PRB

▶️ Your Wednesday Watch: PRB Senior Fellow Apoorva Jadhav spoke with The Hindu about the impact of city design on women's participation in the labor force in India.

"When a city doesn’t provide piped water, childcare, sanitation, nearby health services... that work doesn’t go away. It falls on the women, and uses up the hours that might otherwise be spent doing paid work, or leisure."

In Focus podcast | Can India’s cities rise to the looming demographic challenge? India is entering a demographic window of opportunity. For the next...

🗺️ When the funding that made the World Population Data Sheet possible was abruptly cut last year, something meaningful happened: stories poured in from around the world—from teachers, researchers, and policymakers sharing what this resource meant to their work. Those stories became the foundation of a fundraising effort that secured this 2026 edition.

If the Data Sheet has ever mattered to your work, here's a way to show it—and to help keep it alive. Donors who give $200 or more to PRB will receive a printed copy. Those who give at least $500 will also receive a copy of the inaugural 1962 edition.

🔗 Visit prb.org/donate to learn more!*

*Under IRS guidelines, the estimated value of the printed 2026 and 1962 World Population Data Sheets is not substantial; therefore, the full amount of your contribution is deductible as a charitable contribution.

📸 Shreya Arora from our Data Team poses with the 2026 poster.

On the heels of World Contraception Day, an update to our State of Access scorecard shows that only six U.S. states actively protect insurance coverage for over-the-counter (OTC) contraceptives: Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Washington.

These states require insurers to cover OTC contraceptive medications without a prescription. Six more states offer partial protection, with some policies in place but gaps remaining. The other 38 states and D.C. have no relevant policies at all.

🔗 Explore the scorecard to see where your state stands: https://stateofaccess.prb.org/

💡 🌍 🧠 Happy Thursday! Today's quiz comes from our 2026 World Population Data Sheet. How much do you know about global population growth?

👇 Comment with your best guess below!

🌍 The world is aging, but not at the same pace.

Our 2026 World Population Data Sheet shows just how differently regions are moving through this demographic transition:

🌱 Sub-Saharan Africa is the world's youngest region, with 40% of its population under age 15.
🌻 Southern Europe is the oldest, with 23% of people ages 65 and older.

Same planet, very different demographic clocks, and very different priorities. Understanding where each country sits is the first step toward planning for what comes next.

📊 Dig into data for 200+ countries and territories in our Data Explorer: https://wpds.prb.org/

𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 & 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿

🎒 🎨 🏀 We're proud to have partnered with The Children's Partnership on the newly updated "A Child Is a Child" fact sheet series, produced this year in collaboration with PRB's KidsData and a range of local, state, and national partners.

These fact sheets offer a clear snapshot of child well-being across California—covering perinatal health, health coverage, school safety, economic stability, and more—for communities that are often marginalized in both data and decision-making.

The first four sheets focus on:

🔹 Asian American children: bit.ly/AChildIsAChildAANHPI

🔹 Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander children: bit.ly/AChildIsAChildAANHPI

🔹 Children in immigrant families: bit.ly/AChildIsAChildImmigrantFams

🔹 LGBTQ+ children and youth: bit.ly/AChildIsAChildLGBTQ

Each one also highlights protective factors, or the community strengths and assets that support kids' resilience and well-being. Because every child's story includes strength, not just struggle.

More fact sheets are coming later this year. Explore the series here: https://childrenspartnership.org/campaigns/a-child-is-a-child/

A Child is a Child: A Snapshot of Children's Health in California - The Children's Partnership A Child is a Child: A Snapshot of Children’s Health in California May 20, 2020 As our nation and state’s child population continues to grow increasingly diverse, we must activate efforts and implement strategies that address the immediate and long term health and wellbeing of all children, regar...

Our 2026 World Population Data Sheet takes a special look at & well-being. Why?

Because while women make up about half of the global population, they hold just 27% of all seats in .

Facts are the first step toward change:

The Gender Gap in Political Power — World Population Data Explorer (2026 Data) A global ranking of women's parliamentary representation shows that high per capita income does not guarantee high women's representation in global legislatures.

PRB is adding a new voice to its Board of Trustees: Jessica Marcella will join the board on October 1. She arrives at a time when leaders everywhere face growing pressure to understand demographic change and plan accordingly.

"We're delighted to welcome Jessica to PRB's Board of Trustees. Her firsthand experience shaping federal health policy will be a real asset as we look ahead to our next chapter," said PRB Board Chair Bobby Jefferson.

Jessica brings direct experience on both sides of federal health policy. As Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs at HHS, she led the nation's Title X family planning program and national teen pregnancy prevention efforts, and helped shape gender equity and human rights priorities within the department's Office of Global Affairs.

Today, she's a co-founder of Triple Dividend Partners and a partner at the Arch Collaborative, advising organizations on the same policy landscape from the outside.

Learn more about her appointment: https://www.prb.org/news/prb-welcomes-jessica-marcella-to-the-board-of-trustees/