UN Population Division Archives

Six Asian Nations Lead in Seriously Skewed Sex Ratios at Birth

October 22, 2016September 28, 2016 by Joseph Chamie

An unprecedented imbalance in sex ratios of more boys than girls being born is seriously underway in six Asian countries. As the imbalances spread across reproductive and marriageable age groups, the well-being of those Asian nations, which together represent nearly two-fifths of the world’s population, is threatened. The unusually high sex ratios at birth favoring … Read more

Freed From Extreme Poverty, but Left Out of the Middle Class

August 4, 2015August 3, 2015 by Barbara Crossette

When the final assessment of what the Millennium Development Goals achieved was released on July 6, the United Nations said confidently that more than 1 billion people had been lifted from poverty since 1990, the baseline year for setting the goals, which were then monitored from 2000 to 2015. But where did these poor people … Read more

As the World’s Older Population Increases, Can Cities Handle the Influx?

August 16, 2015July 27, 2015 by Amy Wu

A trio of megatrends that could radically change the makeup of cities around the world is about to converge. “You have two very powerful trends,” says John Wilmoth, director of the United Nations Population Division. “There’s aging of population and there’s an urbanization that’s taking place. It’s not only movement to cities, but it’s the … Read more

The 10 Youngest Nations by Population? They’re Mainly in Africa

March 2, 2015February 10, 2015 by Amy Wu

While the graying population around the world is rising in countries like Japan and South Korea, along with much of the United States and Europe, other parts of the world — primarily Africa — are experiencing the opposite situation, with young people claiming the majority. The contrast between oldest and youngest populations can be stark: … Read more

TOPIC: INDIA

Why Indian Women Are Forced Into Risky Sterilizations

November 24, 2014November 17, 2014 by Barbara Crossette

The tragic deaths of more than a dozen women in India recently, after being sterilized in assembly-line style by a doctor and his assistants eager to cash in on as many procedures as possible on a given day — at least 83 in a few hours in this case — are the symptom of a … Read more

Projecting Future Populations Requires Tracking the Past

November 5, 2014October 27, 2014 by Joseph Chamie

In politics it is often said: “While the future is known, it’s the past that keeps changing.” In demography, it’s exactly the opposite: while the past is known, it’s the future that keeps changing. That is simply because population’s fundamental building blocks — births, deaths and migrations — are not fixed but vary over time … Read more

For Journalists Covering Climate Change, the Topic Goes Beyond Science

November 17, 2014September 14, 2014 by Dulcie Leimbach

NEW ORLEANS — In this urban symbol of disaster unpreparedness, journalists who cover climate change and the environment gathered this month, almost exactly nine years after Hurricane Katrina tore this city apart, to swap stories and advice while brainstorming communally on their beat. In a world that is ever more intertwined, it was clear to … Read more

Missing: A UN Agency for the World’s Aging Population

November 16, 2014January 6, 2014 by Barbara Crossette

A few years ago in Ethiopia, a survey conducted for the government in the capital, Addis Ababa, discovered that 88 percent of a growing number of homeless older people as well as two-thirds of those living at home did not have enough to eat. A staggering 93 percent of all city residents over 60 had … Read more

Gates and the British Government Seize the Lead for Family Planning

November 16, 2014July 22, 2013 by Barbara Crossette

With the world population now growing faster than predicted only two years ago by the United Nations Population Division, a campaign to make family planning and the wider provision of contraceptives higher priorities in foreign aid policy after years of neglect has taken off. But it is largely being done outside the UN system, a … Read more

Population Growth Threatens the Poorest

November 9, 2014January 5, 2012 by Barbara Crossette

On the heels of the United Nations’ announcement that the global population crossed the 7 billion mark on Oct. 31, a timely report from the organization’s population division has broken down that big number to document where most births are taking place and the stresses they add to life among the world’s poorest people. While … Read more