Yearbook of the United Nations, 2008. Part 3, Economic and social questions. Chapter 8, Population

Abstract

In 2008, world population stood at 6.8 billion, and was projected to reach 9 billion in 2045 if fertility levels continued to decline in developing countries. While 53 developed countries had fertility below that needed to ensure the replacement of generations, 42 developing countries—many of them least developed—had total fertility above 4.0 children per woman. In addition, population was shifting. For the first time in history, there were more urban dwellers than rural inhabitants, and urban dwellers were likely to compose 70 per cent of the world population by 2050. UN population activities continued to be guided by the Programme of Action adopted at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and the key actions for its implementation adopted at the twenty-first special session of the General Assembly in 1999. The Commission on Population and Development—the body responsible for monitoring, reviewing and assessing implementation of the Programme of Action—considered as its special theme “Population distribution, urbanization, internal migration and development”. The Population Division continued to analyse and report on world demographic trends and policies and to make its findings available in publications and on the Internet. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) assisted countries in implementing the ICPD agenda and the Millennium Development Goals through their use of population data to formulate sound policies and programmes. In 2008, UNFPA provided assistance to 158 countries, areas and territories, with emphasis on increasing the availability and quality of reproductive health services, fighting gender discrimination and gender-based violence, formulating effective population policies and intensifying HIV prevention.