In 1960, the world’s population stood at 3 billion. Less than 15 years later, it hit 4 billion. Now, in just 40 years, the population has almost doubled to 7.5 billion. With so many people, and so many people living longer and longer, we’re tipped to reach 9.8 billion by 2050 (22 per cent of whom will be over the age of 60) – that’s just 32 years away. It will be the first time in history that older people will outnumber the youth.

The scary statistics have just been released in IKEA’s new sustainability report, People and Planet Positive 2017, and they’re highlighting a dire need for cities to adapt to rapid population growth soon or risk collapsing.

In order to survive, the report claims Australia will need to build more cities as the population spreads from our capitals out to regional areas – and soon. “To put it into perspective, that’s around six new cities for six million people every month,” Simon Caspersen from future-living innovation lab SPACE10 tells news.com.au.

“With urbanisation accelerating, there will be increasing pressure on natural resources like water, air, energy and food. This means the building environment needs to incorporate elements like spaces to grow food, systems to recycle waste and water, natural cooling and heating mechanisms, and design that facilitates all of this.”

According to IKEA sustainability manager Kate Ringvall, it’s likely that as the population booms, the trend will be towards co-housing and a shared economy, where we’ll learn to do more with less space, surrounded by more people.

“The rise of the so-called sharing economy, coupled with the planet’s rapidly depleting resources and fast-growing population, is forcing us to rethink the concept of ownership and sharing in our everyday lives, including in housing,” added SPACE10’s Xuan Teo.

“In the future we may have to get used to living with other people — but what opportunities might cohabitation offer us? And what is it about shared living that could persuade us to give up our privacy and redefine what we mean by home?”

The report also found that, in order to cope with the demand for food, it’s likely that most of us will end up growing our own. “From bins with built-in recycling sections, to mini greenhouses to help people grow their own herbs and vegetables at home – our goal is to facilitate an eco-friendly lifestyle,” Ringvall explained.

Can you imagine what 2050 might look like? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.