Country Comments

Cyprus, an island nation in the eastern Mediteranean Sea. Due to high consumption patterns and a large population level, Cyprus has almost 20 times more people than can be sustainably supported. As a result environmental, health and socioeconomic challenges are considerable. Residential development, infrastructure, tourism and quarrying are among the most serious threats that ecosystems are facing today. Furthermore highway and rural road construction has led to habitat loss and a fragmentation of nature areas.(1)

The United Nations Environment Program reports groundwater resources are overexploited by about 40% of the sustainable extraction level. The demand for water is expected to increase in the following years, placing additional pressures on the limited water resources of the island. Over the years, the Government of Cyprus has recognized that placing sole emphasis on increasing the supply of water does not provide a sustainable solution for effective water management and conservation.

Likely due to its small population The World Bank did not have data for contraception percentage use for the tiny island nation. On a positive note the island has maintained below replacement fertility rates for two decades and the overall population growth rate is declining. However half of the country’s current population growth still comes from immigration which slows the country’s steps toward the path to sustainability.

(1) European Env Agency, 2015/2020