Among the major issues relating to this basic question are the following:
1. Will developing countries be capable of improving the levels of living for their
people with the current and anticipated levels of population growth? To what
extent does rapid population increase make it more difficult to provide essential
social services, including housing, transport, sanitation, and security?
2. How will the developing countries be able to cope with the vast increases
in their labor forces over the coming decades? Will employment opportunities
be plentiful, or will unemployment levels soar?
3. What are the implications of higher population growth rates among the
world’s poor for their chances of overcoming the human misery of absolute
poverty? Will world food supply and its distribution be sufficient
not only to meet the anticipated population increase in the coming
decades but also to improve nutritional levels to the point where all humans
can have an adequate diet?
4. Will developing countries be able to extend the coverage and improve the
quality of their health and educational systems so that everyone can have
access to adequate health care and a basic education?
5. Is there a relationship between poverty and family size?
6. Is the inexorable pursuit of increasing affluence among the rich more
detrimental to the global environment and to rising living standards
among the poor than the absolute increase in their numbers?