Caribbean Countries “Pay” for Successfully Addressing Population Issues
Nations in the Caribbean have been so effective in dealing with their population issues that international aid agencies plan to reduce current levels of assistance. (April 2002)

Making Motherhood Safer: Overcoming Obstacles on the Pathway to Care (PDF: 717KB)

 Pregnancy and childbirth need not be a perilous journey. Governments and communities can make motherhood safer by preventing delays on the pathway to care. This new PRB report discusses the prevalence of maternal mortality and the health care systems that can make the process of bringing new lives into the world safer for mothers. (February 2002)

Malaria Basics: Global Impact and Actions
Malaria is widespread in 100 countries and territories worldwide, largely in the less developed tropical areas of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Although malaria continues to take a toll on millions worldwide, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, different policy and program efforts are effectively addressing some of the challenges posed by this disease. (January 2002)

KIDS COUNT International Data Sheet
These data dramatize the gaps in well-being between children of rich and poor nations. The data sheet documents children's status country by country on 10 key indicators: number and percentage of children under age 18; mortality rate under age 5; 15-19-year-olds giving birth each year; primary school age children in school; malnourished children under age 5; children with required immunizations; births with skilled attendant at delivery; population with access to safe water; and the number of AIDS orphans. (January 2002)

Malaria Continues to Threaten Pregnant Women and Children
Malaria threatens at least 24 million pregnancies each year in Africa, the continent most affected by this disease. While the use of effective drugs and protective bed nets is reducing the toll of malaria in several African countries, continuing and expanded efforts are needed to protect the health of pregnant women and children. (December 2001)

Delivery Care Is Key for Maternal Survival: A Story of Two States in Nigeria
In Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, 45,000 women die in childbirth every year, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund, and the World Health Organization (WHO). This represents the third highest estimated number of maternal deaths in the world. Only India and Ethiopia have more with 110,000 and 46,000 respectively. (December 2001)

Response to Hunger Tests New Priorities
Over the last five years, the number of hungry people worldwide has fallen by 8 million per year. Good news — except that the goal of the 1996 World Food Summit was to reduce that number by 20 million people per year in order to halve world hunger by 2015. (Population Today, November/December 2001)

New Index Tracks Children's Well-Being
Is the well-being of America's children good and getting better, or bad and getting worse? A new Index of Child and Youth Well-Being charts the annual change in indicators of the life conditions of children and youth, and reports the results as a single number. (Population Today, November/December 2001)

Healthy People Need Healthy Forests

 Deforestation worldwide continues at a net rate of 9.4 million hectares a year, posing a serious threat to human communities and natural ecosystems at the outset of the 21st century. (October 2001)

Around the Globe, Women Outlive Men
A color-coded world map makes clear that the gender gap in life expectancy is nearly universal. (Population Today, August/September 2001)