Family Planning Challenges and Decentralization of Health Services in Latin America
In recent decades, several countries throughout Latin America have undergone health sector reform in efforts to improve the quality of care and the level of coverage. Among the most common of these reforms is the decentralization of health services. To ensure that individuals have the ability to choose, obtain and use quality contraceptives whenever they need them—a goal referred to as "contraceptive security"—requires that policymakers, program managers, and advocates address a number of factors.  (June 2008)

Family Planning Policies and the Poor in Peru
Over the past two decades, the government of Peru has instituted a series of laws and policies designed to expand access to family planning services. A recent article in International Family Planning Perspectives notes that in practice, these policies have not always achieved their desired effect. (March 2008)

Managing Migration: The Global Challenge

 The number of international migrants is at an all-time high. There were 191 million migrants in 2005, which means that 3 percent of the world's people left their country of birth or citizenship for a year or more. The number of international migrants in industrialized countries more than doubled between 1985 and 2005, from almost 55 million to 120 million. This Population Bulletin, written by Philip Martin and Gottfried Zürcher, reviews the migration streams of the last several decades, globally and by world region. (BUL63.1; March 2008)

Improving Early Childhood Nutrition Has Long-Term Economic Benefits
At a Population Reference Bureau policy seminar on Jan. 23, 2008, sponsored in part by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Reynaldo Martorell, discussed the effect of a nutrition intervention during early childhood on human capital assets and on the economic productivity of Guatemalan adults. Also view a 10-minute webcast interview with Professor Martorell. (February 2008)

Driving Up Demand for Health Services in Latin America
Millions of people live in poverty in Latin America, and many young people often face few prospects for a bright future. To combat the cycle of poverty, over the past decade governments throughout Latin America have adopted a new approach—conditional cash transfers (CCTs). This strategy offers poor households cash in return for fulfilling specific requirements related to health, education, and nutrition. (January 2008)

Immigration and America's Black Population

 Although far outnumbered by nonblack Hispanic and Asian immigrants, the number of black immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean more than tripled between 1980 and 2005. This Population Bulletin looks at black immigrants to the United States—what countries they are coming from, which states and metro areas they are living in, and what factors affected their entry into the United States. (BUL62.4; December 2007)

The Impact of Climate Change on Water, Sanitation, and Diarrheal Diseases in Latin America and the Caribbean
Water and sanitation play a crucial role in the transmission of diarrheal disease. These environmental factors contribute to approximately 94 percent of the 4 billion cases of diarrhea that the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates to occur globally each year. In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), roughly 77,600 children under the age of 5 die each year from diarrhea and its complications. Although 16 of the 33 countries in the LAC region are on track to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for sanitation and clean water, countries in LAC still need to extend water and sanitation access to an additional 6.1 million and 8.4 million people, respectively, to fully meet the MDG targets. (September 2007)

2007 World Population Data Sheet Webcast
PRB's 2007 World Population Data Sheet was released at a press briefing at the National Press Club, in Washington, DC, on Aug. 16, 2007. This year's theme: "Malnutrition Is a Major Contributor to Child Deaths." (August 2007)

World Population Highlights 2007: Urbanization
The world is on the verge of a shift: from predominantly rural to mainly urban. In 2008, more than half the world's people will live in urban areas. By 2030, urban dwellers will make up roughly 60 percent of the world's population. The largest cities in the world are slowly growing in size, and increasingly they are located in less developed regions. 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: Environment
Carbon dioxide emissions have grown dramatically in the past century because of human activity, chiefly the use of fossil fuels such as oil and coal, as well as changes in land use such as cutting down forests. These emissions are a key contributor to climate change that is expected to produce rising temperatures, lead to more extreme weather patterns, facilitate the spread of infectious diseases, and put more stress on the environment. This article is excerpted from the Population Bulletin: "World Population Highlights: Key Findings From PRB's 2007 World Population Data Sheet." (September 2007)