Economic and Demographic Developments in the Middle East and North Africa, 1980-2000

(Data and Analysis Series)

The study places Middle Eastern economic and demographic trends in their global context. The rate of population growth declined during the 1980s and 1990s, but the number of people of working age and the number entering the labor market each year grew rapidly. Theses trends will continue over the next ten to twenty years, posing serious challenges, given that economic growth has been below expectations.