Population Explosion

How can South Asias population

growth be managed?
 May 11, 2000 5:05 AM New Delhi, India
Astha is born. Her name means faith in
the most common language of India, Hindi.
Why is Astha important? She is one of
70,000 babies born every day in India.
There are 25,637,000 babies born each
year in India. Astha was special because
her birth pushed the population of India
over one billion. India was the 2nd country
in the world to have one billion people.
China was the first. The United Nations
estimates that India will have more people
than China by 2045.
The United Nations has studied Indias population:
Growing Pains Indias population is growing so fast that people
lack BASIC NECESSITIES--food, clothing and
shelter.

If growth does not slow down, by 2045 India will

have 1.5 billion people in a country one-third the
size of the United States--more than China.

Three of the 10 most populous countries in the

world are in South Asia: India, Pakistan, and
Bangladesh.

South Asia is home to 27% of the total world

population. They live on less than 3% of the
worlds land.
Inadequate Resources: The Effects
Poverty and illiteracy

Poor sanitation; lack of health education

Rapid spread of disease

Lack of schools and teachers

Not enough homes

Widespread starvation

Thousands of unemployed people

Managing Population Growth: Solutions
Smaller families--India has encouraged
people to have fewer children--BUT

Indian women marry before age 18 and

want many children

Children are a source of income--they beg

for money in the street, work in the fields,
help out in shops or markets.

Children represent security in old age--they

take care of elderly parents.

Infant mortality rate is high--parents have

many children so they can be sure that
some will live to be adults.
Managing Population Growth: Education is Key
India spends only $300 dollars per
student.

Girls are not usually educated.

In the US, the per student cost is

$6500-$8500.

Education improves the status of girls.

More educated people can find work.

In 2009, the Indian government made

education a fundamental right.
 1. Analyzing data
Find the bar on the pyramid
that is your age and sex. How
many millions of people fall
into that group in India?
2. Making Comparisons
What age group is the largest?
What is the largest age group
by sex?
3. Making inferences
What might be said about the
male/female composition of
the population of India?