Population Growth -- Impact on the Millennium Development Goals

In our evidence the Commonwealth Medical Trust (Commat) will refer particularly to Uganda and Pakistan.

Both countries have experienced, or are experiencing, rapid population growth which is having a significant impact on the implementation of the MDGs. Commat will, however, only comment on the following:

Impact of population growth on poverty reduction

The overarching MDG 1 relates to eradicating extreme poverty in developing countries by 2015. The graph below clearly highlights the problem that has to be faced if the population growth rate is too high:

The lesson that can be clearly learned is that if Governments do not want, or are unable, to keep population growth in check, it will not be possible to achieve MDG 1 by the target date.

Population growth and maternal mortality

The impact of population growth will also affect maternal health, for which the target has been set as ‘reducing by three quarters, between 1990 and 2015’ while Uganda’s maternal mortality rates dropped from 523 per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 505 per 100, 000 in 2000, they have subsequently risen to 510 per 100,000 in 2004.

If one looks at Pakistan while the total fertility rate has decreased from 5.3 to 4.2 in 2005, maternal mortality for 2003 -2005 has been in the region of 350-400 per 100,000. While maternal mortality figures may not be accurate, high fertility rates and high population growth rates do not contribute to reductions in maternal mortality as each year there are more women coming into the reproductive age group requiring access to the reproductive health care services that are available.

In conclusion …

The impact of population growth on poverty elimination and maternal mortality provide two powerful arguments for working for the introduction of a target on reproductive health under MDG 5 on maternal health and ensuring its implementation. Without such a target it is unlikely that the population growth will be curbed with women and couples being able to exercise their rights to choose the number and spacing of their families, ensuring that every child is a wanted child.

Marianne Haslegrave

Director

Commat