Population
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Explore how populations are distributed across settlement types, which cities are growing fastest, what living conditions in urban areas look like, and much more.
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Full archive
Every research item we've indexed.
710 reports, surveys and statistics from 15 source organisations.
Society
UN chief urges Iran and US to ‘urgently resume negotiations’ as Gulf strikes escalate
Renewed strikes and counterstrikes between Iran and the United States in the Gulf region have raised fears of a return to all‑out war, with Washington denying Tehran’s claim that it had closed the crucial Strait of Hormuz on Sunday.
Source: UNRead →
Society
Reviving communities home by home in Gaza
Displacement has drastically reshaped every aspect of daily life in war-ravaged Gaza for 24-year-old Mayyada, who is seven months pregnant with twins and caring for her two-year-old daughter, but now she and her family are getting settled into a temporary home of their own.
Source: UNRead →
AI
From NASA to the classroom: The engineer bringing AI to those left behind
Nia Jetter spent two decades building spacecraft and robots. Now she is trying to make sure the artificial intelligence revolution doesn't leave anyone behind.
Source: UNRead →
Environment
Thai youth leaders push for inclusion, partnership and lasting change
From local communities to the global stage, a diverse group of young leaders from Thailand is helping shape conversations on public policy, climate action, inclusion, indigenous rights, disability access and youth wellbeing.
Source: UNRead →
Society
‘We face a new ordeal’: Gaza's search for the dead goes on
After thousands of buildings were destroyed in the Gaza Strip during the Israel-Hamas war, local teams and civil defense personnel continue the arduous and delicate mission to remove rubble and search for the remains of missing persons believed to still be buried under the…
Source: UNRead →
Health
New cholera outbreak alert for Sudan’s war-weary communities
In war-torn Sudan, a deadly new cholera outbreak has already claimed more than 100 lives, heightening serious concerns for vulnerable communities including in besieged El-Obeid, where daily drone attacks have continued to hamper aid access.
Source: UNRead →
Society
Aid cuts leave at least one million women and girls without vital support
At least one million women and girls have lost access to critical humanitarian support since January 2025 as unprecedented aid cuts push women's organizations in crisis zones to the brink of collapse, the UN’s gender equality agency, UN Women, said on Friday.
Source: UNRead →
Education
World News in Brief: UN spotlights education aid solution, Sri Lanka prison violence, humanitarian aid to Venezuela
The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) urged international lenders to expand debt-for-education swaps, warning in a Friday report that many developing countries are spending more on debt servicing than on schooling their children.
Source: UNRead →
Society
Security Council LIVE: Amid rising regional tensions, members address Iran nuclear deal
As tensions mount in the Middle East amid new strikes across the region, the Security Council is convening on Friday to discuss the status of its 2015 resolution on the Iran nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Stay tuned for live updates.
Source: UNRead →
Society
South Sudan: UN acts ahead of drought to protect thousands
As drought risk intensifies in South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria state, a new UN-backed plan aims to protect thousands of people before the worst impacts take hold.
Source: UNRead →
Environment
Peak heat in Europe just broke historic 1970s records
This year marks the hottest June recorded for Western Europe and the second warmest globally, according to the latest report from a climate tracking service released on Thursday.
Source: UNRead →
Society
World must move faster on Ebola response for DR Congo: UN relief chief
The world must move faster to contain the spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UN relief chief Tom Fletcher said on Thursday.
Source: UNRead →
Society
Remembering the Srebrenica genocide: ‘Fear is all that kept me moving’
The United Nations paused on Wednesday to remember the more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys killed in the town of Srebrenica in July 1995, and the women and survivors left to rebuild their lives in the aftermath.
Source: UNRead →
Society
Security Council LIVE: ‘Urgent de-escalation’ needed now amid spike in civilian deaths
The Security Council must use every tool and diplomatic channel to reach an urgent de-escalation, Rosemary DiCarlo, chief of UN political and peacebuilding affairs, told an emergency meeting on Thursday amid escalating deadly Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian…
Source: UNRead →
Society
Diplomats go virtual to witness Gaza displacement site up close
Representatives from 12 countries carried out a “virtual diplomatic field visit” to a displacement site in the Gaza Strip and heard from some of the residents about their pressing needs, the United Nations said on Thursday.
Source: UNRead →
Society
Use of explosive weapons ‘must stop’ in eastern DR Congo: Türk
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group to cease hostilities as he deplored recent civilian deaths on Thursday.
Source: UNRead →
Society
US-Iran war leaves shipping at near-standstill in Hormuz again
Renewed hostilities between the United States and Iran reportedly brought shipping to a near-standstill in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, leaving around 6,000 seafarers stranded aboard hundreds of vessels and Gulf countries on high alert for further attacks.
Source: UNRead →
Health
Cancer cases could nearly double by 2050 without urgent action, WHO warns
The number of new cancer cases worldwide could rise to almost 35 million a year by 2050 unless countries take urgent action to strengthen prevention, early diagnosis and treatment, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Wednesday.
Source: UNRead →
Society
Grim homecoming: Devastation greets Lebanon's war-weary returnees
The ceasefire deal between Beirut and Tel Aviv has led to a marked reduction in hostilities between Hezbollah and the Israeli military, but the situation remains unstable and uncertain for communities returning home only to find widespread destruction, UN peacekeepers said on…
Source: UNRead →
Society
Security Council LIVE: Open debate on sexual violence in conflict
The UN Security Council is holding an open debate Tuesday honouring the promise of international law to survivors of sexual violence in conflict as more reports emerge about warring parties using rape as a weapon, actions that constitute war crimes. Stay tuned for live updates…
Source: UNRead →
Society
Sudan: ‘El Obeid must not become the next crime scene’ warn UN investigators
Atrocities committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia against Sudanese civilians in El Fasher in October – including mass killings, abductions and gang rapes – bear the markers of genocide, independent UN human rights investigators reported on Wednesday.
Source: UNRead →
Society
‘Help is coming’: UN relief chief briefs on Venezuela quake recovery
The widespread solidarity shown to Venezuela must now be transformed into real, practical support for recovery from the deadly double earthquakes last month, UN relief chief Tom Fletcher said on Wednesday.
Source: UNRead →
Economy
US-Iran war: Renewed attacks in Strait of Hormuz prompts another global energy alert
Renewed attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz unsettled energy markets on Wednesday and prompted calls from the UN maritime agency, IMO, for “maximum restraint and de-escalation”.
Source: UNRead →
Society
UN Syria inquiry presses for answers on missing detainees after wide-ranging visit
UN investigators have urged Syria’s Government to trace thousands of missing detainees and hold perpetrators to account after a week-long visit that took in bomb attacks in Damascus, prison visits in the northeast and reports of vigilante violence in Homs.
Source: UNRead →
Health
Restoring dignity: Senegalese surgeon and Burundian foundation win reproductive health awards
A Senegalese surgeon who has dedicated his career to restoring the health and dignity of women living with obstetric fistula, and a Burundian foundation supporting vulnerable women and children, have been named the winners of the 2026 United Nations Population Award.
Source: UNRead →
Society
Srebrenica survivors warn of genocide denial while safeguarding memory of the dead
Three survivors of a genocide which took place in Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina in July 1995 have told UN News how they are keeping alive the memory of the more than 8,300 men and boys who were killed in the town while combating the rising current of denial about the…
Source: UNRead →
Health
WHO calls for urgent action as new cancer cases are projected to nearly double by 2050
Millions of people are facing physical, emotional and financial toll of cancer, a disease that claims more than 26 000 lives every day, according to a report released today by the World Health Organization (WHO). With an estimated 20.6 million new cases and close to 10 million…
Source: WHORead →
Health
Ebola continues to spread in DRC as death toll passes 500, WHO warns
The outbreak of the deadly Bundibugyo species of Ebola in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is expanding, while the push to accelerate testing and identify effective treatment options continues, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
Source: UNRead →
Society
General Assembly LIVE: Debating US sanctions against Cuba
The UN General Assembly typically takes up the issue of United States sanctions against Cuba in the autumn, but on Tuesday, at Havana’s request, the world body is convening on the decades-long embargo amid warnings of increasing suffering on the Caribbean island. Stay tuned for…
Source: UNRead →