Population Boom Predicted In Poor Nations

The starkly uneven pace of population growth between most developing and industrialized nations represents the world%92s major demographic fault line. The Population Reference Bureau%27s 2004 World Population Data Sheet demonstrates that nearly 99 percent of all population increase takes place in poor countries%2C while population size is static or declining in the rich nations. Among the major industrialized nations%2C only the United States now has significant population growth.%0D%0AAs a consequence%2C by 2050 industrialized countries are projected to increase their population by merely 4 percent. In contrast%2C the population of developing countries is expected to expand by 55 percent. For example%2C Western European populations will shrink%2C while Western Asian nations are expected to gain about 186 million people by 2050. Overall%2C world population will likely reach 9.3 billion by mid-century."