Main Topics
- World Population Trends
- Population Growth and Concepts
- Population Pyramids
- Population Policies
World Population Trends
what is carrying capacity?
- carrying capacity = The number of people an area of land can support
World Population Trends
how to describe population trends?
- How to describe population trends:
1. Describe the overall trend
2. Give data from both the x and y axis
3. Mention any anomalies or figures that may not fit the trend
World Population Trends
keywords to describe population trends? 5pt
- Fluctuation / to fluctuate
- Peak / reach a peak
- Dip / to dip
- Fall / hit its lowest point / amount
- A plateau / to reach a plateau (stabilise)
Developing Countries - Overpopulation
Implications of the Trends in World Population Growth 3pt
- Population growth may exceed carrying capacity if fertility rates remain high
- This may place a strain on the finite resources available
- For example, resources like clean water and food may run out and people may face starvation and malnutrition
Developed Countries - Shrinking & Ageing Population
Implications of the Trends in World Population Growth 4pt
- There may be underutilization of resources (e.g. Schools may need to be closed or merged) as the fertility rates fall below the replacement rate
- Labour shortages/ reduced labour pool (e.g. SG rely on immigration to keep our economy afloat)
- Life expectancy will be higher (Ageing Population)
- More resources will be needed and diverted to supporting the elderly-dependents’ needs
Developing Countries - Overpopulation
Effects of Population Size on Socio-Economic Development 3pt
- If population size gets too large, people may need to share the limited resources available
- The lack of access to important services and resources like food and education may reduce their SOL 🡪 They may face malnutrition, inability to attend school to learn new skills and knowledge
- This may contribute to a vicious cycle where the poor may not be able to find gainful employment, and fall deeper into a life of poverty
Developed Countries - Shrinking & Ageing Population
Effects of Population Size on Socio-Economic Development 3pt
- Economic development may be slowed down due to reduction in those of working-age
- Increased economic strain placed on the economically active people as taxes may need to be raised in order to meet the needs of the ageing society (e.g. Build more infrastructure like hospitals) 🡪 reduced QOL for the working adults as they may be more stressed
- If there are insufficient healthcare or amenities to meet the needs of the ageing population, their SOL may be compromised as they may not receive timely medical attention or support
What is the meaning of socio-economic and social?
- Socio-economic = Social and Economic Development of a country, maintaining the social and material well-being of the nation and its people. Measured by income, life expectancy, literacy rates, levels of employment
- Social = Standard of Living (SOL) and Quality of Life (QOL)
Population Growth and Concepts
Terms & Definitions
Terms
Definition
Birth Rate (BR)
* The number of live births for every 1,000 people in a particular year.
Death Rate (DR)
* The number of deaths for every 1,000 people in a particular year.
Rate of Natural Increase
* It is the rate of natural growth in population resulting from an excess of birth rate over death rate. Calculated as “Birth rate – Death rate”
- There is growth in population only when the number of babies born exceeds the number of people who have died.
- When births exceed deaths, there is a positive growth in the population
- When deaths exceed births, there is a negative growth in the population
Total Fertility Rate
* It refers to the average number of children each woman in a population would bear if during her child-bearing years she bore children at the same rate as women of those ages did in a particular year.
Infant Mortality Rate
* It refers to the number of babies who die before reaching one year old per thousand babies born alive in a year.
Life Expectancy
* The length of time a person is likely to live from birth.
Causes of Population Increase
Factors that encourage High Birth Rate
6pt
- Children are seen as wealth in traditional society and provide labour in farms
* They help in the farms & bring additional income. - Preference for sons
* Sons retain the family name, while daughters need dowry to be paid (money for marriage). Couples will continue getting children until they have succeeded in getting sons. - Early marriages
* Women who marry young have more children. - High number of deaths among children (High infant mortality rate)
* In some developing countries, where health care services are lacking, children die at a young age. Parents have more children in the hopes that a few of their children survive to adulthood. - Lack of information on family planning/birth control
* People who are ignorant of birth control methods may have more children than they really want. People may be ignorant because they are illiterate or not well-informed as information on birth control has not reached them yet. - Religious beliefs that do not allow the use of contraceptives
* Some religions do not allow their followers to use artificial methods of birth control.
Causes of Population Increase
Factors that encourage Low Death Rate
2pt
- Better Health Care
* Availability of hospitals, clinics, doctors, medical equipment, medicine and medical knowledge
* Immunisation for babies reduces infant mortality rate
* With better health care, the elderly are able to live longer. - Better Sanitation and Hygiene
* People are less prone to falling sick and contracting diseases if the places where they live are clean and sanitary.
* People take good care of personal hygiene by cleaning themselves.
* eg clean supply of water & modern flush toilets allows people to keep themselves clean.
Causes of Population Decline
Factors that Encourage Low Birth Rate
3pt
- Birth Control Measures
* sterilization and increasing use of contraceptives help keep birth rate low. - Higher Education and Career Choices –
* Women have become more educated and liberated. Their perception of their role as merely bearing children have changed. More women have chosen to focus on their career. - Lifestyle Choices
* As wealth increases, there is a greater aspiration for material things such as cars. It is easier to achieve a material lifestyle when the family is small as household expenses will be smaller.
- Problems of Overpopulation 5pt
- Illiteracy and low educational levels
- Unemployment
- Hunger and Malnutrition
- Overcrowding
- Ill Health
Population Pyramids - meaning and how many types?
- A population pyramid is a graph that shows distribution of ages across a population - male and female
- They show the number of dependents (children and elderly) and general structure of the population of a country.
- There are 3 types of pyramids – Expanding, Contracting and Stationary.
Expanding / Expansive Population Pyramid 4-5pts, challenges + opportunities
- High fertility and mortality rates
- Associated with rapidly growing developing countries with young age structure
- Largest proportion: young
- Example: Congo -> anti-natal policies
High fertility and high mortality and low life expectancy
• Largest proportion in the younger age groups. High proportion of young dependents.
• Challenges: Strain on resources, ensuring sufficient food, access to education and employment opportunities
• Opportunities: A favourable ratio of large proportion of young workforce to dependents
Contracting / Constrictive Population Pyramids - 3pt, challenges + opportunities
- Wider in the middle with high numbers of middle aged and elderly, but fewer young people
- Countries with higher levels of social and economic development
- Examples: Germany, Singapore (pro-natal policies)
- Low fertility, low mortality, high life expectancy, ageing population
- Challenges: Ageing population may strain the health care system, may not have enough workers and become dependent on migrant workers
- Opportunities: Increasing retirement age to allow elderly workers to continue working if they wish to
Stationary Pyramid - 3-4pt, challenges + opportunities
- Low mortality and fertility rates
- Stable population
- Example: United States
- Pro-natal policies
- Healthcare policies
- Retirement age policies
- Immigration policies
Stable population
• Low fertility, low mortality, high
life expectancy
• Somewhat equal share of young
and adult age groups
• Challenges: Challenges to do with declining birth rate
• Opportunities: Unchanging/Stable pattern of fertility and mortality diminishes issues of overcrowding and congestion. Helps ensure sufficient resources for everyone
What is dependency ratio and how to calculate dependency ratio?
Dependency Ratio: The ratio between the number of dependants (anyone above or below the working age) and the number of people in the potential labour force).
Dependency Ratio: (Young Dependents (YD,<15)+Old Dependents (OD,>65)) / (People of Working Age) x 100
For every 100 people of working age in workforce, there are n dependents.
Low ratio means workers have fewer dependents to support
High ratio indicates working-age population face a greater burden to support the dependent population
Population Policies
what is a population policy? how many types of natalist policies are there and their meanings? (3pt?)
- A population policy is a set of measures taken by a State/Country to modify the way its population is changing, either by promoting large families or immigration to increase its size, or by encouraging limitation of births to decrease it.
Pro-natalist -> designed to increase BR/TFR
Anti-natalist -> designed to decrease BR / TFR
What are pro-natalist policies?
1pt
- Pro-natalist policies are designed to increase BR/TFR. Usually implemented in countries with slow natural increase/natural decrease and ageing populations (usually those with stationary or contracting pop. pyramids).
What are anti-natalist policies?
1pt
- Anti-natalist policies aim to encourage people to plan smaller families, lower fertility rates and reduce the number of births, by decreasing BR/TFR. These tend to be found in countries with high birth rates and rapidly growing populations (usually those with expanding pop. pyramids).
Causes of Population Decline
Factors that encourage High Death Rate (DR): 4pt
Causes of Population Decline
Factors that encourage High Death Rate (DR):
1. Diseases
2. Natural Disasters
3. War
4. Famine
