World Population Day is observed on July 11 every year.
The day is marked to draw attention to the population trends across the world.
The observance has become significant over the years due to the
inter-relationship between population and sustainability and bears special
importance for countries such as China, the most populated countries in the world.

A brief history of the day

United Nations established World Population Day in
1989 inspired the excitement generated by Five Billion Day celebrated in 1987,
the day the world’s population breached the five million-mark.

UN passed a resolution to the effect and World
Population Day was celebrated for the first time on July 11, 1990.

In December that year, the UN general assembly
decided to continue observing World Population Day to increase awareness on
population issues including their impact on environment.

Theme

The theme for World Population Day 2021 is ‘Rights and choices are the answer: Whether baby boom
or bust, the solution to shifting fertility rates lies in prioritising the
reproductive health and rights of all people’.

Also Read | Kerala, Delhi lead the way in vaccination

The UN has set up a
population fund — UNFPA — and a population division to plan and
coordinate programmes to highlight and disseminate information about population
control measures.

Significance

In a world that has begun to feel the impact of climate
change, it is imperative that governments take steps to manage their population
to maintain a balance between ecological and financial resources and rate of
population growth.

Also Read | Is gun violence rising in the United States?

Further, this year’s focus on reproductive health brings to
fore issues that have not received the desired attention. Public health experts
and policymakers must come up with ways to provide access to reproductive
healthcare to the most disadvantaged populations.

Recent developments in population policy

One of the most significant
developments in population policy in recent decades is China’s giving up of its
strict ‘one child policy’. Faced with an aging population, the most populous
country in the world altered its policy of population management.

Also Read | Why India should worry about the Lambda variant?

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh,
the most populous state in India, has come up with a draft policy on population
control that incentivises citizens to stick to the two-child per family norm.