World population perspectives 1985

Abstract

Overpopulation is one of the major problems facing humanity in the final two decades of the twentieth century. Although some progress has been made in curbing global population growth much remains to be done, especially in Third World countries.

In recent years the major demographic changes in industrialized nations have been the continuing fall in birth rates and the increase in the relative and absolute numbers of older people. The transcendent feature in developing countries is the variability of conventional demographic indices such as birth rates, death rates and infantile mortality rates. The population giants, India and China, contain about half of the world's people and the success or otherwise of these countries’ population policies will be crucial for the future of mankind.

Doctors, as custodians of human welfare, must become deeply concerned about the world population crisis and in this way contribute to the forward movement of history.

Key Words:

• Population
• Social environment