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Doomsday study calculated humanity's end on Friday 13 November 2026
Euronews.com • • world
Key Points:
- The 1960 Doomsday study by Heinz von Foerster projected that human population growth would reach infinity on November 13, 2026, implying a mathematical "crush" of humanity due to overpopulation.
- The study aimed to highlight concerns about overpopulation, using historical population data and growth curves, and initially matched real population trends until the early 1990s.
- Since then, global population growth has slowed significantly, with UN estimates predicting a peak around 10.3 billion people in the mid-2080s, followed by a gradual decline.
- Predictions of the end of the world have occurred repeatedly throughout history, often based on extrapolations of current trends, but have failed to account for human adaptability and problem-solving.
- The Doomsday date of November 13, 2026, is not expected to mark the end of humanity, as demographic and social developments have diverged from the original study's assumptions.
