ABSTRACT
The increase is taking place almost entirely in the countries in which economic advancement has been least. It is accompanied by a drift of people away from rural areas, at a rate such that to cater for it properly would require the construction of a new city the size of Paris every month. Universal global communications nowadays show to people everywhere what living standards can be like through economic advancement. It is natural that all should expect a share in prosperity. But it will be a formidable challenge to meet these legitimate needs. The periodical UN population survey is usually a sober recital of facts, but the 1992 edition said of the period being considered that: 'The scale of adjustment required over the next three or four decades is perhaps the most formidable challenge humans have ever faced.'
