Modern research on the genetic structure of human populations suggests that nearly 15 000 years ago the world population was 15 million (the present population of Delhi, India). The population by the time of Isa (AS) over 2000 years ago had increased to 250 million (about the same as present day Indonesia). On the eve of the industrial revolution in the 18th century world population had tripled to about 700 million (double the size of current day America). In the two centuries that followed the global population increased at an annual rate of 6% reaching 2.5 billion by 1950. In the five decades that followed global population has more then doubled at a rate of 18% to reach more then 6 billion on the eve of the 21st century. Although growth rates are slowing, barring some demographic catastrophe the world population should reach 9 billion by 2050. The current population of the world stands at 6.7 billion.