From: Jurriaan Bendien (adsl675281@TISCALI.NL)
Date: Mon Apr 09 2007 - 08:43:40 EDT
World Population Trends A report of the Secretary-General on world demographic trends (document E/CN.9/2007/6) describes a world characterized by significant reductions in fertility as contraceptive use has increased in most countries, both developed and developing. However, world population is currently growing at about 1.14 per cent per year, is expected to reach 6.6 billion in July 2007 and may stabilize ultimately at about 9 billion if fertility continues to decline in the less developed regions. Other trends include: -- A growing number of international migrants (an estimated 191 million in 2005), not only from developing to developed countries (an estimated 62 million), but from developing countries to other developing countries (60 million). -- A considerably older population, with the global number of persons aged 60 or over more than tripling, from 705 million in 2007 to almost 2 billion in 2050, and with the number of older persons in the world expected to exceed for the first time in history the number of children by 2050. -- An increase in the ratio of the population aged 60 or over to the working age population not only in the developed countries, but in the less developed regions. In the developed countries, the rate will increase from 32 persons aged 60 or over per 100 persons of working age in 2007, to 62 in 2050. In the less developed regions, the rate will increase from 13 persons aged 60 or over per 100 persons of working age in 2007, to 34 in 2050. -- A largely urban world, with half of the world population living in cities in 2008 for the first time in history, and with urban dwellers passing from an estimated 3.2 billion in 2005 to an expected 4.9 billion in 2030. However, the less developed regions today have more than twice the number of urban dwellers than the more developed regions: 2.3 billion versus 0.9 billion. By 2030, the urban population in the less developed regions is projected to be 3.9 billion, four times as large as that in the more developed regions (1 billion). -- A longer life expectancy in developed countries as a whole, where people can expect to live 11 years longer than in developing countries (76 years compared to 65 years) and 23 years longer than in the least developed countries, two thirds of which are severely affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. -- A rural population in the less developed regions (3 billion) 10 times larger than in the more developed regions (0.3 billion). In addition, during 2005-2030 the rural population in developed countries is expected to continue its long-term decrease, down to 0.24 billion in 2030. In contrast, the rural population of developing countries will increase until 2019, reaching 3.1 billion, only then starting a slow decline. http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/pop996.doc.htm
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