Caribbean will have significant population growth in coming years

Caribbean countries are included in a new report that predicts developing countries will experience significant population growth in the next 40 years, according to a report on www.cananews.net.



The Washington-based Population Reference Bureau\'s (PRB) 2009 World Population Data Sheet, indicates that 97 per cent of global growth over theses years will take place in the Caribbean, Latin America, Asia and Africa.



\"\"The great bulk of today\'s 1.2 billion youth, nearly 90 per cent are in developing countries,\" said Carl Haub, a co-author of the report, forecasting that the world\'s population will hit seven billion in 2011.



\"During the next few decades, these young people will most likely continue the current trend of moving from rural areas to cities in search of education and training opportunities, gainful employment, and adequate health care,\" he added.



PRB\'s president, Bill Butz, said that even with declining fertility rates in many countries, world population is still growing at a rapid rate.



He said the projection for population growth in developing countries, including the Caribbean, assumes that fertility in those countries will fall to the same low levels as in today\'s developed countries, around two children per woman.



Butz said during the 20th century, nearly 90 per cent of population growth took place in countries classified as less developed (LDCs) by the United Nations; all countries in the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa, Asia (except Japan), and Oceania (except Australia and New Zealand).



PRB said between 2009 and 2050, virtually all population growth will take place in the LDCs, noting that the small amount of population growth projected for Most Developed Countries (MDC) will be largely accounted for by the United States and Canada.



It said in many MDCs, most growth will likely be due to immigration from LDCs.



\"With the right investments in health, education, rural agricultural development, entrepreneurship, and training, a large youth population can be an opportunity for development and economic growth,\" the report said.