Smaller Families, More Crowded World

The latest Vital Signs Update explains important population trends, including:

• The world's population reached an estimated 6.7 billion people by the end of 2007.
• The average woman worldwide is giving birth to fewer children than ever before.
• Life expectancy worldwide varies from a high of 83 years in Japan to a low of 40 years in Swaziland, where HIV rates are highest.
• More than 700 million women are at risk of unintended pregnancy. Spending on family planning by governments worldwide has been stagnant in recent years.

A comparison of gender gaps and fertility rates of 128 countries indicates a clear correlation between high female status and low fertility. Improving the status of women worldwide could point the way toward a more environmentally sustainable and socially equal human population in the years ahead.

Read the Vital Signs Update: Fertility Falls, Population Rises, Future Uncertain..

See the full list of available trends. Download complete trends for $10 each. Trends include graphs and data sets in an Excel spreadsheet, a printable version of the analysis, and full access to endnotes and sources.