RSS:

Newsletter subscribe:

Demographic Projections

World Population Prospects 2019 Highlights

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Abstract in English: 
What is World Population Prospects 2019? People, and thus populations, are at the centre of sustainable development. Each of the four global demographic “megatrends”– population growth, population ageing, migration and urbanization – holds important implications for economic and social development and for environmental sustainability. Timely and accurate population estimates and projections allow Governments to anticipate future demographic trends and to incorporate that information into development policies and planning. The 2019 revision of the World Population Prospects is the twenty-sixth edition of the United Nations population estimates and projections. It presents population estimates from 1950 to the present for 235 countries or areas, underpinned by analyses of historical demographic trends. This latest assessment considers the results of 1,690 national population censuses conducted between 1950 and 2018, as well as information from vital registration systems and from 2,700 nationally representative sample surveys. The 2019 revision also presents population projections to the year 2100 that reflect a range of plausible outcomes at the global, regional and country levels. The population estimates and projections presented in the World Population Prospects describe two of the four demographic megatrends (population growth and ageing), as well as key trends in human fertility, mortality, and net international migration that are integral to sustainable development. Collectively, these data constitute a critical piece of the evidence base for monitoring global progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. World Population Prospects 2019: • Confirms that the world’s population continues to grow, albeit at a slowing rate; • Points to the challenges facing some countries and regions related to rapid population growth driven by high fertility; • Notes that population size is decreasing in some countries due to sustained low fertility or emigration; • Underscores the opportunities available to countries where a recent decline in fertility is creating demographic conditions favourable for accelerated economic growth; • Highlights the unprecedented ageing of the world’s population; • Confirms the ongoing global increase in longevity and the narrowing gap between rich and poor countries, while also pointing to significant disparities in survival that persist across countries and regions; • Describes how international migration has become an important determinant of population growth and change in some parts of the world.
File: 
Country of publication: 
Cover page image: 
Number of pages: 
46
Share: 
Topics: 

African futures: Horizon 2025

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Abstract in English: 
If Sub-Saharan Africa’s future had to be encapsulated in a single word, it would be transformation. In recent years the continent has undergone significant economic, socio-political, and technological transformations, a process which is likely to accelerate over the coming decades. While it would be an overstatement to proclaim that the future will be African, there are strong indications that the global importance of the continent is set to rise – and not only as a source of risk factors spilling over from poverty and instability. By 2045, approximately a quarter of the world’s population will be African. Looking ahead, there is also the potential for Africa’s economic growth to outpace the global average. The expansion of foreign direct investment (FDI), which today already outstrips aid, could drive further integration of African countries in the world economy. The diversification of Africa’s relationship with external partners – which now not only include traditional Western partners such as the EU, but also Asian, Middle Eastern and Gulf countries – will also contribute to increasing Africa’s prominence in the global arena.
File: 
Country of publication: 
Cover page image: 
Number of pages: 
84
Share: 

Advancing into the Golden Years – Cost of healthcare for Asia Pacific's elderly

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Abstract in English: 
Asia Pacific (APAC)* is the fastest ageing region in the world with more than 200 million people expected to move into the ranks of the elderly (aged 65 years and above) between now and 2030. This represents an increase of 71 percent in the number of elderly people, compared to increases of 55 percent in North America and 31 percent in Europe over the same period.
Driven by improving socio-economic conditions and increasing life-expectancy, the speed at which societies in APAC are ageing poses an unprecedented challenge. For comparison, Singapore’s elderly population will rise from 11 to 20 percent in the next 15 years, while it took France 49 years to do the same. By 2030, Japan will become the world’s first “ultra-aged” nation, with the elderly accounting for more than 28 percent of the population, while Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan will be considered “super-aged”, with more than 21 percent.
Many APAC countries are moving from a period when they reaped a “demographic dividend” to one where they face the prospect of paying a “demographic tax”. Such a significant demographic shift will be accompanied by a host of financial and socio-economic risks affecting multiple stakeholders, as shown in Exhibit A. Consequently, there is an urgent need to evaluate each country’s readiness to manage increasingly aged societies and to develop solutions that mitigate the associated risks. This report takes a deeper look into the impact of societal ageing on elderly healthcare costs in APAC.
File: 
Country of publication: 
Cover page image: 
Number of pages: 
68
Share: 

The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Abstract in English: 
This report was produced by the Pew Research Center as part of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures project, which analyzes religious change and its impact on societies around the world. Funding for the Global Religious Futures project comes from The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John Templeton Foundation. The demographic projections within this report are based on the current size and geographic distribution of the world’s major religions, as well as age differences, fertility and mortality rates, international migration and patterns in conversion.

The religious profile of the world is rapidly changing, driven primarily by differences in fertility rates and the size of youth populations among the world’s major religions, as well as by people switching faiths. Over the next four decades, Christians will remain the largest religious group, but Islam will grow faster than any other major religion. If current trends continue, by 2050 …
Country of publication: 
Cover page image: 
Number of pages: 
245
Share: 
Topics: 
Subscribe to RSS - Demographic Projections