What are the demographic challenges facing countries?

What are the demographic challenges facing countries?

1. Under/ over population

   • Under
     • Advantages
       • Plenty of food/ resources
       • More land
       • Enough housing
     • Disadvantages
       • Not enough people to work land
       • Economy falls
       • Can't achieve optimum output
       • Poor levels of education and health
       • Houses/ property becomes derelict
       • Famine
   • Over
     • Advantages
       • High skilled workers
       • Diverse culture
       • High productivity
     • Disadvantages
       • High competition
       • Lack of housing
       • Lack of resources
       • High unemployment
       • Lack of fuel
       • Lack of clean water
       • Pollution
       • Disease and poverty
     • Case study: Lake Titicaca, border of Bolivia and Peru
       • Lake is becoming polluted by increasing levels of waste from fast-growing cities
       • El Alto, Bolivia has grown 4% a year for the last 2 decades as rural peasants seek a better life
         • 2nd largest city and largest urban centre in the Titicaca watershed
       • Raw sewage, garbage and industrial waste are all dumped into the Seco River upstream near El Alto
       • Chronic poverty and lack of access to services - tackling pollution is an issue
       • "Construction of a new plant to treat more wastewater is at best, years away"
       • Birth defects in livestock
       • Shore water is breeding ground for several species of fish on which locals depend for their livelihood
         • Young fish that formerly grew to maturity have migrated deeper into the lake
           • Diminished population and size
         • Now overfishing has forced many fishermen to migrate to cities

2. Ageing population

   • Advantages
     • Elderly who keep working rather than retire can do lower paid jobs
     • Ageing population = lower interest rates
       • Economy benefits of low inflation
     • Elderly can maintain culture + religion
     • Elderly good source of childcare
     • Post-retired people have lots of time to contribute to society
   • Disadvantages
     • Increased demand for care - added burden
     • Higher demand for accommodation
       • Retirement homes
     • Can create negative inflation
       • Japan - Elderly taking pensions + spending none back in economy
     • More elderly than working age - drop in productivity
     • Increased health care needs + costs
     • Increase of age related deaths
   • Case study: East Devon
     • Lots of holiday homes
     • 53% dependency ratio
     • Pleasant scenery
     • High demand for healthcare + services
       • Operations
     • Most elderly money is spent on health, transport and beauty
     • 'Buttercup buses'
       • Wheelchair access
       • Needs fundraising
     • Home delivery - people get food without needing to visit shops

3. HIV/ AIDs

   • 2008 - 31.3 million with HIV worldwide
   • 2008 death toll - 2 million
   • 2006 - $9 billion raised by UN donors
     • Money goes to 3 areas
       • Education
       • Caring for orphans
       • Treatment for infected
   • Case study: Sub-Saharan Africa
     • 22.4 million infected (72% of people worldwide)
     • Accounts for 15 million of 20 million deaths
       • 1.4 million in 2008
     • 1.9 million with HIV
     • More than 14 million children lost 1 or both parents
     • Signs of prevention programmes
       • Senegal
         • Only 27,000 of 9.6 million HIV positive
       • Uganda prevalence rate 14% 1990s
         • Low in comparison to some places of 31%
         • National rate now 6.1%
           • Very stronge anti-HIV messages sent to Uganda
             • Led to increase in sexual abstinence