Most U.S. Workers Still Driving Alone
With gas prices soaring, there are reports of more Americans using carpools, public transportation, bikes, and running shoes to make their daily commutes. But new estimates from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey show that these reports may be overstating the trend; in 2007, the share of people driving alone to work (76 percent) was unchanged from 2000, when gas cost around $1.50 per gallon. And for some minority groups, the share of drivers has increased over the decade. (September 2008)

Tracking Trends in Low Fertility Countries: An Uptick in Europe?
PRB has made a major update to its table of total fertility rates (TFRs) in countries with low or very low fertility rates. The newest tabulations suggest that fertility may be rising in some countries. We will have to wait to find out if this signals a more general trend. (September 2008)

The 'Lucky Few' Reveal the Lifelong Impact of Generation
The often-overlooked generation of the "Lucky Few," those born from 1929 to 1945, exemplifies the connections between generation size and relationships to previous generations. Elwood Carlson, Florida State University professor in sociology of population and author of The Lucky Few: Between the Greatest Generation and the Baby Boom, spoke at the Population Reference Bureau's monthly policy seminar on Sept. 10. (September 2008)

Recent Trends in U.S. Mortality and Population Aging
Population aging brings challenges and opportunities, and in the United States, the ratio of workers to elderly is straining the Social Security system. Ron Lee, a professor of demography and economics at the University of California-Berkeley, and director, Center for the Economics and Demography of Aging, talked with PRB about his research on the trends in mortality and aging. View a 20-minute webcast interview with Ron Lee. (September 2008)

2008 World Population Data Sheet Webcast
PRB's 2008 World Population Data Sheet was released at a press briefing at the National Press Club, in Washington, DC, on Aug. 19, 2008. This year's theme: "Global Demographic Divide Widens." (August 2008)

2008 World Population Data Sheet

  PRB's 2008 World Population Data Sheet contains the latest population estimates, projections, and other key indicators for more than 200 countries, including births, deaths, natural increase, infant mortality, life expectancy, urban population, HIV/AIDS prevalence, contraceptive use, GNI PPP per capita, and population per square kilometer. New for the 2008 Data Sheet are data on percent of population in urban areas of 750,000 or more; lifetime risk of maternal death; percent of population undernourished; number of vehicles per 1,000 population; and percent of population with access to an improved drinking water source. (August 2008) 

World Population Highlights: Key Findings From PRB's 2008 World Population Data Sheet (PDF: 854KB)

 This Population Bulletin is the companion report to PRB's 2008 World Population Data Sheet. The Bulletin highlights key findings from the data sheet on: world population trends, nutrition, environment, HIV/AIDS, urbanization, and migration. (BUL63.3, September 2008)

World Population Clock, 2008
This world population clock reflects data from PRB's 2008 World Population Data Sheet. The clock reflects births, deaths, natural increase, and infant deaths by year, month, week, day, hour, minute, and second. The data are for the world, and for more developed countries and less developed countries. (2008)

Forest Conservation and Population Growth Among Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon
Fertility has declined significantly throughout the developing world, and in Latin America total fertility rates have declined by 50 percent over the last three decades, from 5.0 births per woman in 1970 to only 2.5 today. The successes in Latin America however, mask a great deal of regional variation. In countries such as Bolivia, Guatemala, and Haiti, total fertility rates are still nearly 4.0 or higher. Furthermore, in these countries, between 22 percent and 32 percent of women who do not desire another child or want to space their births still have no access to family planning services. Among those with the most limited access to basic reproductive health services are people living in the poorest and most remote communities—on the frontiers of lowland tropical forests like the Amazon and indigenous people living far beyond forest frontiers. (August 2008)

U.S. Population Projected to Hit 400 Million in 2039
The U.S. population is set to reach 400 million by 2039, four years earlier than previously projected, according to new population projections from the U.S. Census Bureau. Whites are projected to drop below 50 percent of the U.S. population by 2042, according to the new data. (August 2008)