4 people make up a quarter of the worlds population.

Answer 11

we hit 6 billion a few years ago.. so..

i could believe it..

Answer 12

I can believe it. Humans will eat the world at this rate. The shocking thing is that it implies a lot of us are pretty inbred when you think about it!

Answer 13

There was a similar question on the first series of "Who wants to be a millionaire".  I.e What percentage of the people that have ever lived are alive today? The answer was a staggering 60%.

Answer 14

No. Not one person who ever lived is alive today!