Cameroon

The country"s future population growth is statistically projected on the basis of three fertility assumptions, each calculated up to the year 2025. Each projection is then further projected for its impact on: the economy (work force size and number of child dependents, job creation requirements, gross domestic product and gross domestic product per capita); the health sector (infant mortality rates in relation to age of mother, interval between births, and order of births, as well as the size of the high risk population and the need for elementary health centers and physicians); urbanization (the size of the urban population and job and housing requirements); primary education (enrollment and number of teachers required); and agriculture (production requirements for cereals, roots, tubers, and plantains and wheat import requirements). The study concludes by noting the long-term increases in population size caused by even short delays in reducing fertility and points out the need for family planning programs to promote fertility decline. Numerous tables and graphs illustrate the text.