Globally, the per capita growth rate of the human population has been declining since its increase in 1962 and 1963 which was at 2.20%. In 2009, the estimated annual growth rate was 1.1%. Today the world population amounts to approximately 7,211,021,348 human beings, a figure that has increased by 4 billion compared to the 1960s. Most of this growth comes from high-poverty countries. The increase in human population can cause problems such as pollution and congestion; these could be resolved or worsened by technological and economic changes. Over the last 100 years we have seen rapid population growth due to medical advances and massive increases in agricultural productivity. The main fear is that large numbers of the population are putting a strain on natural resources, food supplies and more. Human population growth has important advantages and disadvantages for the world we live in. Population growth is the increase in the number of people inhabiting a territory or state with the equation of (BD)+(IE) where (B) is the births, (D) is the deaths, (I) is the immigration rate and (E) is the emigration rate. Population growth has a biological and environmental effect on our planet Earth. On the other hand, population growth can positively influence the economy. Much of the population growth comes from countries with high poverty rates. Many people suggest that this is because poor people often want more children because children represent wealth, provide jobs, and can help as parents age. Another major reason for the high number of births in high-poverty countries is the lack of safe protection during sex. Much of our population is living much longer than before due to new advances in medicine and technology. This is causing humans to live much longer than previous populations. One of the biggest problems we are causing is overharvesting. We are harvesting oil, gas and forests at a rapid rate. The bad thing is that all these things are non-renewable resources and have an impact on the environment and biodiversity. So how can we help all these problems we face as a world? One way would be to implement a family planning system so that women can only have 1 or 2 children. Individually we as humans can reduce our resources, for example by driving less and using fewer goods that are not a total necessity. Finally, we can improve our education system and increase graduation rates in the United States and other developed countries. Studies have shown that the higher the graduation rate, the lower the fertility rate. All of these things can help us deal with overpopulation.