UN wants to make World Population Day really count on June 11

World Population Day is an initiative that aims to inform the population on issues relating to various population groups.

Another aim of World Population Day is to stir awareness across borders of groups that are still left unaccounted for.

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According to United Nations (UN), “Over the past 30 years we’ve improved how we collect and use population data, leading to better healthcare and rights. However, marginalised communities are still underrepresented”.

“As the theme of this year’s World Population Day reminds us, investing in data collection is important to understanding problems, tailoring solutions and driving progress. So is finance. I urge countries to make the most of the Summit of the Future this year to unleash affordable capital for sustainable development,” said UN secretary-general, António Guterres

World Population Day started in 1987, when the global population reached 5bn. The interest in World Population Day grew as people became more aware of the rapid growth in population, and its trends.

According to the UN, these trends include fertility rate, gender parity in school enrolment, and information on sexual and reproductive health.

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The UN celebration of international days such as these is simply because these days are “occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilise political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity”.

This year the UN wishes to work towards leaving no one behind, saying “It is also a moment for all of us to commit to doing more to ensure that our data systems capture the full range of human diversity so that everyone is seen, can exercise their human rights, and can reach their full potential”.

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Be on the lookout for new statistics on the world population growth rates and trends for 2024.

Did you know?

• More than 40% of women around the world cannot make decisions on sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights.
• As few as one in four women across low- and middle-income countries are realising their desired fertility.
• A woman dies every two minutes due to pregnancy or childbirth (and in conflict settings, the number of deaths is twice as high).
• Nearly one-third of women have experienced intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence or both.
• Just six countries have 50% or more women in parliament.
• More than two-thirds of the 800m people globally who cannot read are women.

Source: UNFPA

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