7 Billion...

The number of text messages sent in the U.S. every 30 seconds...

The number of steps you would take when circling the earth 133 times...

The number of kilometers in Pluto's maximum distance from the sun...

More importantly,

the estimated population of the world this year.

National Geographic magazine - one of my favorites since childhood - has a fascinating poster insert in the March 2011 issue. Entitled "The Face of 7 Billion," it is a depiction of the "most typical human."

The poster is a work of art itself: the composite image is made of 7,000 photos of 28 year-old Han Chinese males, each representing a million people. 

According to statistics, the most typical human is a 28-year-old Han Chinese male. The world's largest age bracket is 28, the largest ethnic group is Han, and with 1.3 billion people, the most populous nation is China.

Other notable facts about the world's population:

• 82% are literate
• 51% live in urban environments
• 40% work in services
• 19% are Chinese

An interesting fact about the stats above - all will continue to increase, except the last - in a few years India will be the most populous nation on earth.

The world is getting bigger - and smaller - at the same time.

How does this impact you now?

How does this impact the next generation?