With global population set to hit 7 billion by the end of this month – promising huge challenges for healthcare worldwide – SAP AG and the United Nations Population Fund have unveiled two interactive dashboards that use business analytics to enable greater transparency and awareness around population trends.
Available at 7billionactions.org, the dashboards will be used by the UN, local governments, economists and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to make better-informed decisions on how to best allocate funding and resources.
The dashboards will allow an analysis of the impact of population increases on key areas, including healthcare, education and age and gender development, by compiling UN data from multiple agencies. The analysis, which can be done instantly on a laptop or mobile device anywhere in the world, allows fact-based decision-making for policies and other initiatives.
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"The milestone of 7 billion is a challenge, opportunity and a call to action to ensure that everyone can enjoy equal rights and dignity," said Babatunde Osotimehin, MD, executive direct, UNFPA. "Private sector partners like SAP can play a critical role, together with civil society, academia, governments and the United Nations system, to accelerate progress especially for women and girls in the developing world."
Officials say the dashboards, which address current and future issues of healthcare and employment, are particularly useful for countries with high youth populations. For example, almost half of the population in Pakistan is under the age of 19. Girls' primary school enrollment rates are high worldwide, approaching those of boys, but their completion rates are below 50 percent in most developing countries. Data from The World Bank indicates that each year of secondary schooling increases a girl's future wages by 10 to 20 percent. Based on this report, investing in girls' education can support the future well-being of Pakistan.
The data analysis also shows a paradox development – a younger world that is also aging. Analyzing the data shows that about two-thirds of the world's population is under 40. The world supports the biggest generation of young people in history, about 1.8 billion. This youth population represents an enormous challenge, but also an opportunity if they are able to participate in economic opportunities and can help generate future health and prosperity.
At the same time, the world is seeing a growing number of older people – 700 million in 2009, a number that is expected to rise to 2.4 billion by mid-century. By 2050, the number of working-age people available to support each person aged 65 or older will decline by half worldwide, straining government social support and retirement financing.
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SAP delivered two population dashboards using SAP Crystal Dashboard Design software, which helps create greater transparency and awareness around core UN population data and trends. This helps the UN and governments make better-informed decisions. SAP technology and solutions also help people to interact with population data, understand the challenges and explore opportunities to address issues around changing population dynamics.
The UNFPA's global campaign, 7 Billion Actions, enlisted a diverse group of UN actors, corporations, organizations and individuals to inspire actions on key issues related to population growth. In close collaboration with other task force members, SAP pledged to develop technology solutions to help drive social innovation and global change.
"The world's population reaching 7 billion people presents an excellent opportunity for technology to play an active role in the global commitment for a healthy and sustainable world," said Steve Lucas, general manager, Business Analytics and Technology, SAP. "We delivered dashboards that will help the organization build global awareness around the opportunities and challenges associated with a population of 7 billion people. The UNFPA will be better equipped to inspire governments, NGOs, the private sector, media, academia and individuals to take actions that will have a socially positive impact on the world."
