Learn the facts about population issues and how they affect children and their families.

•  As of July 2008, the world's population was 6.7 billion people.

 

 

•  Approximately 4.7 billion people live in low and middle-low income economies. In contrast, 65 high-income countries have a combined population of about 1 billion less than one-sixth of the world's population.

 

 

•  Nearly one in four people in the world is young, between age 10 and 24; while 85% of all adolescents live in developing countries.

 

 

•  The world population is growing by about 0.8%, or almost 80 million people, per year.

 

 

•  As of 2006, approximately 48.8% of the world's population lived in urbanized areas. In developing countries more than one third of this growing urban population lives in slum conditions.

 

 

•  Every second 4.3 people are born worldwide; while every second 1.8 deaths occur. The world population has a net gain of 2.5 people every second.

 

 

•  In Sub-Saharan Africa 55% of children under 5 have never been registered; worldwide nearly 50 million children each year are not registered and begin life with no identity.