World population / OECD population
Year 2003
In 2003, OECD countries accounted for just over 18% of the world’s population of 6.3 billion. China accounted for 21% and India for just over 17%. The next two largest countries were Indonesia (3%) and the Russian Federation (2%). Within OECD, the United States accounted for nearly 25% of the OECD total, followed by Japan (11%), Mexico (9%), Germany (7%) and Turkey (6%).
Between 1991 and 2004, population growth rates for all OECD countries averaged 0.8% per annum. Growth rates much higher than this were recorded for Mexico and Turkey (high birth rate countries) and for Australia, Canada, Luxembourg and New Zealand (high net immigration). In the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, populations declined from a combination of low birth rates and net emigration. Growth rates were very low, although still positive, in Italy and the Slovak Republic.
Total fertility rates have declined dramatically over the past few decades, falling on average from 2.7 in 1970 to 1.6 children per woman of childbearing age in 2002. By 2002, the total fertility rate was below its replacement level of 2.1 in all OECD countries except Mexico and Turkey. In all OECD countries, fertility rates have declined for young women and increased at older ages, because women are postponing the age at which they start their families.
Fish landings in domestic and foreign ports
Average annual growth in percentage, 1995-2003
The total production by OECD countries has decreased by more than 10% during the past decade. As the world fish production increased during the same period, the relative contribution of OECD countries dropped from 26% (in 1995) to 21% (in 2003). The decrease of the overall OECD production masks various tendencies. While aquaculture production increased by around 8% between 1995 and 2003, marine capture fisheries production dropped by 19%. This latter evolution mainly reflects both the worrying state of some major fish stocks, especially in the northern hemisphere, and changes in bilateral or international fishing arrangements regarding access to fish stocks in third countries’ waters. Worldwide, it is estimated that around 25% of the stocks are overexploited, while around 50% of the stocks are fully exploited.
Marine captures fell particularly sharply in Denmark, Greece, Japan and Spain between 1995 and 2003; in these countries, the annual decline exceeded 5%. A few countries did, however, increase captures—Canada, the Netherlands and Iceland all raised their tonnages by an average of 2% or more per year between 1995 and 2003. Japan and the United States remained the largest producers despite their catches declining by 5% and 1% a year, respectively.
Most countries increased their aquaculture production, with annual growth of over 10% in Turkey, Greece, Canada and Ireland. Aquaculture production fell rather sharply in Mexico, Finland and Denmark but, by 2003, aquaculture accounted for over 16% of total tonnages of fish production—up from 13% in 1995.
Employment and value added of enterprises with less than 20 employees
As a percentage of total employment or value added, 2002
The contribution and importance of small enterprises across economies varies considerably. Generally, however, the larger the economy, the lower the proportion of small enterprises. This partly reflects the greater scope for growth in larger markets, where there is a greater pool of workers and larger demand, but it also partly reflects a statistical phenomenon. For example, when an enterprise opens a new establishment in the same economy within which it is registered, the enterprise will grow and move from being a small to a large enterprise. However, if it opens a new establishment in another country, this will be recorded as the creation of an enterprise in that country.
In most economies, the percentage of businesses with less than 10 persons employed is over 70%. In countries with lower percentages, the explanation is more likely to do with thresholds in the data; for example, the data for Japan include only establishments with 5 or more persons employed, and in all countries where data are available, the proportion of enterprises with fewer than 5 employees is significant. The reverse is true where gross value added is concerned, where businesses with more than 20 employees contribute at least 70%.
Middle East internet usage and population statistics (2006)
The market is changing, with rapidly increasing competition in the mobile sector and slowly reducing state involvement. License tenders to operate privately owned mobile networks have recently taken place, are taking place or are about to take place in seven of the fourteen countries. Mobiles are taking market share from declining fixed-line markets in the more developed countries. Internet use and broadband development are generally low for the relative levels of economic development but both Israel and the UAE are significant exceptions.
