Demographic trivia: something for the pub quiz

Before I move onto the impacts that Himalayan glaciers are having on the countries downstream and downvalley of these regions, I thought it was important to provide a context on the countries involved. I have created a little fact-file for some of the countries that are likely to be most affected by changes to the extent of Himalayan glaciers in the future. However, it is worth noting, that complex land-atmosphere dynamics and tele-connections mean that there are likely to be impacts in other regions.

At the bottom of the table, there is a list of some of the current environmental issues affecting these countries which suggests that many of the countries have problems of water pollution and water shortages due to a growing population. Agriculture is an important sector for most of these countries. Although it does not contribute as much to annual GDP as the industrial and services sector, in most countries it supports the highest proportion of the labour force. Thus changes to water resources will undoubtedly affect the socio-economic structure in these regions.  

For more 'fun' trivia facts go the 'World Factbook' website.

Table 1: Demographics information and water-related environmental issues for countries surrounding the Himalayas (Source: CIA, 2011)

Country	Bangladesh	Bhutan	China	India	Pakistan	Nepal
Total area (sq km)	143,998	38,394	9,596,961	3,287,263	796,095	147,181
Land use (2005)	Arable land: 55.39% Permanent crops: 3.08% Other: 41.53%	Arable land: 2.3% Permanent crops: 0.43% Other: 97.27%	Arable land: 14.86% Permanent crops: 1.27% Other: 83.87%	Arable land: 48.83% Permanent crops: 2.8% Other: 48.37%	Arable land: 24.44% Permanent crops: 0.84% Other: 74.72%	Arable land: 16.07% Permanent crops: 0.85% Other: 83.08%
Irrigated land (sq km) (2008)	50,500	400	641,410	622,860	198,700	11,680
Total renewable water resources (cu km)	1,210.6 (1999)	95 (1987)	2,829.6 (1999)	1,907.8 (1999)	233.8 (2003)	210.2 (1999)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):	total: 79.4 cu km/yr (3%/1%/96%) per capita: 560 cu m/yr (2000)	total: 0.43 cu km/yr (5%/1%/94%) per capita: 199 cu m/yr (2000	total: 549.76 cu km/yr (7%/26%/68%) per capita: 415 cu m/yr (2000)	total: 645.84 cu km/yr (8%/5%/86%) per capita: 585 cu m/yr (2000)	total: 169.39 cu km/yr (2%/2%/96%) per capita: 1,072 cu m/yr (2000)	total: 10.18 cu km/yr (3%/1%/96%) per capita: 375 cu m/yr (2000)
Population (July 2011 est.)	158,570,535	708,427	1,336,718,015	1,189,172,906	187,342,721	29,391,883
Population growth rate (2011 est)	1.566%	1.201%	0.493%	N/A	1.573%	1.596%
Pop. Below poverty line	40% (2010 est)	23.2% (2008)	2.8% (2007)	25% (2007 est)	24% (FY05/06 est.)	24.7% (2008)
Labour force:	Agriculture: 45% Industry: 30% Service: 25% (2008)	Agriculture 43.7% Industry: 39.1% services: 17.2% (2004 est.)	Agriculture: 38.1% Industry: 27.8% Services: 34.1% (2008 est.)	Agriculture: 52%	Agriculture: 43% Industry: 20.3% Services: 36.6% (2005 est.)	Agriculture: 75% Industry: 7% Services: 18% (2010 est.)
Improved drinking water source (% of population) (200*)	urban: 85% rural: 78% total: 80%	urban: 99% rural: 88% total: 92%	urban: 98% rural: 82% total: 89%	urban: 96% rural: 84% total: 88%	urban: 95% rural: 87% total: 90%	urban: 93% rural: 87% total: 88%
Unimproved drinking water source (% of population) (2008)	urban: 15% rural: 22% total: 20%	urban: 1% rural: 12% total: 8%	urban: 2% rural: 18% total: 11%	urban: 4% rural: 16% total: 12%	urban: 5% rural: 13% total: 10%	urban: 7% rural: 13% total: 12%
GDP amount per sector (2010 est.)	Agriculture: 18.6% Industry: 28.5% Services: 53%	Agriculture: 17.4% Industry: 45% Services: 37.6%	Agriculture: 10.2% Industry: 46.9% Services: 43%	Agriculture: 19% Industry: 26.3% Services: 54.7%	Agriculture: 21.2% Industry: 25.4% Services: 53.4%	Agriculture: 32.8% Industry: 14.4% Services: 52.8%
Environment current issues	1) Many people landless, forced to live on flood-prone land 2) Water pollution and groundwater contaminated 3) Intermittent water shortages 4) Overpopulation: (most of population on deltas of large rivers flowing from the Himalayas: the Ganges, Jamuna and Brahmaputra)	1) Soil erosion 2) Limited access to potable water 3)Landlocked;	1) Water shortages (esp. in North).  2) Water pollution from untreated wastes 3) Estimated one-fifth of agricultural land lost since 1949 to soil erosion and economic development 4) Desertification	1) Soil erosion 2) Overgrazing 3) Desertification 4) Water pollution (Raw sewage, Agricultural runoff) 5) Tap water is not potable throughout the country 6) Huge and growing population is overstraining natural resources	1) Water pollution (Raw sewage, industrial wastes, and agricultural runoff) 2) Limited natural freshwater resources.  3) Most of the population does not have access to potable water 4) Soil erosion 5) Desertification	1) Landlocked 2) Contaminated water (human and animal wastes, agricultural runoff, and industrial effluents);