World Ending on November 13, 2026? Study Predicts Population ‘Doomsday’

A 1960 study calculated November 13, 2026 as a population “doomsday” date. The researchers used a mathematical model based on historical population growth. Modern UN projections show a very different picture.

A 66-year-old population study has gained fresh attention because it points to November 13, 2026 as a possible “doomsday” date.

The study, published in Science in 1960, was written by Heinz von Foerster, Patricia M. Mora and Lawrence W. Amiot. The researchers examined historical population data and used a mathematical model to project future growth. Their calculation produced a date of November 13, 2026.

The paper was titled “Doomsday: Friday, 13 November, A.D. 2026.” Its calculation suggested that the human population would approach infinity if it continued growing at the rate seen over the previous two millennia.

What the 2026 Date Actually Means

The study did not provide a modern scientific forecast that the world would suddenly end on November 13.

The date came from a mathematical model. It represented a point at which the model’s population curve reached a mathematical singularity. Later analysis of the study explains that the result showed the historical growth pattern could not continue indefinitely.

The model was based on population data available in 1960. Population growth patterns have changed significantly since then.

The United Nations now projects that the global population will continue growing for several more decades. It expects the population to rise from about 8.2 billion in 2024toaround 10.3 billion in the mid-2080s. The population is then projected to decline gradually to about 10.2 billion by 2100.

The UN’s projections also account for falling fertility rates across many countries. Its latest estimates show that population growth has already slowed in several parts of the world.

The 1960 study therefore does not provide evidence that humanity will end in 2026. The November 13 date is the result of an old mathematical projection based on assumptions that no longer describe global population trends.