21 October 2010

Infant deaths report grim reading
News24 - South Africa

According to a table of indicators contained in the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) "State of World Population 2010" report, released on Wednesday, infant mortality in South Africa is 43 per 1 000 live births. The rates in Botswana and Namibia are 32 and 30 respectively. Other Southern African neighbours have higher rates of infant deaths: 65 per 1 000 live births in Lesotho; 83 in Mozambique; 59 in Swaziland; and 51 in Zimbabwe. The report says the data estimates are for this year, and the source is the UN's Population Division (UNPD). (20 Oct. 2010)

13 October 2010

Lies, Damn Lies, and Population Statistics
Wall Street Journal - USA
Mr. Meotti wrote that Italy's fertility rate is at the "lowest low": 1.3 children per woman. According to the Italian National Statistical Institute (Istat), that rate is 1.41 children per woman, and has been rising since the mid-90s, when it was at 1.19 children per woman. The op-ed also reports that Italy's under-five population made up 9% of the country in 1975. Our numbers show this figure was actually 8%. Further, according to our data, this age group counted for 4.7% of the population on Jan. 1, 2009, not 4.2%. Mr. Meotti cites the U.N.'s Population Division to forecast a drop in this age group to 2.8% by 2050, though according to our data they will be 4.2%, while Eurostat predicts 3.9%.

(22 September 2010)
Nigeria: Golden Jubilee - What Hope for Education for All in 2015?
AllAfrica.com - USA (story originally published in This Day - Lagos)
Findings by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (UNPD), on the effort of governments worldwide towards reducing the number of out-of-school children revealed that the number of primary-school-age children that were not in school fell by 2 million worldwide between 2005 and 2006. (28 September 2010)
Global doors slam shut on immigrants
Christian Science Monitor - USA
The United Nations Population Division (UNDP) estimates that the world has about 200 million international migrants. If they created their own country, it would become the fifth largest in the world.,…(9 October 2010)
In India, even Indians can be 'foreigners'
Christian Science Monitor - USA - Mexico
The United Nations Population Division estimates that 740 million people are internal migrants – almost four times as many as those who have moved internationally.…(9 October 2010)
Think Again: Global Aging
Foreign Policy - USA
It's true that the world's population overall will increase by roughly one-third over the next 40 years, from 6.9 to 9.1 billion, according to the U.N. Population Division. But this will be a very different kind of population growth than ever before -- driven not by birth rates, which have plummeted around the world, but primarily by an increase in the number of elderly people. Indeed, the global population of children under 5 is expected to fall by 49 million as of midcentury, while the number of people over 60 will grow by 1.2 billion.
(November 2010)
Population shifts 'substantially influence' emissions
BBC News - UK

"If global population growth slows down, it is not going to solve the climate problem," said lead author Brian O'Neill, a scientist at the US National Center for Atmospheric Research (Ncar)."But it can make a contribution, especially in the long-term." According to the UN Population Division, the average annual global growth rate peaked at just over 2.0% between 1965 and 1970.
Since then, it has been steadily falling and currently stands at about 1.1%. By 2050, the UN projects that it will have fallen to an estimated 0.3%.
,…(12 October 2010)

01 October 2010

Macau may fall short of UNESCO goals
Macau Daily Times - Macau

National and international population estimates are often based on the same source of demographic data, such as a recent census, household survey or demographic study. However, they are not necessarily calculated according to the same methodology. “To avoid this pitfall, the UIS [UNESCO Institute of Statistics] uses population estimates from the United Nations Population Division, which are based on a single, reliable methodology that is internationally accepted.”
,…(1 October 2010)