The Toronto Star recently reported on World Population Day (July 11), begun in 1987 to draw attention to the day that the earth’s population hit 5 billion. This year’s theme was “Being Young is Tough.” The day highlighted the difficulties many of the world’s young people face in their daily lives. Below are some of the facts that were reported:
- Nearly half of the world’s people are under age 25. One quarter of those survive on less than $1 a day
- 82 million girls in developing countries who are now between 10 and 17 will be married before their 18th birthday
- Every day, 14,000 people become infected with HIV/AIDS; half of them are under 25.Young women are especially vulnerable
- One of every three unemployed workers in Canada is under age 25
- Almost two-thirds of young people age 20 to 24 live at home with their parents, many because they can’t afford to leave
- Statistics Canada reports that 6.5 per cent – more than a quarter of a million people between 15 and 24 – met the criteria for a major depression in the past year, compared with 5 per cent of adults
