World Population Day

World Population Day was July 11.

On the eve of World Population Day, a new campaign was launched to raise awareness of how international family planning helps save women and children’s lives, safeguard the environment, and slow population growth.

Click here to view RealPlayer 7 video highlights of the July 10th Planet campaign launch.

Today, there are more than 6 billion people on the planet, with half of the world’s population under the age of 25—at or just reaching their childbearing years.

Nearly 600,000 women still die each year from pregnancy-related causes. And an estimated 90 percent of infants whose mothers die at childbirth will not survive to their first birthday.

Wild species are becoming extinct 50 to 100 times faster than they naturally would, because of the impact of rapid population growth and increased population density in many countries.

Though population growth is slowing worldwide, more than 90 percent of current growth occurs in the developing world where needs are great and resources are scarce. And these nations have a huge unmet need for family planning services—over 150 million married women of reproductive age in the developing world indicate that they would prefer to postpone childbearing but are not using any method of contraception.

For more information:

• Learn about the Planet campaign—which joins CARE, the National Audubon Society, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Population Action International and Save the Children, with funding from The David and Lucile Packard Foundation. You can also view the ads that will appear nationally and read the press advisory on the campaign launch.

• Read facts on how family planning saves women’s lives, saves children’s lives and safeguards the environment. Or, read an overview on Why Family Planning Matters from Johns Hopkins University.

• Get the latest population figures from the United Nations, U.S. Census Bureau or Population Reference Bureau. Or, contact other organizations that work on population issues.

• Find out more about World Population Day 2000—which focuses this year on “Saving Women’s Lives”—from the United Nations Population Fund.

  ---

  past features