GLOBAL: COVERAGE ON NEW GLOBAL POPULATION PROJECTIONS

Reuters reported on 3 May that the world's population is projected to pass 7 billion on 31 October as it heads toward 10 billion or more by the end of the century, according to a new U.N. report. The report also predicted that the global population would be higher by mid-century than its last edition forecast two years ago, reaching 9.31 billion instead of 9.15 billion. It attributed this to fewer deaths as well as more births than it had anticipated. The October date for reaching the 7 billion mark is based on calculations from current trends and Hania Zlotnik, head of the U.N.’s Population Division said it should be taken "with a grain of salt." Nevertheless, UNFPA announced it would start a seven-day countdown on Oct. 24 that would include a series of events. The world reached 6 billion people in 1998 and was 6.89 on July 1. Read: Reuters

IPS reported on 3 May that the United Nations is predicting that come Oct. 31, the world population will hit the seven billion mark - and keep expanding till it reaches 9.3 billion by the year 2050. Much of this increase, according to the Population Division of the U.N.'s Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), is projected to come from 58 high-fertility countries: 39 in Africa, nine in Asia, six in Oceania and four in Latin America. The projections were part of the "2010 Revision of World Population Prospects" released by DESA on 3 May. "A world of seven billion people is both a challenge and an opportunity," says Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, executive director of UNFPA. Read: IPS

Xinhua (China) reported on 3 May that the world population is expected to hit the 7-billion mark on  31 October, 2011, according to a report released on Tuesday by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). "A world of 7 billion is both a challenge and an opportunity," Babatunde Osotimehin, executive director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), said in a statement. “The population projections underscore the urgent need to provide safe and effective family planning to the 215 million women who lack it. Small variations in fertility -- when multiplied across countries and over time -- make a world of difference," he said. Read: Xinhua

COSTA RICA: Canal 7 reported on 5 May on the new population prospects, which it misattributed to UNFPA. Watch in Spanish: Canal 7

GHANA: Modern Ghana reported on 6 May that the 2010 Revision of World Population Prospects, released recently by the UN, indicate that the global population will surge past 9 billion before 2050 and eventually pass 10 billion before the end of the century. The projections also reveal that the total population should reach the 7-billion mark on 31 October this year. Babatunde Osotimehin, the executive director of UNFPA, said “A world of 7 billion is both a challenge and an opportunity,” according to a press release. Dr. Osotimehin noted that around the world people are living longer and choosing to have smaller families than in the past. Read: Modern Ghana

JORDAN: Al Rai published on 5 May UNFPA’s statement on the new population projections. Read in Arabic: Al Rai

KENYA: Capital FM reported on 4 May on the new UN population projections, noting that UNFPA Executive Director Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, in a statement, said the growth posed opportunities and challenges which would require global collaboration to address its impact. "Globally, people are living longer, healthier lives and choosing to have smaller families. But reducing inequities and finding ways to ensure the well-being of people alive today - as well as the generations that follow - will require new ways of thinking and unprecedented global cooperation," he said. Read: Capital FM

MEXICO: Informador and Notimex reported on 3 and 7 May that the world population would exceed seven billion people on 31 October and aims to reach 10 billion or more by the end of the century, according to various projections, according to a new United Nations report. UNFPA announced it would begin events to mark a seven-day countdown on 24 October. Read in Spanish: Informador and Notimex

UGANDA: The Monitor reported on 7 May that Uganda has been ranked among “high fertility” countries in the world which will contribute most to the bulge in population size in the next decades, a United Nations report has revealed. The World Population Prospects, the official UN population projections report, shows that these high fertility countries will see rising population growth till the end of the century. By that time, it is estimated the world population will be 10.1 billion. Uganda’s population growth rate, currently at 3.2 per cent is the third highest in the world after Yemen and Niger. There were an estimated 31 million Ugandans by 2010 from just five million in 1948. “A world of seven billion is both a challenge and an opportunity,” said Babatunde Osotimehin, the executive director of UNFPA. “Globally, people are living longer, healthier lives and choosing to have smaller families. But reducing inequities and finding ways to ensure the wellbeing of people alive today – as well as the generations that follow – will require new ways of thinking and unprecedented global cooperation,” he said. Read: The Monitor