Get the facts about population issues in developing countries and how they affect children and their families.- There are now over 7 billion people living on earth.
- 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 percent of all adolescents live in developing countries.
- The world population is growing by about 0.8 percent, or almost 80 million people, per year.
- As of 2006, approximately 48.8 percent 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 percent of children under 5 have never been registered; worldwide nearly 50 million children each year are not registered and begin life with no identity.