WUNRN
Consider for GIRLS
& MOTHERS.
2025 & BEYOND - DEMOGRAPHIC
TRENDS FOR CHILDREN IN THE 21st CENTURY
Direct Link to Full 20-Page 2012
Document:
The paper for
instance says that by 2050 one in every three births will be African – as will
also be almost one in every three children under the age of 18. One hundred
years earlier, sub-Saharan
The paper,
Generation 2025 and beyond: The critical importance of understanding
demographic trends for children of the 21st century, says that in turn under-5
deaths will continue increasingly to be concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa, in
pockets of poverty and marginalization in populous lower-income countries and
in least developed nations.
“What is important
is whether the world as it prepares for the post-2015 agenda takes account of
this fundamental and unprecedented shift,” said co-author UNICEF’s David
Anthony. “We must do everything possible so these children get an equal chance
to survive, develop and reach their full potential.”
In October 2011,
the world’s population reached 7 billion and on current projections it will hit
8 billion by 2025. The paper says that next billion of global inhabitants will
still be children by 2025 and 90 per cent of them will have been born in less
developed regions.
The paper projects
only a modest four per cent increase in the global population of children by
2025, but the population growth shifts significantly to countries in the South.
According to
projections, the 49 countries classified as the world’s least developed nations
will account for around 455 million of the 2 billion global births between 2010
and 2025. Five populous middle income countries –
The only
high-income country projected to have an increasing proportion of children by
2025 is the
Though
The paper says
policy implications of the shift of child population and child deaths to the
world’s poorest and most populous countries are key. For least developed
countries, serious consideration must be given to how to meet the needs of
children, especially in health and education.
The study, derived
from projections by the United Nations Population Division, says the ageing
population globally will increase pressure to shift resources away from
children.
“Children do not
vote, and their voices are often not heard when governments make decisions
about funding,” said paper co-author Danzhen You from UNICEF. “So it will be
more important than ever to safeguard children so their rights are respected
and upheld.”
The paper’s
recommendations include: targeting investments to the areas where children will
be born; an emphasis on neglected groups, especially in high population, middle
income countries; reaching the poorest and most isolated households, and
urgently tackling the issue of old age dependency.