The publication represents the perceptions of 90 governments who replied to an inquiry, which contained 214 questions about population. The main sections of the report are: population growth, size and age structure; health and mortality; fertility, reproductive health and the family; international migration; national population policies and the implementation of the programme of action of the international conference on population and development.

The 2019 edition of the World Population Policies report, a report published biennially since 2003, focuses on Government policies and programmes on international migration. It provides an overview of policies to govern regular migration and to address irregular migration, and reviews an array of policy measures related to migrants' rights, including access to services, as well as policies to foster the integration of migrants into host societies. The report also examines Government measures to maximise the development impacts of migration and to support diasporas. The 2019 World Population Policies report presents the official Government responses to the module on international migration (module III) of the United Nations Twelfth Inquiry among Governments on Population and Development (the "Inquiry"). The Population Division has been implementing the Inquiry every five years since 1963 as part of its mandate to systematically monitor population policies at the international level.

The general trends of rapid population growth, sustained but uneven economic improvement, and environmental degradation, are well known. Population and development policies are vital components of action needed to ensure sustainable development and to safeguard the environment. The topics investigated in this report include: the evolution of population and the environment at major UN conferences; trends in population, environment and development; government views; health, mortality, fertility and the environment; urbanization.

The population and housing census is part of an integrated national statistical system, which may include other censuses (for example, agriculture), surveys, registers and administrative files. It provides, at regular intervals, the benchmark for population count at national and local levels. For small geographical areas or sub-populations, it may represent the only source of information for certain social, demographic and economic characteristics. For many countries the census also provides a solid framework to develop sampling frames. This publication represents one of the pillars for data collection on the number and characteristics of the population of a country.

This report provides a comprehensive overview of key aspects of population policies and dynamics for 197 countries since the mid-1970s. Updated biennially, it documents changes in key aspects of Government views and policies related to population size and growth, population age structure, fertility, reproductive health and family planning, health and mortality, spatial distribution and internal migration, and international migration. The report also includes two-page country profiles, with the first page containing information on changes in the Government views and policies and the second page containing data on selected population indicators corresponding to 1985, 1995, 2005 and 2013, the most recent revision year.

There is long-standing debate on how population growth affects national economies. A new report from Population Matters examines the history of this debate and synthesizes current research on the topic. The authors, led by Harvard economist David Bloom, conclude that population age structure, more than size or growth per se, affects economic development, and that reducing high fertility can create opportunities for economic growth if the right kinds of educational, health, and labor-market policies are in place. The report also examines specific regions of the world and how their differing policy environments have affected the relationship between population change and economic development.