UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, projected that the 7 billionth person will be born sometime during October 31, 2011.

Over the last sixty years, life expectancy has risen from 48 to 68 while infant mortality has markedly gone down, UNFPA reports.

During the same sixty year time frame, the UN estimates roughly 4.5 billion people have been added to the world population, according to the Christian Science Monitor.

Fertility, the number of kids a woman is expected to have during childbearing years, has cut in half, though – from six to less than three.

– By Kathryn Elliott