World Population Policies
The World Population Policies Database provides comprehensive and up-to-date information on national population policies and programmes. Between 1976 and 2015, the Database was updated biennially by conducting a detailed country-by-country review of national plans and strategies, programme reports, legislative documents, official statements and various international, inter-governmental and non-governmental sources, as well as by using official responses to the United Nations Inquiry among Governments on Population and Development (the Inquiry).
The 2017 revision of the World Population Policies Database focused on abortion laws and policies in all countries of the world, based on a global survey on abortion issues and a careful assessment of legislative documents, conducted jointly with the World Health Organization during 2016-2017.
Starting with the 2019 revision, the World Population Policies Database is updated based entirely on official Government responses to the Inquiry. The 2019 revision of the Database was based on 86 Government responses to the ageing and urbanization module, 107 responses to the fertility, family planning and reproductive health module, and 111 responses to the international migration module of the Twelfth Inquiry, conducted during 2018-2019.
The current, 2021 revision of the World Population Policies Database is based on 109 Government responses to the reproductive health module and 89 responses to the international migration module of the Thirteenth Inquiry, conducted between November 2020 and October 2021.