World Population Growth

Independent Films, Politics, Social Responsibility Movies

"97 of 100 added population comes from developing/underdeveloped world" -

To mark World Population Day this year, the United Nations (UN) Population Fund (UNFPA) launched the “7 Billion Actions” campaign to promote dialogue on the challenges, opportunities and actions that will be needed to ensure a better future for humanity.

In an interview, head of UNFPA Babatunde Osotimehin said “the issue of population is one which affects every country in the world.”

He talked about the “shrinking population in the northern hemisphere and the booming population in developing countries saying these countries “probably have a little more than they need in terms of population given the current capacity of their economy.”

According to UNFPA, the global population has doubled since 1968 and grown by almost 40 per cent since reaching five billion in 1987, when the first World Population Day was observed.

Population growth is projected to continue at least until the middle of this century despite dramatic declines in the average number of children per woman.

Osotimehin said out of the seven billion people in the world “about 1.8 billion of them are young people” adding that “we need to address the centrality of these young people in developing a plan going forward.”

Adolescents and youth aged 10 to 24 constitute more than a quarter of the world’s population and almost 90 per cent live in developing countries.

Osotimehin said that investing in young people can ultimately enable the much needed demographic transitions and productivity that governments are looking for.

He added that “issues of migration, which sometimes can be a political issue, might be reduced. And you will have a more stable world going forward.”

UNFPA reported that the vast majority of the population growth, 97 of every 100 people, is occurring in less developed countries, some of which already struggle to meet their citizens’ needs.

The gap between rich and poor is growing, as urbanization and migration continue, while climate change is an increasing concern with a rising number of people becoming vulnerable to food insecurity, water shortages and weather-related disasters, according to the UNFPA. On the other hand, many rich and middle-income countries are concerned about low fertility and ageing.

Tags

• young
• world population

Directors:

• Muhamed Sacirbey (UNTV-UNFPA)

Producers:

• Susan Sacirbey (UNTV-UNFPA)