Population Studies
Population Growth
Who lives where? Patterns/Trends?
LEDC and MEDC
Population Growth
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Why has the world’s population
doubled in the past 40 years?
1)Medical Advancements: Improvements in healthcare, including
vaccines, antibiotics, and better medical treatments, have
drastically reduced mortality rates and increased life expectancy.
2)Agricultural Productivity: Innovations in agriculture, such as
the Green Revolution, have led to increased food production, which
supports larger populations
3)Sanitation and Public Health: Enhanced sanitation practices
and public health measures have reduced the spread of diseases,
contributing to lower death rates
4)Economic Development: Economic growth in many
parts of the world has improved living standards, leading
to better nutrition and healthcare
5)Demographic Transition: Many countries have
experienced a demographic transition, where high birth
rates and declining death rates lead to rapid population
growth
Fertility Rates
• Fertility rate is the average number of children a woman will have.
• Replacement Rate: The number of children required for a population to
replace itself.
• In rich countries (MEDCs) the replacement rate is 2.1
• However, in most MEDCs the fertility rate is well below 2.
• Eg. EU 1.55
Research
• Find out the fertility rate for 2023 in:
• Belgium
• Germany
• Greece
• Czech Rep.
• Spain
• France
Now Find
• Fertility rates for 2023 in:
• Mali
• Niger
• Sudan
• DR Congo
• Malawi
• Kenya
• Bangladesh
Population Growth in LEDCs
• Lack of information about contraception (also, cannot afford contraception)
• Lack of education for girls
• Children often viewed as labour (able to help with farm work or other domestic chores)
• Children sometimes viewed as insurance for old age......they will look after the parents.
• High infant mortality rates........some children will die and therefore having more
children is an insurance policy
Pop Growth LEDCs
• In some poorer countries, girls get married very young (and start
having children whilst they are still teenagers)
• In some LEDCs men are regarded as more manly/virile if they have a
lot of children.
Low fertility rates in MEDCs
• Information about and availability of contraception
• More women in the workforce (increasing levels of education)
• Later marriages
• Change in the role of children……..no longer needed for labour
• Increasing urbanisation….no space for large families
• Children are expensive…….people prefer to spend money on
themselves
• Pessimism about the future.
Population Density
• The number of people per KM2
• A dense population is where there are lots of people per KM2
• Eg. Netherlands.......... > 500 per KM2
• A sparse population is where there are few people per KM2
• Eg. Finland............. < 30 per KM2
Research
• Find the population density in the following countries:
• USA
• Russia
• Belgium
• Sweden
• Italy
• Portugal
• India
Population Density and Distribution
Europe
Population Distribution
• Refers to how the population is spread over an area.
• In most countries/regions, population distribution is uneven.
Where people live: Germany
Where people live: Portugal
Spain: Link between pop. density
and physical geography?
Greece
Czech Rep.
Belgium
Reasons for uneven population
distribution
• These can broadly be put into two categories:
• A) Physical Factors: Things which occur naturally
• B) Human and Economic Factors (Socio-Economic Factors)
Physical Factors
• 1) Climate
• People generally like to live in areas that are temperate........not too hot
or cold.
• Climate plays a big part in how much food can be produced in a region.
(In the past, this was very important in deciding where to start a
settlement)
• In part, this explains why the region we live in is so densely populated.
Physical Factors
• 2) Relief
• A very important geographical word
• It refers to how the land is.......if it is upland (mountainous) or lowland (flat)
• In general, we find more people living on low-lying areas.
• It’s easier to build houses and infrastructure (and it’s less cold)
Physical Factors
• 3) Coastal Locations
• Much of the world’s population lives close to seas/oceans
• Being close to the coast has helped towns/cities develop trade links
with other regions.
• Eg. New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Shanghai, Dhaka etc
Physical Factors
• 4) On or near rivers
• Many of our densely populated regions are situated on or near rivers.
• Water was important for drinking, cooking, washing etc.
• Rivers were useful for transport
• Rivers were often important for defence.
Physical Factors
• 5) Soil Fertility
• Most of the densely populated parts of the world are located in areas
of fertile soils.
• Historically, food could be produced in such regions and this led
people to live there.
• Eg. North European Plain
6) Natural Resources
• In the past (especially since the Industrial Revolution) the availability
of natural resources like coal and iron ore has attracted industry (and
workers)
• Eg Ruhr region, Germany
• Sambre-Meuse Valley, Belgium
• Nord region, France
Human/Socio-Economic Factors
• Availability of jobs
• Educational opportunities
• Better standards of living
• Migration (people move from rural areas to urban areas)
Population Pyramids
• Show us the age and sex structure of a population.
• Age cohorts (5 years)
• Males on the left side and females on the right.
• LEDCs tend to have a triangular (Pyramid) shape and MEDCs have
more of a straight shape.
Population Pyramids: Niger (LEDC)
Calculate
• The % of boys in the 0-9 age cohort
• The % of those under the age of 25 in Niger.
• The % of those over the age of 59 in Niger.
Problems for Niger?
• Food supply
• Water supply
• How are all of these young people going to be educated?
• Can Niger provide adequate healthcare for all of these children?
• High levels of infant mortality
Belgium (MEDC)
Calculate
• The % of those under the age of 25 in Belgium.
• The % of those over the age of 59 in Belgium.
Problems for Belgium?
• Shrinking workforce……….bad for any economy
• Workers will have to pay higher taxes (to pay for pensions and healthcare for the
elderly)
• Defence…….who will be in the army?
• Older people vote more and tend to vote for conservative politicians
• Government spends less money on projects for young people……playgrounds,
sports facilities etc.
The One Child Policy (China)
• Research
• When it started and why it was introduced.
• Its successes (good points) and failures (negatives)
• The situation today in China.
