In 2011, U.S. mortality rates reached record lows for both women and men; as a result, life expectancy at birth reached record highs: 81 years for women and 76 years for men.1 These are impressive figures. As recently as 1960, women's life expectancy at birth was only 73.1 years and men's only 66.6 years.2 Within 50 years, life expectancy at birth increased by 8 years for women and nearly 10 years for men (see Figure 1). Figure 1 US Life Expectancy at Birth by Gender, 1960-2011 Unfortunately, these increases in life expectancy mask very wide disparities among population groups. For example, remaining life expectancy at age 25—an important overall indicator of adult population health—is about a decade shorter for people who do not have a high school degree compared with those who have completed college.3 Educational attainment appears to be very important in differentiating U.S. adults’ prospects for long life. These differences represent critical health and social issues with important implications for policymakers. Because well-educated individuals have a much longer life expectancy, is such an accomplishment (or at least a substantial improvement) possible for other subgroups? The potential to reduce these educational differences in mortality and life expectancy underscores the need to accurately describe them and understand why they exist. Armed with such information, policymakers then have the evidence to ensure that U.S. adults are sufficiently educated so that no group pays a “longevity penalty.” Despite the potential to reduce educational differences in mortality, it may be overly simplistic to assume that they are easily responsive to increased future investments in the education of U.S. children. Higher levels of schooling do not necessarily cause people to live longer. Other factors, such as parental education and income, may be related to both high educational attainment and longevity among U.S. adults. If so, then even the best-intentioned policy efforts to reduce educational differences in mortality may be of little value. In short, this area of scientific inquiry and policy interest is controversial. In this Population Bulletin, we examine educational differences in U.S. adult mortality and life expectancy. We provide a balanced and up-to-date portrait of the key results and implications of research in this area. We address five major issues: What is the current association between educational attainment and adult mortality? Have educational differences in adult mortality changed over the past 50 years? Why do such wide educational differences in adult mortality now exist? What are the policy implications of recent education-mortality research? And what are the implications of recent work in this area for future education-mortality research?
One of the goals of development policies is to create an environment for rapid economic growth. The economic successes of the Asian Tigers during the 1960s and 1970s have led to a comprehensive way of thinking about how different sectors can work together to make this growth a reality. Referred to as the this framework helps explain the experience of certain countries in Asia and later successes in Latin America and is creating a sense of optimism for improving the economic well-being of developing countries especially in sub-Saharan Africa. The demographic dividend refers to the accelerated economic growth that begins with changes in the age structure of a countrys population as it transitions from high to low birth and death rates. With fewer young people relative to the population of working-age adults and with the successful implementation of key national policies over the long term countries such as Thailand and Brazil have reaped the rewards from their demographic dividend. But many policymakers mistakenly think that a demographic dividend results automatically from a large population of young people relative to the population of working-age adults without the needed population social and economic policies. This is not the case. This Population Bulletin explains the demographic dividend in terms of demographic changes investments in human capital and economic and governance policies. The experiences of Asia and Latin America in achieving their dividends are highlighted as are the prospects for African nations. The last section outlines issues that countries need to plan for as they move beyond their demographic dividend.
The number of international migrants is at an all-time high. There were 191 million migrants in 2005 which means that 3 percent of the worlds people left their country of birth or citizenship for a year or more. The number of international migrants in industrialized countries more than doubled between 1985 and 2005 from almost 55 million to 120 million. However most of the worlds 6.6 billion people never cross a national border; most live and die near their place of birth. Those who cross national borders usually move to nearby countries for example from Mexico to the United States or from Turkey to Germany. The largest flow of migrants is from less developed to more developed countries. In 2005 62 million migrants from developing countries moved to more developed countries but almost as many migrants (61 million) moved from one developing country to another such as from Indonesia to Malaysia. Large flows of people also move from one industrialized country to another from Canada to theUnited States for example and much smaller flows move from more developed to less developed countries such as people from Japan who work in or retire to Thailand. The international community believes that international should be voluntary and has tried to minimize forced migration whether motivated by persecution or economic deprivation at home. The United Nations 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights asserts that everyone has the right to leave any country including his own and to return to his country. However the right to emigrate does not give migrants a right to immigrate and most migrants are not welcomed unconditionally into the countries to which they move. (excerpt)
n '40 is the new 30' – more than just a catchy phrase. n With increases in life expectancy, public policy must account for the number of years individuals will live after a given age. n New measures of population aging introduced. The Population Reference Bureau informs people around the world about population, health, and the environment, and empowers them to use that information to advance the well-being of current and future generations. The Population Bulletin is published four times a year and distributed to members of the Population Reference Bureau. Population Bulletins are also available for $7 each (discounts for bulk orders). To become a PRB member or to order
Malnutrition continues to be one of the worlds most serious development problems. Exacerbating the consequences of infectious disease malnutrition contributes to about 6 million deaths annually of children under 5. While low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) bear the brunt of the problem malnutrition affects both rich and poor countries particularly the poorest in each nation. In developed countries obesity and resultant diet-related noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes and heart disease have become widespread reducing productivity and increasing health care costs. Increasingly LMICs suffer from a double burden of pervasive undernutrition and deficiencies in key vitamins and minerals (micronutrients) along with growing rates of obesity and NCDs. Poor nutrition during fetal development or in early childhood causes severe and irreversible cognitive and physical damage. Malnutrition often increases susceptibility to disease while ill health exacerbates poor nutrition. For countries ravaged by the HIV/AIDS epidemic malnutrition appears to increase vulnerability to infection and render antiretrovirals less effective. (excerpt)
This Population Bulletin presents the basic what why and how of the study of demography. It is not a comprehensive treatment of the subject but it does provide an overview of demographic processes and the basic measures used to assess them. In addition it traces population trends in the world and the United States surveys the demographic differences among population groups and examines broad social issues linked to population change. The first three sections of this Bulletin provide the framework for studying the dynamics of population. Fertility mortality and migration are at the root of all demographic change. The fourth section reveals how changes in fertility mortality and migration affect a populations size and growth rate and how population projections are calculated. The fifth section delves into the composition of population according to common variables: age sex and race or ethnicity. The sixth section describes how the geographic distribution of population changes primarily through migration. The final sections discuss issues and problems associated with population growth. (excerpt)
The countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) continue to fascinate and concern the rest of the world. With two-thirds of the worlds known petroleum reserves the regions economic and political importance far outweighs its population size. It has the worlds second-fastest growing population after sub-Saharan Africa. Its demographic trends-especially the rapidly growing youth population-are complicating the regions capacity to adapt to social change economic strains and sometimes wrenching political transformations. The people of the Middle East and North Africa have long played an integral if sometimes volatile role in the history of human civilization. Three of the worlds major religions originated in the region-Judaism Christianity and Islam. MENA contains some of the worlds oldest cities; universities existed here long before they emerged in Europe. Today the population is overwhelmingly Islamic yet includes substantial Jewish and Christian minorities. And while Arabic is the predominant language two of the regions largest countries-Iran and Turkey-and Israel are not Arabic-speaking. Thanks to rapidly declining death rates and slowly declining fertility rates MENAs population size quadrupled in the last half of the 20th century. It stands at about 430 million in 2007. Despite recent fertility declines MENAs population is projected to surpass 700 million by 2050. (excerpt)
IMMIGRATION PATTERNS AND POLICIES 5 Figure 1--Immigration by decade & source: p 16 INS Yearbook, 2000—better to update Figure 1 in 1999 bulletin 5 Box 1-Immigrants, Refugees, Nonimmigrants, and Unauthorized Aliens 5 Table 1. Alien Entrants to the US in FY2001 9 PUBLIC OPINION 12
