Unintended Pregnancies Remain High in Jordan
This research paper intends to help policymakers and program managers in Jordan understand the extent and nature of unintended pregnancies and their implications for women and their families. The analysis was done by Rozzet Jurdi, a Ph.D. candidate in social demography at the University of Western Ontario, Canada. This paper was published as part of PRB's MENA Working Paper Series (September 2008)

Abortion in the Middle East and North Africa
Unsafe abortion is one of the most neglected public health challenges in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, where an estimated one in four pregnancies are unintended—wanting to have a child later or wanting no more children. Many women with unintended pregnancies resort to clandestine abortions that are not safe. According to the World Health Organization, around 1.5 million abortions in MENA in 2003 were performed in unsanitary settings, by unskilled providers, or both. Complications from those abortions accounted for 11 percent of maternal deaths in the region. This PRB policy brief explores the public health concerns surrounding abortion in MENA and discusses ways to make it both rarer and safer. (September 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)

2008 World Population Data Sheet Webcast
PRB's 2008 World Population Data Sheet was released at a press briefing at the National Press Club, in Washington, DC, on Aug. 19, 2008. This year's theme: "Global Demographic Divide Widens." (August 2008)

World Population Highlights: Key Findings From PRB's 2008 World Population Data Sheet (PDF: 854KB)
This Population Bulletin is the companion report to PRB's 2008 World Population Data Sheet. The Bulletin highlights key findings from the data sheet on: world population trends, nutrition, environment, HIV/AIDS, urbanization, and migration. (BUL63.3, September 2008)

2008 World Population Data Sheet

  PRB's 2008 World Population Data Sheet contains the latest population estimates, projections, and other key indicators for more than 200 countries, including births, deaths, natural increase, infant mortality, life expectancy, urban population, HIV/AIDS prevalence, contraceptive use, GNI PPP per capita, and population per square kilometer. New for the 2008 Data Sheet are data on percent of population in urban areas of 750,000 or more; lifetime risk of maternal death; percent of population undernourished; number of vehicles per 1,000 population; and percent of population with access to an improved drinking water source. (August 2008) 

Advancing Research to Inform Reproductive Health Policies in the Middle East and North Africa
This policy brief discusses current research needs in the MENA region, drawing in part from a 2007 report produced by the Global Health Forum for Health Research and the World Health Organization, Research Issues in Sexual and Reproductive Health for Low- and Middle-Income Countries. It also presents a framework that illustrates how scientific evidence can be used in the policymaking process to change policies and improve programs that will ultimately improve people's sexual and reproductive health. (July 2008)

PRB Discuss Online: "The Middle East Youth Bulge: Causes and Consequences"
Recent demographic trends have created a youth bulge in the Middle East and North Africa, with nearly one in every five people age 15 to 24. Despite its oil wealth and improved health and education systems, the region's political, social, and economic systems still do not meet the needs of this rapidly growing young population. What are the prospects for young people in this region? Are young men putting off marriage because of limited job opportunities? Ragui Assaad, regional director for West Asia and North Africa at the Population Council, answered participants questions on this topic. Read a transcript of the questions and answers. (May 2008)

Sexual & Reproductive Health in the Middle East and North Africa: A Guide for Reporters

Cultural sensitivities and taboos surrounding sexuality are particularly pronounced in the Middle East and North Africa, and make the role of the media vital in providing objective information about sexual and reproductive health matters. This guide for reporters aims to bring together the latest available data on sexual and reproductive health for countries in the MENA region, to help journalists educate the public and make the case for policymakers that poor sexual and reproductive health contributes to social inequalities and hinders social and economic development. (May 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)