Population dynamics and human capital in Muslim countries

Muslim countries have experienced unprecedented demographic and social transitions in recent decades. The population dynamics in most of these countries have led to the emergence of a young age structure. High-fertility countries such as Yemen and Afghanistan have the highest proportions of children in the population; while countries like Indonesia and Bangladesh, where fertility is approaching replacement level, have relatively high proportions of youth (aged 15-29) in the population. In Iran, fertility is below replacement level. Education, as an indicator of human capital, has also been improving in all Muslim countries, albeit with considerable variation. These dynamics are creating opportunities and challenges related to the economy, wealth distribution, health, political governance, and socio-economic structures. National development policies should emphasise human development to enable countries to take advantage of these emerging population trends, and to ensure that sustainable development is achieved at all levels. But given the cultural and socio-economic diversity among Islamic countries, context-specific analysis is needed to provide us with a deeper understanding of these population issues, as well as of the pathways to achieving population policy objectives.