6 Billion Call It Home--and Other Facts of Life on Earth.

• Position: Population statistics - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

How did the population experts decide that on October 12 the world population hit 6 billion? They based their projections on estimates of fertility (birthrates), mortality (death rates), and migration. The United Nations Population Division estimated the midyear total and projected that it has been growing by 148 people a minute (247 births minus 99 deaths).

Here are a few other facts from the population experts:

* The world population's highest growth rate was 2.04 percent in the late 1960s. This year, it is about 1.31 percent.

* In 1965, 75 million people were migrants from another...