The long-range population projections of the United Nations issued in 2003 span three centuries and are elaborated for all countries of the world according to the present-day political map. This note discusses the merits and limitations of this ambitious enterprise. The numerical implications of...

The article discusses issues raised by persistent below-replacement fertility in Europe. The continent's demographic predicament is highlighted by comparing age structures and relative population sizes between populations in and outside Europe-such as those of Russia and Yemen and those of an...

Books reviewed in this article: Copyright 1999 by The Population Council, Inc..

The birth rate in Japan remains lower than the target rate. Both the population size and composition by age mean an increase in the number of elderly people and a decrease in the number of young workers. - We should squarely address the essential problem inherent in the current voting system,...