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Arab population is expected
to increase by (277 million) over the next 45 years, from
(321 million) today to (598 million) in 2050. Egypt alone
(74 million) makes up 23 percent of the Arab region total
population today, and ranks first by adding (1.2 million)
people annually to this population. By 2050, Egypt’s
population will reach (126 million) and its share to
total population of the Arab countries will remain high at
21 percent. Yemen‘s population is expected to swell from
(21 million) to (59.5 million), and Iraq’s population
will double itself to reach (63.7 million) in 2050, while
the Occupied Palestinian Territory population will triple
in 2050 to reach (10 million).
To the pessimist, the
situation seems gloomy since the absolute number of
population is increasing, thus impoverishing more
people and widening the gap between the rich and the
poor.
To the optimist, the situation is unblemished since the
fertility rate is declining and is expected to reach
below replacement level of 2.2 children per woman in
16 Arab countries before 2050.
To the pragmatist, the gradual fertility decline will
permit dramatic transformation of the age structure of
the population in the region, and will offer a number
of countries – at different points in time – a
demographic window of opportunity, through which
increased savings and investments become possible.
Nonetheless, to capture these benefits, Arab policy
makers have the responsibility for creating an
environment that is favourable for the realization of
this opportunity.
Crucial demographic figures
and medium variant projections are extracted and
tabulated for the Arab region on the basis of the 2004
revision of the official UN population estimates and
projections, which was released by the Population
Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs
on 24 February 2005.
•
Population Size and
Growth (1970-2050)
• Population Age
Structure (1970-2050)
• Urban/Rural
Population Size (1970-2030)
• Total Fertility
Rates (1970-2050)
• Net Reproduction
Rates (1970-2050)
• Dependency Ratios
(total/child/elderly) (1970-2050)
• Life Expectancy at
Birth by Sex (1970-2050)
• Infant Mortality
Rate by Sex (1970-2050)
• Crude Birth Rates
(1970-2050)
• Crude Death Rates
(1970-2050)
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