World Population Prospects

The 1988 UN population revision estimates that the total population of the world in mid 1988 is 5.1 billion persons and that the annual rate of increase is 1.7% for 1987-1988. It proposes a plateau in the rate of world population at around 1.7%, starting in the late 1970s and ending around the early 1990s, with annual fluctuations. In 1985, just under 1/4 of the world population resided in the more developed regions. By 2000, the proportion is expected to decrease to 1/5 and by 2025 to 1/6. The proportion was about 1/3 in 1950. The regions that are growing most rapidly at present (1985-1990), with a rate of 2.5%, include Western Africa (3.3%), Eastern Africa (3.1%), Middle Africa (2.9%), Western Asia (2.8%),…