Rapid population growth is often a symptom of poverty and an obstacle to poverty reduction. Countries with high population growth rates tend to have low per capita income growth and poor access to basic services such as water and sanitation. There are many reasons why couples may have many children. Parents with few resources may have large families in order to have help in growing food or making money. Also, in countries where people do not have good access to health care, families often choose to have large numbers of children hoping that a few will survive to adulthood. Yet, with many children come more mouths to feed, more clothes to make or buy, and more children to send through school. Also bearing many children can be dangerous to mothers' lives. On a greater scale, a large and ever-growing population can put extreme stress on a country's--indeed the world's--natural resources.

Over the past 30 years or so, improvements in health, nutrition, access to family planning, and the education of women and girls have helped people decide to have fewer children. Even so, the world's population is expected to pass 6 billion by the year 2000--with more than 4 out of 5 people living in low- and middle-income countries.

 Population Growth Rate Learning Module
Can our planet have sustainable development when number of people living on it keeps growing? Explore this learning module from the Development Education Program to find out how the growing number of people affects people's well-being, countries' economic development, and the health of the environment. For related issues visit the GNP per Capita and Access to Safe Water learning modules. These sites contain text, maps, charts, case studies, data, and exercises developed especially for use in classrooms.

 Health, Nutrition, and Population
This is the premier World Bank web site not only for population issues but also for health and nutrition issues. Find out why people around the world are concerned about population growth and what is being done about it. The links listed below may be especially helpful:

Population Growth and Related Issues

 Hunger. It's not What You Think
People born in 1900 were born into a world with fewer than 2 billion people. Now, less than a century later, close to 6 billion people live on earth. Read this article to learn more about the challenges of providing the world's people with food.

 Is World Population Growth Slowing?
The world population will nearly double over the next two centuries, posing the unprecedented challenge of feeding more than 5 billion added people. Read this newsletter article to explore more data on population growth provided by International Food Policy Research Institute

 The Potential Impact of AIDS on Population and Economic Growth Rates
The likely result of AIDS is that nearly 22 million adults will die over the next 5 to 10 years and three-quarters of a million children will not see their fifth birthday. Read this paper to learn more about the demographic and economic impact of of this disease.

 Environmental Degradation and the Demand for Children: Searching for the Vicious Circle
In developing countries, the desire to have more children may increase when natural resources like water or wood for fuel become more difficult to collect. That sets up a vicious circle between resource depletion and population growth. Read the whole book or parts of it to learn more about this problem.

 Urbanization
More people will live in cities by the year 2025 than occupied the whole planet ten years ago. Urbanization is changing the environment and causing environmental degradation as it fuels economic growth.

 Economic Development

 Pensions. Providing Support For Old Age and Disability Through Viable, Sustainable Financial Security Systems
As the world's population ages, there is a growing need for countries to pay attention to the care and financial support of their elderly citizens. Read this article to learn about some of the ways to care for the aging population. If you wish to explore this issue more, visit the Bank's Pensions Online.

Data: Population

 Explore this page from World Development Indicators, 1999 and World Development Report, 1999/2000 to find population information and data on over 140 of the world's countries. To view these pages you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have it, you may download it here for free.

 Map: Population Growth
Explore this map to see how 1997 population growth rates compare around the world. To view maps of GNP per capita and GNP per capita growth rates, make your selection from the list at the left of the screen, and then click on "Refresh Map".

 Social Indicators of Development
Finance & Development features articles that give a good overview of population growth, fertility rates, life expectancy, as well as income and population growth. Read the article "Social Indicators of Development", which gives data for 1996, and "Development Focus", which gives data for 1997.

Around the World

 Egypt: Recent Changes in Population Growth, their Causes and Consequences
Egypt has one of the largest populations in the Middle East. It has increased by almost six times in the last century and three times since 1950. This working paper examines the reasons for and consequences of population growth in Egypt.

 India. The World Bank Group and Population and Reproductive and Child Health
Since 1951 India has been working to control the threat that rapid population growth poses to its social, economic, and environmental welfare. Visit this web site to find out how India has attacked this problem over the years and what it intends to do in the future.

 Mali: A Typical Sahelian Country
Most Malians, like many people in developing countries, wish for as many children as possible. This wish is influenced not only by tradition, religion, and thought and behavior patterns, but also by high child and infant mortality rates. Visit this web page to learn more.

 Nepal. Environmental Scarcity, Resource Collection, and the Demand for Children
In Nepal children often have an important role in performing household tasks, such as collecting firewood, water, and fodder. The harder it is to collect these things, the more children are needed to do the tasks. Read this paper to learn more about the relationship between the desire for more children and scarcity of natural resources.

Digging Deeper

 Tackling the Issues
Population growth is closely linked with other development issues. Check out these links and see for yourself how population growth fits into the development puzzle.

 Address to Population Action International (PAI)
In this speech Sven Sandstr�m, Managing Director at the World Bank, discusses progress on population issues.

 Economic Reform and Investment in People: The Keys to Development
In this speech, Managing Director at the World Bank, Sven Sandstr�m talks about the challenges for development and people, and social development.

 Population and Reproductive Health: Articles and Working Papers
This web page gives a list with links to various Bank's working papers that deal with issues of population and reproductive health.

 Adapting to Change. Materials
This page contains links to a great number of various academic institutions, NGOs, and organizations that deal with reproductive health issues.