UN: World population expected to rise to 9.7 billion in 2050

The United Nations says the world's population is getting older and growing at a slower pace but is still expected to increase from the current 7.7 billion to 9.7 billion in 2050.

The U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs' Population Division said in a report Monday that world population could reach a peak of nearly 11 billion around the end of the century.

The new projections indicate nine countries will be responsible for more than half the projected population growth between now and 2050. In descending order of the expected increase, they are: India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Indonesia, Egypt and the United States.

The report confirmed that the world's population is growing older due to increasing life expectancy and falling fertility levels.