oa Global demographic trends and their impact on children, families, and policy

This report looks at how today’s big demographic shifts are reshaping families. The world adds about 83 million people a year and may peak near 11.2 billion by 2100. Six trends stand out: falling fertility; changing partnering patterns (later marriage, more cohabitation and single-parent households); sharp drops in child and maternal mortality (with regional gaps); a historic youth bulge; persistent child marriage; and rapid population aging, with economic and social pressures to match.

Policy priorities cut across these trends: guarantee free, quality education; ensure fair access to jobs; strengthen lifetime health and universal coverage (including family planning); and adopt family-friendly measures such as maternity/paternity leave and childcare. The bottom line: progress is real, but uneven, especially in vulnerable regions, so governments need practical, family-centered policies that expand choices and support wellbeing across the life course.

1st English edition

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Introduction

Fertility Trends

Changing Parenting Patterns

Maternal and Child Mortality Trends

Burgeoning Youth Population

Child Marriage

Increasing Elderly Age Structure

Policy Summary

Conclusion

References