Population Issues Network Newswatch

Looking at the world through demographics. This blog covers population in the news. Accelerating demographic growth is now the main factor driving biodiversity loss, growing resource scarcity, poverty and social conflict. Over-production and over-consumption are worsening this ecological crisis. 7 billion in 2011 - 9.3 or 10.6 billion (UN high estimate) by 2050. 80 million additional people a year at current rates! Is it not time to rethink population growth?

Friday, July 8, 2011

Young and restless: SA’s bulges not healthy

By Dion Chang – City Press

As South Africa gears up to celebrate Youth Day this week, it might be worthwhile to consider the effect, and impact, a young population can have on a country.   Today, our global village can be neatly divided between countries with growing (young) populations, and those with declining (ageing) populations. Countries with more than 40% of the population aged between 15 and 29 (Generation Y) are labelled as having a “youth bulge”.

For full article:

http://www.citypress.co.za/Columnists/Young-and-restless-SAs-bulges-not-healthy-20110611