WASHINGTON. Dec 31: The population boom is still booming in the world's poorest countries. even as it levels off in richer nations that encourage the education and employment of women. The Population In stitute reported on Tuesday, says Reuter

Seventy-four less developed countries can expect their populations to double in 30 years or less, and the world's total population will reach 6 billion by mid-1999. the Washingtonbased institute said in its annual overview.

But in the 51 richest countries. population are stabilising due in part to changes in the lives and rights of women, institute president Werner Fornos told a news conference.

'What made that slowdown happen in the industrialised world is they had universal access to education for girls, so wherever a woman has achieved an eighth-grade education she has half the number of pregnancies of an uneducated sister." Fornos said.

"Once you get an eighthgrade education, you don't turn a woman into a baby factory again." he said.

Industrialised nations also shared the notion of full employment opportunities for women, made greater efforts at gender equality and offered women access to contraception, according to Fomos.

He disputed recent reports, notably in the New York Times magazine and the Wall Street Journal. Indicating the global population boom had ended or there may even by a "population explosion."

Such reports, "ignore demographic realities," he said, citing figures from the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation listing 86 countries as low-income and food-deficient and suggesting this is attributable to over population in those countries.

Fomos cited 10 countries— Mexico, Morocco, Turkey. Bangladesh, Indonesia. Kenya, Brazil. Philippines, Egypt and Pakistan — where the use of contraception has cut fertility rates since 1973.

He said the two countries facing the steepest population gains in the next generation were Nigeria and Pakistan.

Part of the global population picture Is the expectation that

about 3 billion people will enter their childbearing years in the next generation, and only 1.8 billion will end that phase or their lives, the report said.

The institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organisation that seeks a balance among the world's population, environment and resources, called for increased contributions from the developed world, including the United States.

Fomos complained Washington has cut population assistance over the last four years from dollar 585 million to dollar 385 million.

"We've seen the Industrialised world lag especially when it comes to supporting the United Nations population fund." he said.

Beyond government and international programmes. Fomos suggested another way world population might be stabilised.

"If there's one obstacle that all of us ought to address, it's that if we can achieve a much faster or greater male responsibility in the reproductive act. these number will start to come down even more significantly." he said.