State of world population 2011: people and possibilities in a world of 7 billion
This report provides a snapshot of how a number of countries are facing diverse demographic challenges, ranging from ageing populations to high fertility rates, and from urbanisation to the emergence of new generations of young people.
Through personal stories, this report sheds light on the real-life challenges we face in our world of 7 billion. It is mainly a report from the field, from nine countries where the ordinary people who live there, the national experts who study demographic trends and the policymakers who must make decisions based on local conditions talk directly about their lives and work: China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Finland, India, Mexico, Mozambique, Nigeria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
Specifically, the report examines issues of youth, aging populations, fertility, migration, urban growth, and sustainability.
The report finds that reductions in fertility so far have accelerated economic growth and reduced poverty. However, the rise of more conservative views about society, social security considerations and the marginalisation of women are all factors that counter efforts to reduce fertility.
The paper divides the world into three sets of countries with different levels of development, different challenges and therefore different needs. It presents the following conclusions:
- governments of developing countries must build sexual and reproductive health services, including family planning, into their regular budgets. Otherwise, they risk being treated as optional items that can be easily cut whenever donor funds targeted to specific activities dry up
- middle-income countries should monitor and evaluate their programmes to determine whether they reach marginalised or vulnerable people and empower women and young people
- each community in high-income countries must prepare and put in place structures that can accommodate older people and treat with dignity those who have earned their age.
