The prospects for a stationary world population.

With the present world population estimated at 3.6 billion population projections are used to estimate the future population depending on assumptions as to when replacement levels will be reached. If the population reaches replacement by 1980 the minimum population projected; the size will reach 5.5 billion in 2050. If replacement levels are not reached until 2040 the size of the worlds population in the year 2000 would be 6.7 billion. The young age structure of most of the worlds population promoted growth. Because the developing countries are growing rapidly while developed countries have much slower rates of growth there will probably a shift in the ratio of developed to developing countries from the present ratio of 30:70 to 20:80 or 10:90.