CEO Mark Zuckerberg predicts 5 billion Facebook users by 2030

In an event at Facebook’s (FB) new offices yesterday, CEO Mark Zuckerberg told reporters he expected his social network to have 5 billion users by 2030.

According to USA Today, Zuckerberg said: “We want to finish connecting everyone, we’re going to do it in partnership with governments and different companies all over the world.”

USA Today says that Zuckerberg’s goal is to have “5 billion of the world’s 7 billion humans connected to its social network.” Of course, 7 billion is the current global population, and that comparison assumes zero population growth over the next 14 years. The United Nations predicts a global population of 8.5 billion by 2030.

Still, 5 billion out of 8.5 billion would be impressive progress.

The prediction follows from Zuckerberg’s oft-repeated mantra that his goal is to connect the world. His efforts to do that include Internet-delivering drones and the controversial Internet.org.

Zuckerberg views the latter project as a beneficial way to develop free services that encourage faster Internet adoption. Critics have called it a land grab by a U.S. corporate giant that threatens concepts like Net Neutrality.