The table compares population growth, average number of births per woman and life expectancy at birth across nations with various income groups in 2002 and 2004.
Overall, a clear divergence is evident, as high-income countries occupied the top spot in terms of life expectancy at birth throughout the period. Meanwhile, low-income nations recorded the highest figure regarding population growth and average birth per woman.
Concerning population growth, high-income and low-income countries registered a humble decline from 0.8% and 2.0% in 2002, decreasing to 0.7% and 1.8%, respectively. By contrast, middle-income nations remained unchanged during the examined years, around 0.9%. Turning to the average number of births per woman, low-income groups continuously stood at the leading position, with approximately 3.9 infants in 2002, albeit declining slightly to 3.7 infants in 2004. Regarding the other nations, while middle-income countries decreased slowly to 2.1 infants, high-income nations plateaued roughly 1.7 across the period.
Notably, all nations followed a consistent upward trajectory with regard to life expectancy at birth, with high-income countries increasing from 78 years old 2002 to 78.7 years old in 2004 as well as ranking as the leading category. Meanwhile, middle-income and low-income nations demonstrated a minimal rise to 70 and 58.8 years old, respectively.