Popular density doubles, Poverty, crimes and social problems [Archives:2004/750/Business & Economy]

By Yemen Times Staff
A newly issued study on population says that popular density in Yemen doubles the rate poverty, crimes and social problems at a time the government is preparing to conduct the census next December.
The study pointed out that the process of economic and social development impacts with slowness of achieving tangible progress in question of family organization. Information is still inaccurate in the field of health, agriculture, education, water, electricity, in addition to determination of a map defining the population needs. The study ascribed the causes in the slowness of the development process to the increase in rates of population growth that affects the government plans with floundering in providing requirements of the population.
The study has made it clear that a 30% of women use methods of family planning, a matter affecting the rise of population inflation proportion especially after the total population size has reached at 19 million people at present compared to 4 million people in 1950. 50 percent of the population is under the 15 years of age while 80% of them live in the rural areas. It is expected that the population volume would be 35 million people in 2025.
In parallel to that the study indicated that the agricultural area would get reduced from 2.6 billion hectares to 1.2 billion hectares associated with deterioration in the level of productivity of arable lands. It is therefore the government is attaching hope to the next census to gather accurate statements on the population and heads for encouraging the agriculture of strategic crops such as coffee, cotton and wheat. The study also indicates that Yemen would in ten years need the provision of 8 million tons of cereals every year while at present it does not produce but 248 thousand tons against a consumption volume reaching around two million tons a year.
The study has further mentioned stressed that Yemen would be at the threshold of a food crisis if it continued this productive situation as it is up till now.
The said study warned against the existing variance in the process of population distribution. The Yemeni population of 19 million people is distributed as follows: 13.9% of the people in the governorate of Taiz which comprises of 9 districts, 12.4% in the governorate of Ibb consisting of 20 districts, 12.1% in the governorate of Sana'a with 10 districts, in Hudeida governorate, with 26 districts, the population rate is 11.1%, in Hajah of 24 districts the population rate is 8%, in Dhamar it is 6.6% and in Al-Muhra it is 0, 7%.
The difference in population density is between 4385 people in a square kilometer in Sana'a and two people in a square kilometer in the governorate of Al Muhra. This imbalance in population distribution has increased the average of poverty. The percentage of those people living on less one dollar per day is 45.2% in 1998 while the population increase has led to that 200 thousand people are yearly joining the labour market under an unemployment growth rate reaching 4% a year.
For all the above reasons the government is trying by the process of census to reach accurate data on the volume of population and their distribution in order to work for finishing development plans according to correct information helping the accomplishment of projects assisting the execution of services and developmental projects in the country and containing crimes resulting from population increase, as well as finding solutions for their causes.
——
[archive-e:750-v:13-y:2004-d:2004-06-28-p:b&e]