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Sustainable development and population growth

Sustainable development and population growth

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The world population has surpassed the 7 billion mark and is projected to grow to over 9 billion by

2043.Population trends today are characterized by an increasing divergence across countries and

regions. Whereas many of the poorer countries continue to be characterized by rapid population growth,

others that are more advanced in their demographic transition are experiencing rapid population ageing

and even population decline in some cases. Furthermore, the world is witnessing increasingly complex

international migration patterns and many countries continue to experience very high rates of

urbanization.

These population dynamics influence development at the national and sub-national levels, but also at

regional and global levels.

Thus, the challenge of the century is to solve the problem of meeting the increasing needs and

expectations of a growing population while at the same time modifying the current production and

consumption patterns to achieve a more sustainable development model and address the links between

development and rapid population change.

Why population dynamics matters for sustainable development

Population growth, population ageing and decline, as well as migration and urbanization, affect virtually

all development objectives that are on top of national and global development agendas. They affect

consumption, production, employment, income distribution, poverty and social protections, including

pensions; they also complicate our efforts to ensure universal access to health, education, housing,

sanitation, water, food and energy.

Population growth, in particular, places increasing pressures on the planet’s resources -- water, forests,

land and the earth’s atmosphere -- contributing to climate change and challenging environmental

sustainability. However, population dynamics do not only affect critical development objectives; they

are themselves affected by social, economic and environmental changes.

Population dynamics do not only pose challenges, they also provide important opportunities for more

sustainable development. A fall in fertility levels and slower population growth, for example, leads to an

increased concentration of the population in the working age range, which can enable countries to reap

a demographic bonus and jumpstart economic development.

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Migration can be an important enabler of social and economic development. Today, more than a billion

people rely on international and internal migration to escape from poverty and conflict, adapt to

environmental and economic shocks, and improve the income, health, and education of their families.

Annual remittances to developing countries alone approach $500 billion; triple the amount of ODA,

while potential savings from reducing migration costs could be of a similar scale.

Urbanization can be a powerful driver of sustainable development. Higher population density enables

governments to more easily deliver essential infrastructure and services in urban areas at relatively low

cost per capita. Liveable and sustainable cities have knock-on effects in terms of providing rural

populations with greater access to services such as education and healthcare, while also empowering

them economically. Furthermore, urbanization can produce energy savings, particularly in the housing

and transportation sectors.

However, the benefits of demographic transitions, urbanization and migration do not materialize

automatically and inevitably. Whether population dynamics pose challenges or bring opportunities

depends largely on the policies that are in force.

How to address the challenges and harness the opportunities of population dynamics to promote

sustainable development

Population dynamics are the result of individual choices and opportunities. To address and harness the

opportunities of population dynamics for sustainable development, countries should seek to enlarge,

not restrict, individual rights. Countries should work to expand people’s choices, resourcefulness,

creativity and resilience, by adopting policies that are human rights-based and gender-responsive.

Human rights-based and gender-responsive policies, such as promoting universal access to sexual and

reproductive health and rights, including voluntary family planning, and to education, including

comprehensive sexuality education, can make a world of difference for people and societies. Together,

these measures help to avoid unwanted pregnancies, reduce teenage pregnancies, curb infant and

maternal mortality, and reduce gender-based violence and unsafe abortions. They also help to combat

HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, which continue to claim millions of lives every year.

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The world population has surpassed the 7 billion mark and is projected to grow to over 9 billion by 2043.Population trends today are characterized by an increasing divergence across countries and regions. Whereas many of the poorer countries continue to be characterized by rapid population growth, others that are more advanced in their demographic transition are experiencing rapid population ageing and even population decline in some cases. Furthermore, the world is witnessing increasingly complex international migration patterns and many countries continue to experience very high rates of urbanization. These population dynamics influence development at the national and sub-national levels, but also at regional and global levels. Thus, the challenge of the century is to solve the problem of meeting the increasing needs and expectations of a growing population while at the same time mod ...
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