World News Population to hit 9 billion by 2050

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LONDON (Kyodo) — The world's population will continue to grow to well over 9 billion by 2050, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) predicts in its annual report released Sept. 6.

But the population of Japan is set to decline by 16 million over the same period, the report said.

While the average population growth rate for the world as a whole between 2005 and 2010 will be 1.1 percent, the rate for Japan will be just 0.1 percent, according to the report

The report also says aging populations in Europe and North America, combined with a shortage of nurses and doctors, are driving the demand for health workers and causing an outflow of skilled women migrants from poorer countries

It also says the drift of women from Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and particularly Africa, will affect the industrialized or industrializing nations in the future as their demand for both health and domestic workers increases. The trend in female migration currently stands at 95 million women.

"The realities and needs of women migrants highlight the shortcomings and the dark side of globalization, and the persistence of poverty, gender inequality and exploitation," UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid said.

"This report calls on governments and individuals to recognize and value the contributions of migrant women and promote and respect their human rights," she also said.

2050年、世界人口90億人に

国連人口基金は6日に発表した報告書で、2050年には世界の人口が90億人を超えると述べた。

Shukan ST: Sept. 15, 2006

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