Children in Puerto Rico (PDF: 730KB)
This report provides an overview of children in Puerto Rico, based on 2000 U.S. Census data. It documents the situation of children in Puerto Rico and how the characteristics of children in Puerto Rico have changed over time. (August 2003)

Maternal Mortality in Guatemala: A Preventable Tragedy
More than a social and health problem, a mother's death is a family tragedy. The Guatemalan government is taking ambitious steps to reduce deaths and disability related to pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum complications in this Central American country. (June 2003)

Small Successes, Big Ideas — Jamaica's Adolescent Reproductive Health Focus
Several studies have identified a number of reproductive health risk factors for Jamaica’s young people, including multiple partners, sexual abuse, and a lack of reproductive health information. (May 2003)

Sustaining Caribbean Coastal Areas
This PowerPoint presentation explores the role of population dynamics in coastal areas in the Caribbean, highlighting population trends and the special vulnerability of small island developing states. (April 2003)

Population Dynamics in Latin America (PDF: 318KB)

 Despite declining fertility, negative migration rates, and declining growth rates, the size of Latin America's population is expected to increase from 520 million to 800 million by 2050. (BUL58.1, March 2003)

The Graying of Latin America
The number of Latin Americans age 65 or older is projected to more than double between 2000 and 2025, and to double again, to 136 million, by 2050. These older Latin Americans will make up at least 17 percent of the region’s total population. (March 2003)

A Path for Balanced Population Growth?
In terms of world population growth, Latin America and the Caribbean stand in the middle of the demographic picture. LAC growth outstrips its northern neighbors, the United States and Canada, and is expected to have roughly twice North America's population by 2050. (February 2003)

Brazil Confronts Adolescent Sexual Health Issues
Adolescents in Brazil are having sex at earlier ages and exposing themselves to the risks of STIs, HIV, and pregnancies. Since the government approved a Statute for Children and Adolescents in 1990, it has struggled to address the specific needs of young people. While there have been many new programs as well as notable changes in attitudes among adolescents, there is still much to be done. (October 2002)

Easing Urban Poverty Key to Economic Growth in Central America
Central American countries are urbanizing rapidly. Big cities there are straining to provide basic services to residents, and experts worry about the potential for higher poverty rates, more pollution, and increased crime. (Population Today, October 2002)

HIV Hits Marginal Populations Hardest in Latin America, Leading Cause of Death for Some Caribbean Nations
HIV prevalence rates in the Caribbean are the second-highest in the world. In most of Latin America, HIV/AIDS has hit the marginal populations hardest: men who have sex with men, commercial sex workers, and injecting drug users, but heterosexual transmission is increasingly important. (October 2002)