Men

The world may be overpopulated, but there are no signs that its overall numbers of either male or female residents will decline. As of July 2009, there were nearly 6.8 billion persons living on planet Earth, according to The CIA World Factbook. Men and boys account for just over 50% of the total, and women and girls, for just under 50%. These percentages transpose to a bit over 3.4 billion males, and a bit under 3.4 billion females.

The gender ratio varies by country.

The total number of earthlings was estimated to be expanding by 1.2% during 2009. The median age for men is almost 28; for females, it is 29.

The BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China) account for four out of the top five male populations in the world. The BRIC subtotal of men and boys comes to almost 1.5 billion.M

China, fifth on the retail dollar scale in 2009, has the largest number of men and boys – 688.4 million. India, though 10th in sales, is second here, with its 600.9 million men and boys. The United States is home to 151.2 million males.

Citizens of the world, including billions of men, are striving to attain the lifestyle of the U.S. or European middle-classes -- or more accurately, those societies’ upper middle-classes. This means that prestige and pop-prestige brands have lots of potential around the globe. Men in China, for example, are getting to know many imported mass-retail brands; but they are also becoming acquainted with imported prestige brands, for in their society, the giving or use of expensive skincare brands has become a nicety, and often, a status symbol. And in India, where the per capita share of GDP was just $2,800 in 2008, foreign marketers are introducing prestige brands, such as Estee Lauder and Clinique.