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Summary: Global demographics in the twenty-first century will be defined by steep declines in fertility rates. Many countries will see their populations shrink and age. But relatively high fertility rates and immigration levels in the United States, however, may mean that it will emerge with a stronger hand.

* Released June, 2004 * Running time: 120 minutes * Description: This documentary discusses how countries such as, Africa, India and Japan are facing different problems related to their current and changing population demographics. It provides a number of good graphics (population pyramids) and statistics, but also relates these issues to individual, very personal, stores. The film discusses birth control and women's rights in India, how HIV/AIDS in Africa has resulted in tragic cases that change the role of extended Draft 78 families, and how modernization has caused dramatically decreased fertility rates in Japan. * PBS.org has a great interactive site dealing with this issue: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/worldbalance/ * Rating: Excellent * 7-Revolutions Section: Population

This site discusses the growing elderly population in the U.S. and around the world. It also describes why this is happening, and how gender and racial trends are related to an aging population.

In this sobering but optimistic manifesto, development economist Sachs (The End of\nPoverty) argues that the crises facing humanity are daunting-but solutions to them are\nreadily at hand. Sachs focuses on four challenges for the coming decades: heading off\nglobal warming and environmental destruction; stabilizing the world's population;\nending extreme poverty; and breaking the political logjams that hinder global\ncooperation on these issues. The author analyzes economic data, demographic trends\nand climate science to create a lucid, accessible and suitably grim exposition of looming\nproblems, but his forte is elaborating concrete, pragmatic, low-cost remedies complete\nwith benchmarks and budgets. Sachs's entire agenda would cost less than 3% of the\nworld's annual income, and he notes that a mere two days' worth of Pentagon spending\nwould fund a comprehensive anti-malaria program for Africa, saving countless lives.\nForthright government action is the key to avoiding catastrophe, the author contends,\nnot the unilateral, militarized approach to international problems that he claims is\npursued by the Bush administration. Combining trenchant analysis with a resounding\ncall to arms, Sachs's book is an important contribution to the debate over the world's\nfuture. (Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All\nrights reserved.)

The new edition of The Economist is focused on Revolution One-- population.

This is a link to an excellent set of pieces from the LA Times looking at the implications of demographic changes in the 21st century. It includes photos, videos, maps, and more. I highly recommend it.

People in rich countries are living longer. Without big reforms they will not be able to retire in comfort.

The Islamic world's quiet revolution Forget politics. Muslim countries are poised to experience a new wave of change - but this time it's all about demographics. Nicholas Eberstadt | Foreign Policy A Moroccan mother and child beg for money in the medina on in Rabat, Morocco on Feb. 18, 2011.