Key words
Population — the total number of people in a given area.
- Birth rate — the number of live births per 1000 people per year.
- Death rate — the number of deaths per 1000 people.
- Natural increase — when the birth rate is higher than the death rate.
- Overpopulation — an area that has too many people and not enough resources to maintain a healthy standard of living.
- Underpopulated — an area with too few people to make use of the abundant resources.
- Optimum population — where a country is making the best use of its resources so the population can enjoy a high quality of life.
Birth rates and death rates
| Impacts on BR | Impacts on DR |
|---|
| Use of contraception | Quality of healthcare |
| Religion and culture; less teenage pregnancy | War |
| Population policies | Sanitation |
| Empowerment of women; educated population (they do not want or do not have time for children) | Healthcare |
| Nutrition (food and water availability) |
| Natural disasters |
Population policy — One Child Policy (China)
China: One Child Policy (1979–2015)
- Families were limited to one child each.
- Mandatory sterilisation or abortion occurred on the birth of the 2nd and further children.
- Prevented 400 million births.
- It caused high dissatisfaction and an unequal sex ratio in China's population (as boys were favoured over girls).
- An increase in orphan children.
- It also caused increased pressure on healthcare and nursing homes as old dependents increased in number. Only having 1 child means you'll have fewer people willing to take care of you as an elder.
| Penalties | Exceptions |
|---|
| Denial of household registration in some areas | Ethnic minorities |
| Potential loss of employment and benefits | Rural areas |
| Abortion | |
| No free education | |
| $400–1400 penalty | |
Overpopulation — Nigeria
General causes and effects of an increasing population
| Causes | Effects |
|---|
| Lack of contraception | Overcrowding and congestion |
| Bad education | Increase in disease |
| Immigration | Poor sanitation and pollution |
| Culture and traditions | Lack of jobs: poverty |
| Lack of healthcare, so more babies are produced to increase the chance of one surviving | High crime rate |
| Shortage of food and water |
Case study: Nigeria
- Nigeria's population increased from 175 million (2013) to 206 million (2020).
- Nigeria is 3% of Africa's land mass but holds 15% of Africa's population.
| Causes | Effects |
|---|
| Lack of access to contraception | A high crime rate of 21 per 100,000 |
| High youthful population (fertility) | Poverty; 40% live below the national poverty line |
| Immigration due to wars in other parts of Africa (less significant) | Lack of jobs |
| Culture (polygamy) | Overcrowding and congestion |
Underpopulation — Australia
General causes and effects of underpopulation in Australia
| Causes | Effects |
|---|
| Climate: a lot of the area is desert | Shortage of workers |
| Strict immigration rules for unskilled labour | Low level production |
| 70% of land is considered desert or arid, making it very dry | Higher taxes |
| Low government income |
| Resources underused |
| Smaller market for goods and services |
Case study: Australia — facts
- Australia's population is approximately 27 million.
- 29% of Australia's population are immigrants.
- Stage 4 in the DTM (Demographic Transition Model).
Methods of solving this issue
- Relax migration laws; encourage migration.
- Their rules so far are very strict: applicants must be below 45 years old, have an eligible job and job experience.
High rate of natural population growth — Niger
The causes and effects of this are similar to those of overpopulation.
Case study: Niger — facts to use in your 7-marker
- A population of 28 million.
- Grew from 1.7 million in 1960 to 17 million in 2013.
- Largest country in West Africa.
- Average growth rate of 3.7%.
Causes
- 90% rely on agriculture (thus children are born for labour).
- 35% literacy rate (lack of education).
- 5% use contraception (lack of contraception usage).
- 62 years life expectancy.
- 6.7 children per woman.
Government action
- Raising the legal marriage age to 18 and trying to increase family planning from 5% to 20%.
Population decline — Russia
Case study: Russia — facts
- Average growth rate of -0.5%.
- Russia's population peaked in 1991 (148 million) and is now at 144 million.
- Russia has a literacy rate of 99.69%.
- 71 year life expectancy.
| Causes | Effects |
|---|
| High alcohol-related deaths: 7 per 10,000 die of alcohol poisoning | A decreasing working population |
| Women don't want children (MEDC country) | Increased old dependent population which will need to be taken care of |
| People migrate out to look for better jobs | Economic crisis |
Government action
- Paying varying amounts of capital, benefits, and housing support to people who have more than 2 children.