"How many people were ever born on earth?", a reader asked the magazine Quest. On request CWI researcher Peter Grunwald made an estimate of 107.5 billion.
Both question and detailed answer can be read in Quest 101, a special edition of the popular scientific magazine, that was published this week. In this issue all readers’ questions are listed in order of originality by a jury of well-known Dutch people. The question about the number of people, asked by Vincent van Baarle, came on top of the list. To get the answer Quest visited CWI in Amsterdam.
At the magazine’s request statistician Peter Grünwald studied an old American model, adapted it and used current numbers. The exact outcome of 107.5 billion has to be taken with a pinch of salt. Grünwald emphasizes that the amount depends on many uncertain elements, like inaccurate birth dates in the past. Anyway, Quest could use the outcome to counter much-ventilated assertions like "there are more people alive now than ever died" and "more than half of the people ever born are still alive now".
Read also the Quest's press release. (in Dutch)
This item was broadcasted by several Dutch media, such as:
- Giel Beelen op 3FM
Beluister het item (wma) - NOS Journaal website
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