Reference Desk: Now Available: World Data Population Sheet (2011)

The 2011 update was recently published by the World Population Bureau.

Direct to 2011 Data Sheet (15 Pages; PDF)

From a Summary:

Global population will reach 7 billion later in 2011, just 12 years after reaching 6 billion in 1999.

Today’s world population is double the population in 1967. But while the overall growth rate has slowed, the population is still growing, and growth rates in some countries show little if any decline.

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Dñeclines in birth rates have been virtually universal across countries, but the pattern of decline has varied widely. In some countries such as Germany, Russia, and Taiwan, birth rates have fallen far below two children. In other countries such as Bangladesh, birth rates have decreased and most families have between two and three children. In still other countries, birth rates remain high; for example, in Niger, seven children per woman continues to be the norm.

• HIV/AIDS prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa declined by 15 percent among adults ages 15 to 49—from 5.9 percent in 2001 to 5.0 percent in 2009. But prevalence among adults remains high in many countries—24.8 percent in Botswana and 25.9 percent in Swaziland.

• Nearly half the world (48 percent) lives in poverty on less than the equivalent of US$2 per day, including 80 percent of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 76 percent in India, 65 percent in Uganda, and 61 percent in Pakistan.

• Virtually all population growth is concentrated in the world’s poorest countries, making it difficult to lift large numbers of people out of poverty.

• Worldwide, women now average 2.5 children during their lifetimes and 4.5 in the poorest countries. Lifetime fertility is highest in sub-Saharan Africa at 5.2 children per woman. In the developed countries, women average 1.7 children. The United States is one exception among high-income countries, with a total fertility rate of 2.0 children per woman.

• The U.S. population increased by almost 10 percent between 2000 and 2010, but growth patterns varied widely. States in the South and the West grew the fastest, while many rural areas lost population, including much of the Great Plains and northern and central Appalachia.

Read the Complete Summary

Direct to 2011 Data Sheet (15 Pages; PDF)

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