Will the world end on November 13, 2026? The truth behind a 66-year-old 'prophecy'

As Friday, November 13, 2026 approaches, fear about the 'end of the world' is once again being widely discussed on social media and in various news outlets. The date is linked to a scientific study published 66 years ago that assessed the future of the Earth's population.

The study, released by three researchers on November 4, 1960 in a leading American science journal, was titled 'Doomsday: Friday, November 13'. If world population continued to grow at the same rate they observed in roughly 2,000 years of data, the researchers said, the number of humans would theoretically reach 'infinity' in November 2026 under their mathematical model.

But were the researchers really talking about the destruction of humankind? Does the date have any scientific significance? The answer is no.

The work was initiated by Austrian-American physicist Heinz von Foerster, carried out together with Patricia Mora and Lawrence Amiot, who worked in the electrical engineering department at the University of Illinois. They used historical data, including 24 estimates from the start of the Christian era to 1958.

They did not assume population grows at a steady rate; instead they proposed a mathematical model based on 'hyperbolic growth'. The model holds that people helping one another and forming coalitions pushes past environmental limits, so the pace of growth itself accelerates over time.

When fitted to the historical data, the model reached a state called a 'singularity' in mid-November 2026, and the date on which population would hit 'infinity' under the same assumptions came out as November 13. Though it superficially looks like a prophecy of world destruction, its real meaning is entirely different: it is a mathematical demonstration that past growth cannot continue indefinitely.

There is no scientifically calculated warning connecting this date to events such as an asteroid striking the Earth, a solar explosion or a catastrophic earthquake. Thanks to advances in science and technology, scientists can now monitor, study and predict such risks better than before. It is therefore good for people to know that there is no scientific basis for the fear-laden claims spreading around November 13.