T
he West Asia region can be classified as two distinct sub-regions according to water availability, population growth and economic activity: the Mashriq: Iraq,
Jordan, Lebanon, the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), Syria; and Yemen and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE). The two sub-regions have different levels of naturally endowed resources, socio-economic institutions, diverse legal and political frameworks, variable embedded technology, and different labour force compositions with varied levels of know-how and educational systems. Both sub-regions have high dependencies on imports, low productivity, and system inefficiencies. They share high vulnerability to external natural and human-induced stresses such as the variability of rainfall, population growth (Figure 1.1.1), pollution levels, and inefficient water and waste management practices (UNESCWA 2006).
West Asia has a significant geopolitical location as it is the link between three continents: Asia, Europe and Africa; there are large differences in economic performance as measured by gross domestic product (GDP) (Figure 1.1.2).
West Asia also has one of the world’s largest oil and natural gas reserves. Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, UAE, and Qatar are among the major oil producing countries, and oil is the major driver of global economic growth, with high GDP per person (Figure 1.1.3).
West Asia’s geopolitical location, coupled with its endowment of oil resources and other factors, has made the region the scene of armed conflicts and rivalries that have swept the region and had serious impacts on the population and the environment, including oil pollution.
However, the demand for these strategic commodities has seen setbacks, such as those in the mid-1980s and recently
Figure 1.1.1: West Asia, population growth and growth rates by country, 2013
15 000 20 000 25 000 30 000 35 000 40 000
5 000 10 000
0 Iraq Source: World Bank 2015 Credit: Shutterstock/ Ivan Pavlov 11 KSA Yemen Syrian Population in 2013 UAE Jordan Lebanon Estimate Population in 2015 OPT Oman Kuwait Qatar Population Growth (%) 2013 Bahrain 5 6 3 5 3 0 2.5 1.9 2.3 2.0 1.5 4 1 2 2 3 6
0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0
1 332 1 361
2 119 2 169
3 616 3 369
Population (thousands)
35 420 35 362 28 830 29 936 24 410 25 803 22 850 23 773 9 346 9 628
6 450 7 366
4 797 6 632
4 170 4 124
3 362 3 891
Population Growth (%)
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