Today is World Population Day. It  is an event, observed on July 11 every year with aim  to raise awareness of global population issues. It educates the public about the problems of overpopulation and continuing population growth.
The event was established by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989. It was inspired by the public interest in Five Billion Day on July 11, 1987, approximately the date on which the world’s population reached five billion people.  A quarter century later, world population now exceeds 7 billion and is growing by 80 million per year.
In 1989, in its decision 89/46, the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme recommended that, in order to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues in the context of overall development plans and programmes and the need to find solutions for these issues, 11 July should be observed by the international community as World Population Day.
World Population Day 2012 Theme – “Universal Access to Reproductive Health Servicesâ€.
This year’s World Population Day, 11 July 2012, focuses on the theme of “Universal Access to Reproductive Health Services.†Reproductive health problems remain the leading cause of ill health and death for women of childbearing age worldwide. Some 222 million women who would like to avoid or delay pregnancy lack access to effective family planning. Nearly 800 women die every day in the process of giving life.
About 1.8 billion young people are entering their reproductive years, often without the knowledge, skills and services they need to protect themselves. On the World Population Day, many activities and campaigns will call attention to the essential part that reproductive health plays in creating a just and equitable world.
The world population on July 9, 2012 (As of 6.31 UTC), was estimated to have been 7,025,071,966.