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Mailman School of Public Health

The Harriet and Robert Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health

intro | use demographic stats | rates & indices | measures of the total population | conclusion | exam

Measure of the Total Population Structure and Size

Millennium Development Goals

The Millenium Development Goals (MDG) (created in 2000) are a centerpiece of the international community’s strategy to promote human development through global partnerships. MDG targets have been established in 8 priority areas:

  • Eradication of poverty and extreme hunger
  • Achieve universal primary education
  • Promote gender equality and empower women
  • Reduce child mortality
  • Improve maternal health
  • Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
  • Ensure environmental sustainability
  • Develop a global partnership for development

Progress toward achieving the goals is assessed through over 50 different indicators. Many use population as the denominator for the measure, and some use measures outlined above, e.g. IMR, CMR, MMR. The following are examples of some key population-based goals:

  • Reduce by two thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-5 mortality rate (CMR)
    • Reduce the infant mortality rate
    • Increase the proportion of 1 year old children immunized against measles
  • Reduce by three-quarters between 1990 and 2015 the maternal mortality ratio
    • Increase the proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel
  • Have halted by 2014 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS
    • Increase the condom use rate of the contraceptive prevalence rate among women aged 15-49 in marital or consensual unions
  • Halve by 2015 the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation
    • Increase the proportion of the urban and rural population with access to improved sanitation
  • Halve between 1990 and 2015 the proportion of people whose income is less than one dollar per day
    • Decrease the proportion of population below 1$ per day (PPP)
  • Halve between 1990 and 2015 the proportion of people who suffer from hunger
    • Decrease the prevalence of underweight children under 5 years of age
  • Ensure that by 2015 children everywhere, girls and boys, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling
    • Increase the net enrollment ratio in primary education

 

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Ghana Population Density. Click to view larger image.