World population nears 6 billion.

Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family.

- Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 16 (1)

According to the 1998 revised estimates and projections of the United Nations, the world population currently stands at 5.9 billion persons and is growing at 1.33 per cent per year, an annual net addition of about 78 million people. World population in the mid-twenty-first century is expected to be in the range of 7.3 to 10.7 billion, with a figure of 8.9 billion by the year 2050 considered to be most likely.

Global population growth is slowing, thanks to successful family planning programmes. But because of past high fertility, the world population will continue to grow by over 80 million a year for at least the next decade. In mid-1999, the total will pass 6 billion-twice what it was in 1960.

More young people than ever are entering their childbearing years. At the same time, the number and proportion of people over 65 are increasing at an unprecedented rate. The rapid growth of these young and old new generations is challenging societies' ability to provide education and health care for the young, and social, medical and financial support for the elderly.

The challenges and opportunities posed by the changing shape of the global population are the focus of The Stale of World Population 1228 report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Falling fertility and smaller families have prompted recent well-publicized claims that the "population explosion" is over. On the contrary, the report points out, the world population will continue to grow substantially for at least another 50 years. In the year 2050, it will be between 7.3 and 10.7 billion, with 8.9 billion considered most likely.

Much of the growth will be due to "population momentum", the inevitable result of high birth rates in the recent past. How much population will grow beyond that will depend largely on action taken in the next ten years, enabling couples and individuals to exercise their right to reproductive choice.

In some developing regions, over the next two decades, young people will swell the workforce, compared to older and younger dependents. This will create a temporary opportunity to build human capital and spur long-term development before dependency levels go up again as populations age. To take advantage of this "demographic bonus", the report emphasizes, countries need...