The current state of the world’s population is one of unprecedented diversity and change, reflected in new patterns of fertility, mortality, and migration. As demographic forces transform the size, structure and spatial distribution of populations, equally dramatic changes are occurring epidemiologically. In the most developed countries, rising chronic diseases accompany low fertility, shrinking working-age populations, and population aging. In less developed countries rising chronic diseases are superimposed on an unfinished agenda of infectious disease, maternal-child mortality, and undernutrition. In some of the world’s most vulnerable settings, continued high fertility rates are coupled with political instability, food insecurity, and displaced populations. Even in countries with declining fertility, population growth will continue for decades with youth populations expanding in the context of rapid urbanization and strained public services. While the changing age structure of a population can create a window of opportunity for economic growth, reaping this ‘demographic dividend’ is time-sensitive and dependent on the design and implementation of smart policies.
Populations on the Move
Subthemes
Displaced & Vulnerable
Urbanization & Cities
Migration & Gender
DISPLACED & VULNERABLE
Changing place can happen by force or by choice. However, the distinctions between refugees and migrants and voluntary and involuntary movements are becoming increasingly blurred. The reasons for displacement today are far more complex than those envisioned at the writing of the 1951 Convention on Refugees. In addition to displacement secondary to armed conflict and political upheaval, growing numbers are displaced because of natural or environmental disasters, extreme weather events, food insecurity, and development policies and projects. Of particular concern is the growing frequency with which situations of protracted displacement are emerging. It has never been more important that we consider the underlying structural drivers (environmental, social, political, and economic) as well as the proximate precipitating triggers, while prioritizing multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral cooperation.
Below are examples of resources relevant to the overarching themes. Previously highlighted resources and additional resources can be found in our digital Repository.
Resources:
Migration and Displacement Country Profiles
These country profiles from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) highlight key data on "children on the move." Each profile includes data on children who are international migrants, refugees, and internally displaced, as well as information on migration pathways and educational backgrounds. Within each profile, users can view a snapshot of national-level data on demographics, education, employment rates, and economic indicators, offering insight into the circumstances children face in each context. The country profiles present an overview of the current conditions, trends, and projections for migrant, refugee, and internally displaced children worldwide.
Global Internal Displacement Database
This data portal developed by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) aims to provide comprehensive data about internal displacement worldwide. The database reflects data by country, year, hazard category, humanitarian spending, and scale of the event. Users can explore, filter, and sort the data to produce their own graphs and tables for export.
World Food Programme
The World Food Programme (WFP) delivers food assistance during humanitarian crises, works with communities to improve nutrition, and aids communities in building resistance through development. The organization focuses most heavily on providing food assistance on the ground where it is needed most and at any given time the WFP has 5,600 trucks, 20 ships, and 92 planes delivering food and supplies around the world. WFP produces reports, country strategic plans, fact sheets, and infographics, which can all be found in the organization’s publications portal.
URBANIZATION & CITIES
More than half of the world’s population now lives in urban areas. While urbanization can bring advances in social, political, and economic prospects, its pace often outstrips the development of basic public health services and infrastructure, compounding health threats that already affect the poor. For the one in three urban dwellers who reside in slums, chronic insecurities of water, food, and energy are coupled with disproportionate vulnerabilities to the consequences of climate and environmental change. Given that between now and 2050, most population growth will be in the urban cities of Africa and Asia, there is a critical window in which to re-imagine how urban development can meet the contextual challenges of the 21st century.
Below are examples of resources relevant to the overarching themes. Previously highlighted resources and additional resources can be found in our digital Repository.
Resources:
Global Mobility Report
This report from Sustainable Mobility for All evaluates the transport sector, including road, air, water, and rail transportation systems, to assess global progress toward four key sustainability and mobility objectives: universal access, system efficiency, safety, and green mobility. The report disaggregates the quantitative and qualitative goals and explores transport-related indicators across 183 countries, which form the Global Tracking Framework for Transport (GTF). The report explores transport system performance and country-level progress toward sustainable mobility, analyzing data by country development and income levels.
Fifth National Climate Assessment
This report from the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) discusses climate change impacts, risks, and responses in the United States, with a focus on its impact on human welfare and society. It explores the effect of climate change on a wide range of factors: the natural environment, agriculture, energy, land and water resources, transportation, human health, human social systems, and biological diversity. The report disaggregates data by regions to explore climate trends based on location, and, where possible, illustrates climate risk reduction and resilience strategies with examples from communities across the U.S.
The 2023 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress
This publication by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is the Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) presented to Congress. It provides the national, state, and continuums of care-level point-in-time (PIT) count and housing inventory count (HIC) estimates of homelessness conducted in January 2023. The report is divided into seven major sections, providing estimates on overall homelessness in the U.S., along with estimates for homelessness across several populations: individuals, families with children, unaccompanied youth, and veterans.
MIGRATION & GENDER
The social, economic, and environmental consequences of climate change are becoming clear, ranging from extreme weather events and droughts to losses of arable land and natural resources. Among those most affected are women and girls. Underlying social inequities and vulnerabilities compound the disproportionate burden they bear of securing shelter, food, water, and fuel. While women are more likely to suffer from both immediate health traumas and the long-term consequences of environmental change, they may also be in a better position to affect progress. Women are often the household decision-makers for health, education, and food purchases, and they can make informed choices that improve their own lot and that of their families. Embracing women’s equal and meaningful participation—as actors, leaders, and decision-makers—beyond the household builds on the momentum for gender-responsive policy actions and investments toward sustainable development.
Below are examples of resources relevant to the overarching themes. Previously highlighted resources and additional resources can be found in our digital Repository.
Resources:
Migration and the SDGs: Measuring Progress
This report from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) assesses global progress toward migration-related targets as outlined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The report assesses the availability and collection of key migration data, including recruitment costs, migration policies, missing migrants, and refugee populations. The report also discusses additional SDG indicators related to migration, including data on child migrants, internally displaced persons, human trafficking, and climate and migration.
Gender Dynamics in Internal Displacement
This report from the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) explores the intersection between a person’s gender and the challenges, risks, and inequities faced as a displaced person. The report finds that internal displacement amplifies existing gender inequities and that gendered differences exist between male, female, and LGBTIQ+ displaced persons in their ability to find and make a livelihood, ensure personal health and safety, access education, and find safe housing. The report aims to improve understanding of how gender dynamics affect the experiences of displaced people.
The Global Gender Gap Report 2023: Country Profiles
These country profiles from the World Economic Forum display the measure of gender disparity in each of the 146 tracked countries, with a specific focus on the relative gaps between women and men across four key dimensions: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment. Each profile presents a ranking and score for each country's progress toward gender parity, represented on a 0-to-1 scale, with a score of 1 indicating full parity. While gaps in educational attainment and health and survival are nearly closed, progress on gaps in economic participation and opportunity and political empowerment continues to lag worldwide.
Regional Profile
Internal Displacement and Starvation in Syria
On Monday, January 11, 2016, the besieged Syrian city of Madaya received its first shipment of foreign aid since October. The sight of food trucks brought starving residents to tears, a U.N. source told CNN. The situation in Madaya is dire: because the regime has choked off the rebel-held city, prices of basic food items have soared. In the capital, Damascus, flour costs 79 cents a kilogram; in Madaya, the price has soared to $120 a kilo. Moreover, landmines have made smuggling food into the city incredibly dangerous. Dr. Khaled Mohammed, who works at a field hospital in the city, said he gets about 250 cases of starvation a day. He said the hospital has seen at least 55 deaths from starvation. The situation of internally displaced civilians in Syria is representative of the growing numbers of people caught in protracted and chronic patterns of displacement and underscores the limits of humanitarian action. Learn more about the need for concerted efforts by political and operational actors to address the underlying drivers of displacement.
Population Snapshot
Mass Gatherings and Health
Sports fans, religious pilgrims, and displaced persons all share experiences of a “mass gathering.” The World Cup, the Hajj, and life in refugee camps are all occasions where a population with shared interests crowds into a small space to share experiences and resources. Health risks at mass gatherings include infectious disease transmission, fire, stampedes, and risks to safe water, food, sanitation, and health care access. Mass gathering experiences vary, however, in mood, governance, and profit. Improving global health calls for innovations that build hope into humanitarian aid responses, mobilize local resources in strengthening disaster-related governance, and foster win-win exchanges that strengthen health, human dignity, and entrepreneurial spirit in such populations. Learn more by reading the series entitled “Mass Gatherings Health” which describes the study of a range of health issues that can arise during mass gatherings.
Sector Perspective
Designing Urban Health
Architects working in education and the business sector can play an important role in shaping spaces that foster health. As some features can promote resilience and others vulnerability, a community’s spatial design can have a significant impact on the social determinants of climate-related health outcomes. For instance, researchers are investigating how planning and design in cities may create conditions conducive to the multiple dimensions of health and equity in urban neighborhoods. By working with communities before disaster strikes, urban planners may help establish parks, safe walking routes, and landscape details to set the stage for connectivity within neighborhoods. Environment-friendly and adaptable spaces may also help mitigate hazards and promote healthy recovery from risks caused by crises such as flood, tornado, civil strife, earthquake, and severe winter storms. Learn more about risk & resilience, a concentration area within the Master in Design Studies at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
Featured
Teaching about Health and Migration
How might educators—especially those in the humanities who are not health specialists—use a multidisciplinary approach to teach about migration in ways that might help strengthen global health? How might they prepare their students—whether young adults, high school, college, or graduate students—to better understand why these transitions and health risks matter in today’s world? This annotated bibliography offers a rough guide to key themes in these issues that cross over into topics commonly discussed in many high school and college classroom settings. Finding creative ways to help students think about the world’s health as it relates to migration can help nurture responsible global citizens who are prepared to live thoughtfully amidst the population shifts of the 21st century. Learn more with additional resources.