Egypt's Fertility Decline Slows
A new demographic and health survey (DHS) from Egypt shows that the number of children per woman has declined, from 3.5 in 2000 to about 3.0 in 2008. But most of Egypt's decline occurred before 2005. The 2008 numbers are just slightly below those measured in 2003 and 2005 surveys. This raises the question: Will Egypt's fertility fall much further or are couples now having the number of children they want? The answer is important because it will determine the future population of the Middle East and North Africa. (February 2009)

10 Years After Introducing Mobile Clinics in Assuit, Egypt
This research paper examines patterns of contraceptive use among rural women in Assuit Governorate, in Egypt, and explores the underlying reasons that prevent women from visiting mobile clinics. The analysis was done by Ghada Salah-ElDeen T. Al-Attar, Assuit University, Egypt. This paper was published as part of PRB's MENA Working Paper Series (January 2009)

Africa Faces Mixed Progress, Daunting Challenges, in Improving Population Well-Being
Fertility has declined in many African countries from highs of six or seven children per woman down to about five children on average. But although African women use family planning more and bear fewer children, the continent's youthful population will fuel the continent's growth for many decades to come. Africa's 2008 population of 967 million is projected to grow to 1.9 billion by 2050, according to the 2008 Africa Population Data Sheet, published by the Population Reference Bureau and the African Population and Health Research Center. (October 2008)

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: Data and Trends

Female genital mutilation/cutting poses serious physical and mental health risks for women and young girls, especially for women who have undergone extreme forms of the procedure. According to a Population Reference Bureau data sheet, an estimated 100 million to 140 million girls and women worldwide have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting and more than 3 million girls are at risk for cutting each year on the African continent alone. (September 2008)

World Population Highlights 2007: Overview of World Population
We entered the 20th century with 1.6 billion people. We entered the 21st century with 6.1 billion people. And in 2007, world population is 6.6 billion. The increase in the size of the human population in the last half-century is unprecedented. And nearly all of the growth is occurring in the less developed countries. Currently, 80 million people are being added every year in less developed countries, compared with about 1.6 million in more developed countries. While the less developed countries will keep growing, the more developed countries may grow slowly or not at all. This article is excerpted from the Population Bulletin: "World Population Highlights: Key Findings From PRB's 2007 World Population Data Sheet.(September 2007)

World Population Highlights 2007: Migration
In 2005, about 191 million people, or 3 percent of the world's population, were international migrants, according to UN estimates. Migration continues to be an important determinant of the size and characteristics of populations in some countries and especially in certain areas within countries. Between 1995 and 2000, around 206 million migrants per year moved from less developed to more developed regions. More than one-half of these settled in the United States and Canada. This article is excerpted from the Population Bulletin: "World Population Highlights: Key Findings From PRB's 2007 World Population Data Sheet." (September 2007)

Egypt Bans Female Genital Cutting
The Egyptian Health Ministry issued a decree on June 28, 2007, that officially banned female circumcision. Although a similar order was already in place to prevent hospitals and medical doctors from carrying out the procedure, it is still widely performed by nonprofessionals in the community. (July 2007)

Challenges and Opportunities—The Population of the Middle East and North Africa

 This Population Bulletin looks at recent demographic trends in the Middle East and North Africa and how they interact with social and economic forces of change. It shows how this high-profile region is being transformed by mortality and fertility declines and a veritable revolution in marriage patterns and family planning use. The Bulletin  also considers the effects of immigration and refugee movements on the labor force as well as on the age and sex composition of country populations. (BUL62.2; June 2007)

Young People's Sexual and Reproductive Health in the Middle East and North Africa

 In the Middle East and North Africa, the risks associated with sexual relationships, both married and unmarried, are heightened by young people's lack of access to information and services related to sexual and reproductive health. Programs that provide such information and services would benefit young people whether they are sexually active now or not, preparing them to make more informed decisions about marriage, sexual relationships, and childbearing.(April 2007)

Youth in the Middle East and North Africa: Demographic Opportunity or Challenge?

 Despite oil resources and major improvements in health and education, the Middle East and North Africa region is not meeting the changing needs of its rapidly growing young population. This policy brief gives an overview of demographic trends among MENA youth and the implications of these trends for the region's human and economic development. This policy brief is also available in Arabic. (April 2007)

Female Genital Cutting: Current Status and Trends
Although many governments have passed laws against female genital cutting, the practice is still widespread in many countries. More than seven in 10 women have undergone the procedure in Mauritania, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Northern Sudan, Eritrea, Mali, Egypt, and Guinea. (February 2007)

Time to Intervene: Preventing the Spread of HIV/AIDS in the Middle East and North Africa

 This policy brief helps raise awareness among decisionmakers in the Middle East and North Africa about the urgent need for action by presenting some HIV/AIDS warning signs, risks, and vulnerabilities in the region. The number of people living with HIV/AIDS in MENA is low but increasing in every country in the region. This policy brief is also available in Arabic. (February 2007)

PRB-UNFPA Country Profiles for Population and Reproductive Health 2005
PRB and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) have jointly published the Country Profiles for Population and Reproductive Health: Policy Developments and Indicators 2005. The volume, which updates the 2003 edition, contains national and subnational indicators on the demographic and social situation in 163 countries and subregions. (March 2006)

Reforming Family Laws to Promote Progress in the Middle East and North Africa

 Morocco recently adopted an entirely new family law that is consistent with the spirit of Islam, yet based on equal rights for both men and women. This policy brief is also available in Arabic. (February 2006)

Investing in Reproductive Health to Achieve Development Goals: The Middle East and North Africa

 This PRB policy brief outlines who prioritizing women's reproductive health at a national level would help accelerate progress in the MENA region toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals. (January 2006)

Marriage in the Arab World

 Universal, early marriage is no longer the standard it once was in Arab countries: The average age at marriage for both men and women is generally rising, and more Arab women are staying single longer or not marrying at all. These trends are introducing new issues into Arab societies that confront deeply rooted cultural values and raise legal and policy challenges. This policy brief is also available in Arabic. (December 2005)

Islam and Family Planning

 This policy brief gives an overview of Muslim countries' policies on and support for family planning and modern contraception. It reviews Islamic jurisprudence and justifications for sanctioning family planning. This policy brief is also available in Arabic. (September 2004)

Domestic Violence in Developing Countries: An Intergenerational Crisis
A comparative study using nationally representative information on domestic violence in nine developing countries finds that women whose fathers abused their mothers are twice as likely to suffer domestic abuse themselves. (September 2004)

Making Motherhood Safer in Egypt

 Fewer Egyptian women die of maternal causes today than they did 10 or 15 years ago, thanks to the national safe motherhood program. Nevertheless, maternal mortality in Egypt is still relatively high, and the country faces challenges in reducing it further. This policy brief is also available in Arabic. (March 2004)

Progress Toward the Millennium Development Goals in the Middle East
Countries in the MENA region were among the 189 countries that attended the 2000 United Nations Millennium Summit, where leaders from around the word adopted the Millennium Declaration and made a commitment to combat poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation, and discrimination against women. This policy brief is also available in Arabic. (March 2004)

Empowering Women, Developing Society: Female Education in the Middle East and North Africa
While access to education for females has improved dramatically over the past few decades in the Middle East, many are still excluded. Education helps women prepare for the labor force and helps them understand their legal and reproductive rights. This policy brief is also available in Arabic. (November 2003)

Women's Reproductive Health in the Middle East and North Africa (PDF: 234KB)
About half of the 10 million women who give birth each year in the Middle East and North Africa have some kind of complication, with more then 1 million of them suffering serious injuries that lead to long-term illness. (February 2003)

Postabortion Care Crucial for Maternal Health
WHO estimates that 19 out of every 20 unsafe abortions take place in less developed countries. Unsafe abortion is thought to be responsible for many deaths attributed to nonmaternal causes. Regardless of the legal status of the procedure, high-quality postabortion services for treating and managing complications can save many lives. (October 2002)

Finding the Balance: Population and Water Scarcity in the Middle East and North Africa
The Middle East and North Africa is home to 6.3 percent of the world's population yet has only 1.4 percent of the world's fresh renewable water. This policy brief is also available in Arabic. (July 2002)

Population Trends and Challenges in the Middle East and North Africa
The people of the Middle East and North Africa have long played an integral, if sometimes volatile, role in the history of human civilization. Today, MENA's rapid population growth exacerbates the challenges that this region faces as it enters the third millennium. (December 2001)

Flat Birth Rates in Bangladesh and Egypt Challenge Demographers' Projections
In projecting the populations of less developed countries, most demographers assume that fertility rates will decline to two children per women. Recent fertility surveys from two key countries illustrate how much in doubt that outcome really is. (Population Today, October 2000)