United Nations (New York) Press Release - March 22, 2004

The world is beginning to see the end of rapid population growth, according to a United Nations report to be submitted next week to the Commission on Population and Development. In 1994, world fertility was 3 children per woman, and today it has dropped to 2.7; nearly all countries have experienced some reduction of fertility; men and women are closer to achieving their desired family size and spacing of children; mortality is declining in most countries; and life expectancy has been increasing -- it is approximately 66 years today, while it was 64 years in 1994.

The report, to be discussed at the 37th session of the Commission on Population and Development meeting at UN Headquarters from 22 to 26 March, notes that although population growth has decreased in the last decade, progress is being affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic and conflict. In the 53 countries most affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, it is estimated that HIV has been the cause of nearly 20 million excess deaths.

"Much progress has been achieved during the last ten years, and we must keep up the momentum," said Joseph Chamie, Director of the United Nations Population Division, DESA. "In the last ten years the world has gained 787 million persons, but the annual increase is declining, and by mid-century the annual increase should be one third of today's level, or 29 million persons."

In 2004, the world population stands at 6.4 billion persons, says the report.

Ninety-five per cent of the global population increase between 1994 and 2004 -- 787 million persons -- took place in the less developed regions. Six developing countries -- India with 21 per cent, China, 13 per cent, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh and Indonesia, about 4 per cent each -- account for about half of the world's annual growth.

The session of the Commission on Population and Development will focus on the changes since the 1994 Cairo Conference on Population and Development, and will assess the Plan of Action adopted in Cairo ten years ago. The Cairo Conference identified population growth as an important element in the development process and stressed that it was important to facilitate the transition towards slower population growth in order to achieve an improved quality of life for present and future generations.

"The ten years of progress since Cairo have been built upon half a century of United Nations efforts and achievements in population ad development issues," Mr. Chamie said.

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