Washington  - In the coming decades, population growth in less-developed countries will continue to exceed growth in the developed world, a trend linked to the differing challenges and opportunities facing young women, a population expert said Wednesday.

Using Peru, Zambia and Mali as examples, James Gribble of the Population Reference Bureau, a Washington-based non-governmental research organization, highlighted the varied situations young women face in countries at different stages of development and their effect on populations.

"Youth are the future, and need to move into adulthood with good health, solid education and opportunities for meaningful employment," Gribble said.

Drawing on data from the US Agency for International Development's Demographic and Health Surveys Project, Gribble showed a strong correlation between lower teenage birth rates and rising education levels.

On average, women in Peru, a relatively more developed country, have two to three children during their lifetime, while women in Zambia and Mali have an average of six or more children.

About 25 per cent of Peruvian women have children by age 19, while more than 50 per cent of Zambian women and 65 per cent of women in Mali have children at that age.

The average desired family size for women aged 15 to 19 in each country suggests a modernizing definition of family, Gribble said. In Peru it was just over two children, while in Zambia it was just under four children and just under six in Mali.

Education is very important to young Peruvians, Gribble said. More than 85 per cent of Peruvian women between the ages of 15 and 19 have secondary education or higher, compared to less than 50 per cent in Zambia. Sixty per cent of young women in Mali have never been to school, Gribble said.

Marriage is less important for young women in Peru, where about 11 per cent of women between 15 and 19 are married. This number is 18 per cent in Zambia, and about 50 per cent in Mali. Almost 25 per cent of married teenaged women in Mali got married before they were 15, Gribble said.

Poverty indicators in the PRB data underlined the correlation between birth rates and education levels.

In Peru, 19 per cent of the population lived on less than two dollars per day in 2005, PRB reported. In Zambia, it was 82 per cent and in Mali it was 77 per cent. (dpa)