Topic » Population Trends and Demography
In 2011, the world’s population will surpass 7 billion. While the rate of population growth has slowed in most parts of the world, we still increase by nearly 80 million people every year—the equivalent of adding another U.S. to the world every four years. The number of people on the planet has doubled since 1960, and if current growth rates continue, the world’s population would hit 11 billion by 2050. Common estimates of a 9 billion plateau for world population rest of questionable assumptions about falling fertility rates and the availability of contraception. Currently, 215 million women around the world want to avoid pregnancy but need contraception.
Most countries in the developing world have high fertility rates and are getting younger; some developed countries have low fertility rates and are aging. Research has shown that demographics can have a significant impact on countries’ stability, governance, economic development and the well-being of its people. PAI believes that the future of population growth will be shaped by actions we take today, including providing access to family planning.
FEATURED PUBLICATIONS
The Shape of Things to Come – Why Age Structure Matters To A Safer, More Equitable World
Updated Report available: The Shape of Things to Come: The Effects of Age Structure on Development By Elizabeth Leahy with Robert Engelman, Carolyn Gibb Vogel, Sarah Haddock and Tod Preston What follows is the result of more than two years of … Continue reading
Policy Brief
7 Billion and Counting
The world’s population will reach 7 billion people on Oct. 31, 2011, and according to United Nations projections, we are on pace to add 3 billion or more by the end of this century. Already, millions of women in developing … Continue reading
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Press Release
Statement on the new U.N. population projections from Suzanne Ehlers, President, Population Action International
Suzanne Ehlers For Immediate Release “The United Nations announced today that the world’s population will reach 7 billion people on Oct. 31, 2011, and will likely hit 9 billion by 2050. The new projections are a wake-up call for governments to fulfill … Continue reading
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Counting to Ten Billion
Today, the United Nations announced that the world’s population will reach an historic 7 billion people on Oct. 31, 2011.
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The Demographics of Revolt
Originally posted on the Huffington Post In explaining the uprisings in the Middle East this past month, commentators have discussed demography almost as much as democracy. And though most focused on the number of young people in the streets from … Continue reading
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Adding “Forced” Bachelors to “Missing” Girls: The Gendered Outcomes of China’s Population Policy
I recently attended a 30th anniversary celebration in Beijing for the China Population and Development Research Center, which hosted an international seminar on demographic research. Those were the same 30 years that China has restricted its citizens to having what … Continue reading
Policy Brief
The Shape of Things to Come: The Effects of Age Structure on Development
Update of The Shape of Things to Come (2007): The Shape of Things to Come – Why Age Structure Matters To A Safer, More Equitable World Today, the world has the largest generation of young people in history, with 3.6 billion … Continue reading
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Report
The Effects of a Very Young Age Structure on Haiti: A Country Case Study
by Beatrice Daumerie and Karen Hardee The devastating earthquake that struck Haiti in early January 2010 adds to the string of misfortunes in a country used to fighting adversity. Political instability and repeated natural disasters have compounded a failure to … Continue reading
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Report
The Effects of A Very Young Age Structure In Uganda: A Country Case Study
by Beatrice Daumerie and Elizabeth Leahy Uganda has the youngest age structure in the world, with 77 percent of its population under the age of 30. The population of Uganda is currently growing by about one million people per year, … Continue reading
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Pakistan’s Demographic Challenge Is Not Just Economic
Originally published in The New Security Beat In a meeting with business leaders in Lahore in late October, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton pointedly warned of the potential economic impacts of Pakistan’s rapidly growing population: “There has to be…in … Continue reading
Report
How Do Recent Population Trends Matter To Climate Change?
by Leiwen Jiang and Karen Hardee Summary Strong evidence exists showing that demographic change is closely associated with greenhouse gas emissions, and that population dynamics will play a key role in attempts to mitigate and adapt to the effects of … Continue reading