World Population Day, held annually on July 11, is an opportunity to reflect on issues related to population growth, sustainable development, and the quality of human life across the globe. This day, designated by the United Nations, emphasizes the importance of population issues and their impact on the future of the planet.
World Population Day was first established in 1989 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It was selected in memory of the day the world population reached 5 billion. Today, as the global population surpasses 8 billion, the significance of this day is more palpable than ever.
Many developing countries, particularly in Africa and Asia, are experiencing rapid population growth. This rapid growth can place tremendous pressure on natural resources, infrastructure, and public services. In contrast, many developed countries are facing declining birth rates and aging populations. This situation creates challenges in workforce supply, pension systems, and healthcare services.
One of the main themes of World Population Day is the emphasis on access to reproductive healthcare services and supporting women’s rights in making decisions about fertility. Likewise, population growth and its impact on the environment, climate change, and the consumption of natural resources are other important topics of this day.
World Population Day is an opportunity to reflect on the reality that proper management of population issues is the key to achieving sustainable development and a better future for all humans. This day serves as a reminder that population is neither a threat to be feared nor a resource to be exploited without planning, but rather an opportunity that, if managed wisely, can contribute to the welfare and advancement of human societies.
Each year, World Population Day raises a specific theme to draw global attention to various aspects of population issues. This thematic approach helps focus on one of the important areas in this field each year and to present practical solutions.
Removing barriers to marriage, facilitating and promoting family formation and increasing childbearing, lowering the age of marriage, and supporting and empowering young couples in covering living expenses and raising a righteous and capable generation. Enhancing life expectancy, ensuring population health and proper nutrition, and preventing social harms, especially addiction, accidents, environmental pollution, and diseases. Promoting a culture of respect and honoring the elderly and creating the necessary conditions to ensure their health and care within the family, along with mechanisms to benefit from the experiences and capabilities of the elderly in appropriate arenas. Empowering the working-age population through cultural efforts and reforming, strengthening, and adapting educational systems, general training, entrepreneurship, technical-vocational and specialized education to match the needs of society and the talents and interests of individuals toward effective and productive employment. Spatial and geographical redistribution of the population in line with ecological capacity with emphasis on water provision, aiming for balanced distribution and reduced population pressure. Managing internal and external migration in alignment with general population policies by developing and implementing appropriate mechanisms.
Iran is one of the countries that has experienced dramatic changes in population growth over the past half-century. Iran’s population increased from about 34 million in 1976 to nearly 90 million today. In this regard, the Islamic Republic of Iran has consistently adopted various population policies. Population policies in Iran can be divided into two periods:
First Period: Encouragement of Population Growth “1980 and 1990”. During this period, due to the Iran-Iraq war and the need to supply manpower, policies to encourage population growth were implemented. Programs were carried out to increase fertility and encourage families to have more children. This led to a fertility rate of 5.4 children per woman in the early 1990s.
Second Period: Population Control and Reduction of Fertility Rate from the mid-1990s to present. From the mid-1990s, due to the economic and social crises resulting from population growth, population control policies and fertility reduction efforts began. Comprehensive health programs, education about birth control, and access to contraception were part of these policies. These measures reduced the fertility rate to about 2.0 children per woman in recent years, such that now Iran’s population growth rate has dropped to less than 1%.
The decline in population growth in Iran occurs while Khamenei continuously issues directives stating that Iran’s population should reach 150 million. However, the awareness and realism of the people have acted beyond Khamenei’s delusions. Despite Khamenei’s fatwas and orders, population growth in Iran has slowed. This regime, by insisting on prolonging the 8-year Iran-Iraq war, by interfering in regional matters, by implementing adventurous nuclear and missile projects, and by spending billions of dollars on expanding religious institutions all within a context of entrenched financial corruption has squandered trillions of dollars of the people’s wealth and the fruits of their labor and suffering.
This has brought the situation to a point where today over 70% of Iran’s population lives below the poverty line. This situation, in turn, has led to a wide range of social problems and harms such as prostitution, drug addiction, scavenging, child homelessness, child labor, suicide, and more. In such a context, and as a continuation of such a policy, Khamenei persistently criticizes his subordinates for not forcefully implementing population growth policies.
