This section features news about what is happening in the way of population growth internationally and in different countries around the world. Some stories are heartening, others less so. Stories are mainly arranged with the latest news first.
Mexico - Read in this 2024 article how within a few years, Mexico has gone from a staunchly pro-natalist country with high birth rates to having the strongest family planning programme in Latin America. Mexico provides a case study for how family planning advocates managed to succeed despite a pro-natalist government, and how telenovelas were successfully employed to strengthen family planning messages.
Tanzania - The 2024 census revealed that Tanzania's population jumped by more than 37% in a decade to reach 61.7 million. According to the census, the East African country's population grew from 44.9 million in 2012 to more than 60 million, reflecting an annual increase of 3.2 percent. Tanzania's economic hub Dar es Salaam is set to become a megacity by 2050. That same year, the population is projected to reach 151.2 million. For discussion on how lowering adolescent fertility creates a positive circle of benefits by improving the life chances of adolescent girls, see here.
Nigeria - Nigeria has the biggest population and economy in Africa, with a population of 219 million, predicted to overtake the US to become the world's third most populous country by 2051. In 1955, the population was around 41,000; that is more than a 5-fold increase. In 2024, Population Matters initiated a Population Conversation roundtable in Abuja, bringing together 90 public, private and government stakeholders from across the country. The report, which includes a short video `Nigeria’s Population Explosion – what do people think?’ , can be read here. PM is building on this work to further engage with local experts and explore the creation of a sustainable platform to shape population change.
Afghanistan - Since coming back in power in 2021, the Taliban has been removing women’s rights. From February 2023, they have completely banned the sale of contraception in parts of Afghanistan.
Thailand Thailand's success story – Family planning with creativity and humor. From the Overpopulation Project, November 2019
Bangladesh - The benefits of family planning can be seen clearly in controlled and “natural” experiments. One of the most compelling controlled experiments demonstrating the benefits of family planning is the landmark project undertaken by the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh in the Matlab district of Bangladesh. Read more about this remarkable project here.
Costa Rica - In the mid-20th century, Costa Rica’s population growth rate was among the highest in the world. As general prosperity and urbanization increased, however, the population growth rate decreased despite a drop in both the general and infant mortality rates. This decrease in the population growth rate was largely attributable to the fact that, by the late 20th century, middle-class Costa Rican families were having fewer children than previous generations. Read the story of how this grew out of concerns over deforestation here. Life expectancy in Costa Rica is now substantially longer than in most other Central American countries, more comparable to that in developed countries. For more information see here.