西亚、非洲都属世界上人口增长速度最快的地区之列。据统计，1990～1999年世界年均人口增长率为1.4%，而撒哈拉以南非洲为2.6%，中东和北非地区为2.2%。目前，非洲地区的人口密度已经达到每千公顷249人，远远低于每千公顷442人的世界平均水平。中东地区虽然总体人口密度不大，但由于该地区绝大部分地区是沙漠，适合人类居住的面积实际上并不多。人口过快增长已经成为该地区国家可持续发展的一个重要制约因素。中东国家的人口快速增长具有复杂的社会经济原因，但随着该地区国家可持续发展意识的增强，控制人口增长的努力正在取得进展。
West Asia and Africa are among the fastest growing regions in the world. According to statistics, from 1990 to 1999 the world's average annual population growth rate of 1.4%, while the sub Saharan Africa is 2.6%, the Middle East and North Africa region is 2.2%. At present, the population density of the African region has reached 249 people per thousand hectares, far less than the world average of 442 people per thousand hectares. The Middle East, although the overall population density is not large, but because of the vast majority of the region is desert, suitable for human habitation is not much. The rapid growth of population has become an important constraint factor for the sustainable development of the region. The rapid growth of the population of the Middle East countries has a complicated social and economic reasons, but with the increasing awareness of sustainable development in the region, efforts to control population growth are making progress.
