Population: Current status and policy options

This paper summarizes the current status and options in population affairs, particularly with respect to efforts to balance fertility rates with prospects for improving human welfare in the developing countries. It traces the historic increase of official attention to population matters since 1960 including the establishment of population policies and action programs, the development of personnel and of training and research institutions, the increases in knowledge in biomedicine and contraceptive technology, public health and action programs, demography and social science, and the increase in population assistance. The paper centers on the problem of lowered growth through fertility reduction but also considers issues of mortality and population distribution in developing countries. Population trends in developed countries, including the increased adoption of pronatalist policies, are also discussed. The paper is arranged in two main parts: first, a picture of where we are, or seem to be; then a picture of what lies ahead in demographic trends and policy choices.