Two babies are ‘racing’ for the title of the planet’s 8 billionth inhabitant

A baby born in the Dominican Republic on Tuesday has been named the planet’s 8 billionth inhabitant, but another baby also born on November 15 in the Philippines is competing for the same title.

The world’s population passed eight billion on Tuesday, just 11 years after topping the seven billion mark, and it could take 15 years to reach nine billion, according to the United Nations.

Damian Ferrera was born in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, on November 15, 2022, in the Nuestra Senora de la Altagracia maternity hospital. The baby weighs 2.7 kilograms and is 52 centimeters tall. However, NDTV.com reports that a little girl born in the Philippines could be a contender for the title of the 8 billionth person. Vinice Mabansag was born at the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital in Tondo, Manila at 1:29 am (local time).

“HELLO, WORLD! Baby girl Vinice Mabansag is the Philippines’ symbolic 8 billionth citizen of the planet, born through normal spontaneous delivery by her mother Margarette at the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Medical Center in Manila at exactly 1:29 a.m. on Monday, November 15, 2022”, reads a Facebook post of the Commission on Population and Development.