Abstract:This article summarizes basic statistics on population growth, concepts about population momentum, and evidence of fertility declines in the world. World population was about 5.84 billion in mid-1997....This article summarizes basic statistics on population growth, concepts about population momentum, and evidence of fertility declines in the world. World population was about 5.84 billion in mid-1997. 86 million people are added yearly. Almost 1 billion people are added every 11 years. The first billion was reached in the early 1800s, and each billion took fewer and fewer years to attain. World population is expected to expand until about 2050 and level off after 2150. Dramatic declines in death rates and health improvements contributed to smaller numbers of children per woman. Absolute increases are due to population momentum, which is the continued large concentration of women in the childbearing years. World population will continue to grow, even after replacement-level fertility of 2 children/woman is reached, due to population momentum. Developing countries continue to have a young age structure and high birth rates, which result in higher population growth. 35% of population in developing countries is aged under 15 years, and almost 50% of population in sub-Saharan African countries is aged under 15 years. Fertility has declined in most regions, with the exception of sub-Saharan Africa. All developing regions have above replacement-level fertility. Declines to below replacement-level fertility in developed countries is attributed to improvements in health for women and children, greater use of family planning, and more education for women and girls. Fertility is high where infant mortality is high. Family planning allows mothers to have healthier children.Read More
Publication Year: 1997
Publication Date: 1997-09-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['pubmed']
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Cited By Count: 2
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