Today’s Kiwi kids to live 10 years longer - survey

Kiwis will be alive and kicking for 10 years longer by the end of this century, according to the latest findings and forecasts from the United Nations annual population survey.

Life expectancy will soar in New Zealand, with today’s youngsters expected to live until 92 by 2100. The current life expectancy is 82.

The UN predictions released this week also showed our population is set to crack the 6 million mark by the end of the century, adding to the growing global population which will pass 8 billion in 2023.

Despite the findings showing there are more men than women globally — 102 men for every 100 women — there are 78,000 more women than men in New Zealand.

The UN has also forecast that the number of Kiwi kids who die under the age of 5 is set to drop dramatically, from five to less than one for every 1000 births, by the end of the century.

More than half of the global population growth by 2050 will come from sub- Saharan Africa, where fertility rates will persist at levels far higher than in the rest of the world. By 2050, seven of the world’s 20 most populous nations will be African.

According to academics, India is the world’s most populous nation with 1.32 billion people.

In contrast, fertility rates have dropped below replacement level in all European countries, meaning that populations will inexorably decline without large- scale immigration.

“In some countries with low levels of fertility and ageing populations . . . a net inflow of migrants has been the primary source of population growth and in some cases has averted a decline in population size,” said John Wilmoth, director of the UN’s population division.

The median age of the world’s population is 30.