In the years since this handbook was first published (2001), important population
trends noted but not stressed in the first edition have been confirmed beyond a
doubt. World population is now growing more slowly than at any time in more than
half a century, and the slowdown will continue for many years to come. Some
demographers are beginning to predict the year.or at least the decade.when global
numbers will reach their alltime peak before starting to decline. The United
Nations says this peak will be reached around the year 2075. In addition, UN experts
now see a tendency for fertility rates everywhere to move toward the level of 1.85
children per woman. This represents a significant reduction from the previous
assumption of 2.1 children per woman as the global norm and bolsters the idea that
an end to global population growth is now in sight.

It seems a safe bet that population concerns will be with us for years to come and
that there will therefore be a continuing need for a handbook like this one, designed
to serve as a convenient one-volume reference for those who want to know more about
various global population problems and issues. The simplest questions about population
can be answered with data, graphs, and facts, all of which are included here. When
issues are more complex, we usually need a guide to reliable sources of information.
This book will provide such guidance. It can be a starting point for research on
a variety of population topics, whether they be historical, environmental, or policy-
oriented. One of its primary aims is to give the reader an appreciation of the
controversial aspects of population.

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