The Third World

The World Bank, in its annual development reports, divides the world into five: Percentage of world Population Area Low-income countries 30.5 20.1 Middle-income countries 20.6 25.3 Industrialised countries 15.7 23.3 Centrally planned economies 1.4 4.6 Capital-surplus oil exporters 31.8 26.7 All 100 100 The World Bank’s projections postulate some fall in the rates of population increase for China and India, but all the same by the year 2000 they would between them account for 37 per cent of world population. The Indian Government continues to make strenuous efforts to reduce the birth-rate, though they have retreated somewhat from their more drastic policies, but indications are that the Chinese will succeed in reducing theirs. Their present policy of only one child per married couple that will take them below zero-population-growth (ZPG) would be ineffective in any other country, but might succeed in China. The precept is reinforced by financial sanctions: withdrawal of free education and family allowances from couples with more than one child.