The U. N. attributes the decline to increased family planning efforts and increased economic power and social status of women. While the U. N. applauds the United States for leading the world in funding family planning programs abroad, some oppose spending money on international family planning. The opposition states that money is better spent on improving education and the economy in other countries, leading to an increased awareness and lowered fertility rates. The U. N. certainly supports the improvement of education programs in developing countries, but, interestingly, has reported an increase in education following a decrease in family size as a result of family planning.
"World Is Less Crowded Than Expected, the U. N. Reports," by Barbara Crossette, The New York Times, November 17, 1996