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)

Objections Surface Over Nigerian Census Results
Provisional results of the 2006 census in Nigeria show that Kano in the north is Nigeria's most populous state (9.4 million), followed by Lagos (9.0 million) in the south. Northern states account for 75 million people, while the southern states are home to 65 million. The total population was 140 million. Since December, when these provisional results were released, some Nigerians have rejected the numbers, while others have stood by them. (April 2007)

Population & Economic Development Linkages 2007 Data Sheet

 This data sheet provides up-to-date data on population, inequalities within developing countries, and economic opportunities. Data covered includes the percent of married women using modern contraception by wealth group, number of working-age adults per dependent child, and percent of females enrolled in secondary school. (April 2007)

The Degree of Certainty in Population Projections
How much confidence can be placed in projections of what the size of the population will be in 10, 25, 50, or 75 years? The certainty of these projections is of keen interest to a wide range of analysts, including government policy makers and planners who rely on them to guide their decisions. (April 2007)

PRB Discuss Online: "Is the U.S. Birth Rate Still Fueling Population Growth?"
We often hear that the U.S. family is shrinking and that more young Americans aren't getting married or having children—but the U.S. has a higher birth rate than most other industrialized countries. Who is having or not having children in the U.S. today? How has U.S. fertility changed since the baby-boom years of the 1950s and 1960s? How has immigration affected the U.S. birth rate? Where does the U.S. rank compared with other countries? Mary Kent, editor of PRB's Population Bulletin, led a PRB Discuss Online on this topic. Read a transcript of the questions and answers. (March 2007)

Population: A Lively Introduction

 This Population Bulletin discusses the basic forces of demographic change—fertility, mortality, and migration—and how they can be tracked. Also covered are how these three forces affect a population's size and growth rate, and how population projections are calculated; common demographic variables such as age, sex, and race/ethnicity; and issues and problems associated with population growth. (BUL62.1; March 2007)

PopWire: UN's New World Population Projections
The United Nations issued new world population projections this month that incorporate somewhat more optimistic assumptions about AIDS survival in developing countries, based on recent findings from government health surveys and on improved access to the most effective drugs. (March 2007)

Reporting on Population, Health, and the Environment: A Media Guide for Central American Journalists
This media guide provides data and background information on the connections between population, health, and the environment in Central America. These connections are evident in instances when children are sick with diarrhea from contaminated drinking water, when deforestation leads to mudslides killing villagers, when pesticides for crops gets into the food stream and leads to sickness. This guide will help journalists understand and report on such complex issues about people’s health and the environment. (March 2007)

PopWire: New U.S. State Population Estimates
The Census Bureau released state population estimates for July 2006 that show a continuing loss of people from the Northeast and Midwest, and gains in the West and South. One symbol of that change: North Carolina has replaced New Jersey as the 10th largest state. (January 2007)

In the News: Results Trickle Out From the Nigerian Census
Nigeria’s population reached 140 million, according to provisional results of the Nigerian population census released in December 2006. The last census taken in 1991 surprised analysts because it came in low (89 million), prompting calls for a recount. But demographers say the 2006 census figure seems plausible. (January 2007)