Population

Population

1. Population Growth

   • The world's population is growing rapidly
     • The rate at which population is growing is increasing
     • Two factors that affect the world's population size:
       • Birth Rate- no. of babies born per 1000 of the population per year
       • Death Rate- no. of deaths per 1000 of the population per year
     • Natural Increase: Higher birth rate than death rate
     • Natural Decrease: Birth rate lower than death rate
     • Migration can also impact a country's population
   • Countries go through 5 Stages of Population Growth
     • The more developed the country, the later the stage of population growth it is at.
     • Stage 1
       • High and fluctuating Birth Rate and Death Rate
       • Low and steady population size
       • Population Growth Rate: Zero
     • Stage 2
       • High and Steady Birth Rate
       • Low and falling Death rate
       • Very high population growth rate
       • Rapidly increasing population size
     • Stage 3
       • Rapidly falling birth Rate
       • Slowly falling death rate
       • High Population Growth Rate
       • Increasing Population Size
     • Stage 4
       • Population Growth Rate: Zero
       • Low and fluctuating birth and death rate
       • High and steady population size
     • Stage 5
       • Slowly falling Birth Rate
       • Slowly falling population size
       • Low and fluctuating death rate
       • Negative Population Growth Rate
     • See DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION MODEL

2. Population Structure

   • The population structure of a country is how many people there are of each age group in the population, and how many there are of each sex.
   • Shown using population pyramids.
   • The different stages of DMT give countries different population structures.
   • Stage 1
     • No contraception- high birth rate
     • High death rate because of poor healthcare
     • Low life expectancy- high proportion of young people
   • Stage 2
     • Healthcare improves, death rate falls
     • Children needed for work, birth rate still high
     • Life expectancy increased, but still many young people.
   • Stage 3
     • Birth rate falls due to emancipation of women
     • Better education, more contraception and advances in healthcare.
     • Longer life spans
   • Stage 4
     • Low birth rate- Urbanisation, children expensive
     • Low death rate and high life expectancy
     • Population Growth zero
   • Stage 5
     • People have dependent elderly relatives so there is less money for children
     • More older people than younger people
     • Low death rate and birth rate

3. Rapid Population Growth

   • Impacts
     • Economic
       • Lack of jobs; unemployment increases
       • Increased poverty, people born into poor families
     • Social
       • Healthcare services can't cope with the population so not everyone has access.
       • Children have to work to provide for their families so miss out on an education.
       • Food shortages
       • Lack of housing
         • Makeshift houses in overcrowded settlements
         • health problems
         • No clean water
         • Not all houses connected to sewers
     • Political
       • Government focuses on policies that are important to young people because there are a lot of them.
       • Fewer older people, government focuses less on old people.
       • Government has to make policies to bring population growth under control
   • Strategies
     • Countries need to develop in a sustainable way and control rapid population growth
     • Birth Control Programmes
       • Aims to reduce birth rate
       • Laws limiting the amount of children people can have
       • Free contraception and sex education
       • Family planning
       • Helps towards sustainable developments
     • Immigration Laws
       • Governments can limit the number of people that are allowed to immigrate
       • Selective about who they let in (Not child bearing age)
       • Slows population growth
   • Case Studies
     • China
       • Strict population control programme
       • world's largest population
       • One child policy introduced in 1979
       • Benefits for those who conform to the policy
       • Fines for those who have more than 1 child
       • Some exceptions
         • Couples allowed 2nd child if 1st is disabled or is a girl
         • Couples allowed 2 children is one parent is disabled or the parents are both only children
           • More children to look after parents
       • Effectiveness
         • Has prevented up to 400 million births and fertility rate has dropped from 5.7 (1980) to 1.6
         • Older policies about leaving longer gaps between children more effective
         • People become more wealthy so want less children
     • Indonesia
       • 4th largest population of any country in the world
       • Unevenly distributed population over the islands
       • Led to social and economic problems (see impacts) on the densely populated islands
       • Transmigration policy started in 1960s
       • Millions of people migrated from the densely populated islands like Java to less densely populated islands such as Sumatra
       • Effectiveness
         • Millions moved, but population still not evenly spread
         • Not all escaped poverty. Didn't have skills to farm new land or new land too poor to farm
         • Conflict between migrants and natives
         • Population still getting bigger

4. Ageing Population

   • Problems
     • Population structure- more older people than younger people because of longer lifespans
     • Usually richer countries
     • Older people supported by working population. Ageing population means higher proportion of dependent people
     • Social
       • Healthcare services stretched- older people need more medical care
       • Working population have to spend more leisure time on being unpaid carers for older population, causing stress and worry
       • People can't afford children because they have to look after the older generation
       • More OAPs = pensions are less because government can't afford them. People have to retire later
     • Economic
       • Working people pay taxes which go towards helping elderly dependents. Taxes will increase as the number of pensioners increases.
       • Economy will grow more slowly as proportion of working population declines
     • The UK
       • Living longer
         • Healthcare
         • Living standards
         • Life expectancy rose 2.6 years (F) and 6.4 (M) between 1980 and 2006
         • Proportion elderly increasing
       • Baby boom between 940 and 1960 creating pensioner boom
       • Birth rate has decreased
       • Working population not large enough to support elderly- pensions too low so live in poverty
       • Government struggling to pay state pension due to lack of tax payer
       • Health service under pressure; average night stay for 75< has decreased
       • Strategies
         • Raise retirement age- could be 68 for everyone by 2046
         • Encourage Immigration of Young people from other countries- 80% immigrants under 34 (2004)
         • Encourage women to have children- tax credits for parent makes children less expensive
         • Encourage people to take out private pensions
   • Strategies
     • Encouraging large families to increase the working population
     • Encouraging the immigration of young working people from other countries
     • Raising the retirement age so people will be working longer
     • Raising the working population's taxes
     • Pink- Unsustainable (population will grow), Blue- Sustainable

5. Migration

   • Immigrant- moving into, emigrant- leaving
   • Push and Pull factors
     • Push- War, natural disaster, unemployment (usually source country, bad)
     • Pull- Positive things in receiving country e.g. better educational/employment oppurtunities
   • Impacts
     • Source
       • Reduced demand on services
       • Money back to families
       • Labour and skills shortage
       • Ageing population
     • Receiving
       • Increased labour force
       • Migrants pay taxes to fund services
   • Within EU
     • People from the EU can live and work in any other country in the EU
     • In 2004, 10 countries joined EU resulting in migration
     • 500,000 Poles to UK between 2004 and 2007
     • Push
       • 19% Unemployment in Poland
       • Low average wages
       • 300 dwelling for every 1000 people (housing shortage)
     • Pull
       • UK allowed unlimited migration
       • More work + higher wages
       • Good exchange rates- money sent back worth lots in Poland
     • Impacts
       • UK
         • Slight population increase
         • UK economy boosted
         • Some money sent home
         • Shops opened selling Polish products
         • Catholic church attendance increase as many Poles are Catholic
       • Poland
         • Poland's Population fell by 0.3% between 2003 and 2007
         • Birth rate fell because young people left
         • 3 billion Euros sent back to families in 2006
         • Shortage of workers
   • Refugees
     • Huge numbers of people migrate from Africa to the EU
     • In 2001, 45000 Africans refused entry to Spain
     • Many refugees from war
     • 2 million people forced from their homes between 1991 and 2002 due to civil war in Sierra Leone
     • Only push factors which is threat of violence and death
     • Impacts
       • Spain
         • Social tension
         • More unskilled workers
         • Average wages fallen for unskilled workers because so many want job
         • Birth rate increased because immigrants are young
       • African Countries
         • Working population reduced so fewer contributing to economy
         • Families become seperated