Human beings, just like all other living beings have the propensity to breed &thrive in a structured living condition; a by word for a ‘Society’, state, country and finally our world as we see it today. Living beings propagate at their optimum best in a societal fashion with their roles & responsibilities clearly spelt out being social animals. Early humans were ‘hunter-gatherers’ and the ‘population spread’ as well as rate was a bit slow because of high death rates wrought upon by endless bouts of famines and pandemics with very rudimentary development of medical science to cope up with such recurring human catastrophes . Discovery of farming changed everything.People settled in villages, grew crops and raised animals. Food surplus allowed populations to grow, leading consequently to increased birth rates thereby coming into form of larger families.An interesting trend that must have escaped from the mental firmament of most of us regarding world population pertains to a queer phenomenon whereby according to many anthropologists it took hundreds of thousands of years for the human beings to hit the one (1) billion mark –and then in just another 200 years or so, it grew sevenfold.In 2011, the global population reached 7 billion mark and stood at 7.9 billion about 4 years back in 2021.The same is expected to breach the 8.5 billion mark in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050 and 10.9 billion in 2100 respectively. This dramatic growth has been driven largely by increasing numbers of people surviving to reproductive age, and has been accompanied by major changes in fertility rates, increasing urbanization and hitting the throttle by the same sections of population to urban centers with far reaching & ominous implications.As is the wont of world body of UN, the UNDP (United Nation Development Programme) governing council established ‘World population day’ in 1989 ; an outgrowth of the interest generated by the ‘Day of 5 billion’ that was celebrated on 11 July 1987. In 1990, the UNGA (UN General Assembly) decided to continue observing ‘World Population Day’ to enhance awareness of population issues, including their relations to the environment & development.Since past few decades most of the important issues highlighted by myriad world bodies including the UN have been accompanied by an abiding theme that goes to define that particular year and the various accomplishments towards that particular theme. This year, the UN has adopted the theme –‘Empowering young people to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world’.The above mentioned theme reaffirms the promise of the ‘1994 International conference on population and development’; that every person has the right to make informed choices about his or her life& future. This year’s theme in particular resonates very resoundingly in our Indian context which is one of the few countries that is now bubbling with young and an aspiring population, so much so that as on today India has one of the largest and most promising young population in the world.But as has been the very apt message of UN General secretary ‘Antonio Guterres’—‘I urge countries to invest in policies that ensure education, healthcare, decent work, and the full protection of their reproductive rights’—unquote. Are various countries doing enough within their realm to uphold the cherished mission cum message as espoused by the UN secretary General? I am very certain that most of the readers of my column will agree that there exists a big chasm, which is ‘unbridgeable’ to say the least between what the UN secretary desires & conveyed via his message to that what exists on ground.That brings me to the central theme of my write up which is primarily harking on the dire need to keep pace and a semblance of balance between the ‘Ever growing young population & matching resources’.Starting with global youth demographics, since 11th July 2025 is being dedicated to the youth and their concerns as a theme propounded by the UN general secretary, it will be a shock for the readers of this column of mine to know that despite making 16% of the total world population consisting of young people ( appx 1.2 Billion) their primary concerns are no body’s concern.Issues like unemployment, housing, healthcare etc that translates to roughly 13.6 % with 71 million standing in the queue for jobs and one in every five ( 1/5th) not enough trained or skilled in the Indian context is a damn scary scenario. When extrapolated worldwide the same data holds true to many of the countries this side of the Suez Canal. Over 50% of India’s population of 1.4 billion strong is under 25 with the median age being just 28.4 years.The same is not comparable by any standards with China’s or Europe’s youth population which falls within a median age of 39.8 and 42.5 respectively. Now why this matters? If properly educated, trained, employed and motivated, these young men &women can act as engines of growth as envisioned by the surfeit of welfare programmes ushered in by the Modi dispensation. If left to their doings and fate, the same demographic advantage could become a demographic challenge with gargantuan proportions.
The above data propels me to cast a look on another vital aspects closely connected with the theme of UN general secretary for this year of 2025. The vitality as well as urgency with which the resources should match up with the ticking time bomb of youth population cannot be understated. As mentioned by me above, despite holding 16% world population with more than 50% under the age of 25, one of the basics for human survivability i.e. water that India holds is just a meager 4% of fresh water of the world.Major cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, and Pune face regular and acute water crisis; and mind you these urban centers are the biggest draws for the youth of the country in terms of employment, education and host of other activities. Staying myself in Pune now for more than a decade and a half which also carries the moniker –‘Oxford of the east’ drawing students not only from all over India , but also from abroad this vibrant city is an apt example of how things have gone wrong with the young population who though aspiring for a decent package of things including health, employment, accommodation and host of other connected issues have been on the short end of the stick due to lack or rather deliberate omitting of basics that should concern their well-being. It all boils down to a stark mismatch of ‘Resources and the burgeoning young population’ who are primarily aiming to catch the same resources which are already reeling under the onslaught of deficiency.As a corollary to the above developments , India though brimming with a vibrant and young population (ready on the go) is facing currently a decline in its ‘total fertility rate’( TFR) that translates to a drop of about 1.9% to 2.1% according to a UNFPA( UN population fund) report. Many readers of this article may say that it points towards a raised standard of health care and improved education leading to an informed decision making. But then wait—the real anticlimax is what the UNFPA report has further to say about this aspect.The UN agency has hit the nail on the head when it says that the ‘real fertility crisis’ is owing to unmet reproductive goals which have their genesis in issues like job insecurity , housing constraints and lack of access to childcare in India that directly impacts parenthood in our country. Now aren’t all the above aspects go diametrically opposite and also impinge upon the central theme of this year’s UN World population day-2025 that rings hollow in its words-‘Empowering young people to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world’.I am sure if this is the situation in a country like India which is being touted as the 5th largest economy of the world, the condition of youth in countries much lower in the rung of progress and upward mobility must be worst. Ensuring access to reproductive health services and promoting gender equality that translates to creating families in a fair and hopeful world should be the touch stone of youth’s aspirations worldwide.Well if it is not happening, then are all the fanfares that go towards ringing the ‘World population day-2025’ justified? The irony of the whole situation connected with ‘World population day-2025’ lies in the fact that this day is sought to be linked with SDGs (sustainable development goals) as enunciated by the world body of UN. In particular this ‘World population day-2025’ tries to be linked with SDG-3 (Good health and well-being) & SDG-5 (Gender equality) both of which are inextricably interwoven with the very essence of youth’s progress. Incidentally young people are the prime movers for any change in a society and nation at large.But sadly again a ‘UNFPA—YouGov’ survey report of over 14,000 people across 14 countries found most young people wanted more children, but were prevented by social, economic or health barriers as mentioned by me earlier. To respond to global population trends effectively, leaders must put their heads together and prioritize young people’s needs and voices. They need more than services –they need hope, stability and a future worth planning.Since providing resources is a state function which encompasses a whale of sub-functions of the ilk money, land, material and finally a will to go down the lane of action, is it any brainer that minus even one of these sub-functions the entire façade of youth betterment and wellbeing is put on the ‘altar of expediency’ ?No wonder this ‘World population day-2025’ the UN Secretary General ‘Antonio Guterres’ had these prophetic words to say for the world at large—quote ‘ Let us stand with young people and build a future where every person can shape his destiny in a world that is fair, peaceful and full of hope’.
(The writer is a retired army officer and a regular scribe of Rising Kashmir. He can be approached on his email—[email protected])
