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Arab States
The Arab States region, made up of 22 countries, extends from the
Arab Gulf in the east to the Atlantic Ocean in the west and has
a population of about 300 million. The region's annual population
growth rate is 2.7 per cent, compared to 1.5 per cent for the less-developed
world as a whole.
According to the 2002 Arab Human Development Report, the average
economic growth rate in the region is lower than the population
growth rate, and is the lowest in the world after sub-Saharan Africa.
Additionally, the population of the Arab world is young, with almost
39 per cent below the age of 15 and a median age under 20. Moreover,
there has been a sizeable increase in the number of women of reproductive
age (during the 1990s, the number grew from 50 to 69 million; a
38 per cent increase). The report recognized significant structural
constraints to development.
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