The population graphs up to the present are based on actual data. The graphs for future dates are predictions of what the future population will look like based on current trends in fertility and life expectency.

The graph for 1990 shows a large number of young to middle aged adults (15 to 45 years) with fewer old people and fewer children. As the birth rate in Japan is one of the lowest in the world, the japanese population in the fulture should have fewer young people and many more old people. The graphs for 2020 and 2050 show this as they are wider at the top and narrow at the bottom.

Compare this profile of that of Mozambique. Mozambique is a developing nation with a high birth rate and very low life expectency. The 2005 graph shows this as it is very wide at the bottom and narrow at the top. The expected trends in Mozambique are towards a lower birth rate and longer life expectency which will result in a larger proportion of the population being middle aged in the future. This is observed in the 2050 graph.

In 2000, the average income was $US8000 (based on purchasing power parity), including 2.4 billion people with incomes lower than $US1000.

The proportion of people living on less than 1, 2, 4 and 11 United States dollars per day is available in the economy category.

Other statistics you should consult include:

• The income distribution to the richest 10% and poorest 10% in each country. Globally, the richest 13% of people in the world receive 45% of the worlds (PPP) income. In conrast, the poorest 42% pf people receive only 9% of the worlds income



• The United Nations Human Development Index which ranks countries according to GDP as well as health and education factors.

Nature provides a slight gender imbalance at birth with an average of 105 boys born for every 100 girls. In some countries (eg. Guam, South Korea, San Marino and China) this discrepancy is higher in favour of boys, in other countries (eg. South Africa, Liechtenstein and Mauritius) the ratio is closer to 1:1. As the death rate during childhood is higher for boys, the gender ratio of adults is approximately equal.

In developing countries, boys are often preferred to girls as they can provide more manual labour in rural areas and will provide for their parents in their old age. In many cultures males are given superior status and have inheritance rights. In countries where family size is restricted by law or economic factors, the pressure to produce children of the 'right gender' is significant.

Non-natural factors which influence gender ration include gender-related infanticide (and abortion if the gender is known before birth). Accurate statistics on gender-related abortion are difficult to obtain as reasons for abortion can be multiple and are usually not recorded. Wealthier coulples can choose sperm-separation in order to conceive a child of the chosen gender.

After birth, if resources are scarce, girls may receive smaller portions of food or less healthcare. Globally, the leading cause of death in teenage girls is pregnancy related problems. In addition to this, poor maternity care also results in a higher maternal mortality rate. These factors will result in less women in older age groups.

As life expectency for women is slightly higher than that for men, there will usually be more women in older age groups. Armed conflict, particularly if it continues for a long time, will reduce the number of men in the younger age groups.

The number of personnel currently in the armed forces and the separate divisions of army, navy and airforce as well as potential manpower (those of military age who are fit for service) can be found from the links above.

Most countries with net losses of population are concerned about brain drain (emigration of highly skilled and qualified workers). Brain drain is also a concern in developed nations including New Zealand, France and Germany especially in the areas of science and technology.

According to a recent survey of 61 countries by the International Monetary Fund, Iran has the highest rate of brain drain in the world with more than 150,000 educated Iranians emigrating each year.

Iran has a young population, with a median age of twenty and relatively high unemployment, causing many qualified young people to be forced to take employment below their qualification level or seek employment opportunities in western nations.

The economic cost of the brain drain to Iran is also significant with local sources estimating the economic loss to be at least $50 billion per year.

A country is considered to be developed if it has a high per capita GDP, is technologically advanced and the people of the country enjoy a high standard of living. These countries usually have a diverse industrial and service based economy. Developed nations include most European countries, Canada, United States, Israel, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Some sources also consider Cyprus, Malta, South Korea, Singapore, Slovenia and / or Turkey to be developed nations.

The //human development index which measures several factors relating to development including per capita GDP, life expectancy and literacy. Qatar is ranked 49th on the human development index, well below the indisputably developed nations.

Which country is the poorest depends on how you measure wealth.
Some methods of determining wealth include:

• per capita GDP
,
• PPP (Purchasing power parity) GDP
,
• The proportion of people living on less than $US1 per day.


• The proportion of the population living below the poverty line.


• The amount of time a person needs to work to buy a loaf of bread


• The proportion of children who are underweight.


• The United Nations Human Development Index which measures many criteria including life expectency, literacy, access to healthcare services, access to sanitation and clean drinking water as well as GDP.

Any measure of wealth is incomplete on its own. To gain a balanced overview several of these measures should be consulted and compared.

Using these criteria, Sudan ranks between 21st and 30th poorest countries in Africa and between 32 and 96th poorest in the world. This indicates that poverty in Sudan is about average for the African continent. As countries in Africa are typically poorer than those on other continents, the conclusion can be made that Sudan is one of the world's poorer countries.

Japan's first female parliamentarian was elected in 1946, a year after the country passed a law allowing women to stand for elections. Women also won the right to vote in 1945.

There are many different forms of government corruption and every country is likely to be affected to some degree.

• Large sums of money being donated to a political party by multinational corporations and large organisations to encourage the party to govern in their favour.


• New members of parliament being instructed to follow party dictates rather than the views of the electorate they represent.


• Policies which are controlled by groups outside of the poliical party.


• Policies developed by a party after they are in power which differ considerably from the policies stated by the party before the election.


• Mis-use of government funds to achieve personal gain rather than the gain of the country or economy.

Corruption is more common in countries which have low political competition, few government accountability mechanisms, and few economic opportunities. If political opportunities outweigh economic opportunities, people will enter politics in order to make money which causes corruption to increase.

Government corruption has profound effects on the country as a whole. Countries with a high level of government corruption will typically have a low GDP (gross domestic product) per capita, a low level of innovation and a low level of healthcare spending.

This statistic is based on the perception of people in the country and as activities which are considered corrupt in some countries may be considered acceptable in others, these values do not necessarily measure the true level of corruption.