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Poorest countries record greatest population growth - report

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-08-19 07:40

WASHINGTON -- A report released on Monday said that the world's poorest countries have the greatest population growth.

According to the annual report by the Washington-based Population Reference Bureau (PRB), titled Population Data Sheet, a total of 1.2 billion people live in the countries categorized by the United Nations as developed countries while 5.5 billion people in less developed countries.

"Nearly all of world population growth is now concentrated in the world's poorer countries," said Bill Butz, president of the organization.

The report also said that the population in the richer countries showed little growth, and even declines in some of them.

The PRB experts estimated that the world population would reach 9.3 billion by 2050, with those living in less developed countries accounting for 86 percent of the total instead of 82 percent currently.

They also found that more than one-thirds of population in the least-developed countries is undernourished, and the percentage in some Saharan countries is as high as 67 percent.