Population

Key terms:

demography – study of population

birth rate – number of live births per 1000 of the population

fertility rate – average number of children per woman

death rate – number of deaths per 1000 of the population

natural growth – birth rate minus death rate

replacement rate- a fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman

migration – a permanent change of residence

net migration – immigration minus emigration

immigrant – a person moving into a country

emigrant – a person leaving a country

population density – number of people per km²

carrying capacity- number of people an area can support based on its resources and technology

Population explosion

File:World-Population-1800-2100.svg

GRAPH FROM: HTTPS://COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG/WIKI/FILE:WORLD-POPULATION-1800-

2100.SVG

The population explosion was caused by a rapid decline in death rates due to medical and
scientific advancements during the Industrial Revolution.

Factors for a high birth rate:

poor family planning

little access to contraception

children required to work on land

children support their parents in old age

desire to have a son, so parents keep trying

religious beliefs or traditions

Factors for a low birth rate:

emancipation of women, including education and increased career-mindedness

access to contraception

high cost of raising children

anti-natal policies

increased age of marriage

urbanisation

Factors for a high death rate:

low life expectancy and high infant mortality

food scarcity, resulting in starvation

lack of medical infrastructure and doctors, so disease can not be treated properly

poor hygiene and sanitation allows the easy spreading of disease

sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS

Factors for a low death rate:

long life expectancy and low infant mortality rate

good hygiene and sanitation

abundant food supply, so no starvation

good access to medicine/hospitals

Population pyramids

Population pyramids are used to show the age-sex distribution of a country or area.
LEDC (less economically developed countries) pyramids commonly have:

a narrow apex (suggesting that there are few old dependents)

a broad base (suggesting that there are many young dependents)

a concave slope (suggesting a high death rate)

a rapidly tapering top (suggesting a high death rate and low life expectancy)Population pyramid
of Uganda

POPULATION PYRAMID FROM:

HTTP://WWW.INDEXMUNDI.COM/UGANDA/AGE_STRUCTURE.HTML

MEDC (more economically developed countries) pyramids commonly have:

a wide apex (many old dependents)

a narrow(-ing) base (low or falling birth rates)

a convex slope and bulging sides (suggests low death rates)

Population pyramid of United Kingdom

POPULATION PYRAMID FROM:

HTTP://WWW.INDEXMUNDI.COM/UNITED_KINGDOM/AGE_STRUCTURE.HTML

Ageing population

Demographers talk about an ageing population, if the percentage of people over the age of 65
increases. This is happening in many European countries (most notably Germany and Italy), as
well as in other developed countries eg. Japan.

Benefits of an ageing population

Increased development of grey industries (industries catering the needs of old people), such as
specialised healthcare and care homes
Elderly may pass skills and expertise on to the younger generation

Elderly may take care of their grand children, allowing parents to work at full capacity, and they
may be active in volunteering or other forms of service

Disadvantages of an ageing population

Financial burden of elderly due to retirement: little contribution to economy (often little income)
and cost of pension budgets places a strain on the working class – even requiring higher taxation
to pay for the pensions

Reduced development of infrastructure for younger people eg. schools, playgrounds

Fewer people to defend the country

Demographic transition model

The demographic transition model (DTM) groups countries based on population trends to give a
perception of development.

File:Demographic Transition010.jpg

Most LEDC’S (less economically developed countries) are in Stage 2 of the demographic
transition model. Transition economies are commonly found in Stage 3, while the majority of
MEDC’s (more economically developed countries) is in Stage 4.

Overpopulation, underpopulation and optimum population

The carrying capacity of an area is defined by the relationship of population to resources and
technology.

Overpopulated areas have too little resources and technologies for the people living there. The
opposite is true for underpopulated areas. Areas with an optimum population have found a
healthy balance between the available resources/technologies and the number of inhabitants.