US population passes 300 million [+video]

WASHINGTON - The US population has surpassed 300 million people, the US Census Bureau said yesterday, although it will not designate the person who broke the historic barrier.

The Census Bureau keeps count of the estimated number of Americans, based on the birth rate, death rate and immigration rate and says the United States adds another person to its population every 11 seconds.

>> Reuters video: US population surpasses 300 million

It estimated that the population hit the 300 million mark at 7.46 am EDT (11.46pm NZT) -- 39 years after the US population reached 200 million.

"The Census Bureau will not make an effort to identify the 300 millionth person," said spokesman Robert Bernstein.

When the population counter topped 200 million in 1967, Life magazine dispatched reporters to various maternity wards and ultimately determined that Robert Woo, a Chinese-American born in the Atlanta area, was the person who passed the mark.

The Census Bureau predicted that it will take only 37 years, or until 2043, to reach a population of 400 million.

One demographer had said the 300 millionth person would likely be a Latino boy, since about half of US population growth is due to Hispanics, more boys are born than girls and the population grows more from births than through immigration.

Others said the 300 millionth person could be an immigrant -- legal or illegal.

The US population has jumped in the past few decades, after taking until 1915 to reach 100 million.

In the time it has taken for the US population to grow to 300 million from 200 million, the world population has jumped to 6.5 billion from 3.5 billion.

There currently are about 34.3 million foreign-born people living in the United States, comprising about 12 per cent of the country's total population. Mexico is the leading country of origin.

In 1967, there were about 9.7 million foreign-born people in the United States, comprising about 5 per cent of the total population. At the time, the largest number of foreign-born people came from Italy.

Americans now live an average 77.8 years, compared to 70.5 years in 1967. The population is also aging, with about 36.8 million people age 65 or older, compared to 19.1 million in 1967.

About 85 per cent of the US population now has at least a high school education, compared to about 51 per cent in 1967.

- REUTERS