• World population growth

• Population growth refers to a change in population size.

• Changes can be positive or negative.
• Population in the world is not equal.
• Factors affecting the world population growth rate:
• Birth rate
• Number of live birth per 1000 people per year
• Death rate
• Number of death per 1000 people per year
• 30% of the world is developed countries meaning rich countries
e.g. America.
• 70% of the world is developing countries meaning poor country
e.g. India

Definitions
• Natural increase in population – high birth rate and low death
rate
• Natural decrease in population – low birth rate and high
death rate
• Stable population – birth rate and death rate are equal.
• Population explosion – if the birth rate are much higher than
the death rate, this will bring a very fast population growth
(1950)
• Population density – is the number of people living in a unit
area of land.
• Population growth – refers to the change in population size. It
can be positive or negative. For instances, where there is no
change in population, the population rate is said to be zero.
• Rate of natural increase- can be calculated by subtracting
the death rate from the birth rate.
• Infant mortality rate – is the number of death among infants
under one year of for every 1000 birth per year.
• Life expectancy – refers to the average number of years a
person living in a particular area is expected to live.
• Population distribution - manner (way) in which people are
found across an area OR
• How people are spread across the area
• Some places have many people living in them[ vice
versa]
• Some places have practically no one living on them
 • Uneven through out the Earth’s surface.
• Dense population
• Many people living in the area
• High population in an area
• High population density in an area
• Sparse population
• Few people living in the area
• Low population in an area
• Low population density in an area
• Population density –average number of people per sq
kilometre
• Expressed as total number of people in an area divided by
the physical area in sq kilometres of the area.
• Can also vary in different regions of the country.
• Varies from place to place
• However, the population density of a country does not tell
us about the actual number of people in an area of the
country.

Summary of the chapter

Causes
High Low death rate High birth rate
rate of • Better medical and • Lack of family planning
populati health care • People in LDC are
on • Mortality rate of illiterate. They are not
growth infants lowered& aware of the benefits of
greater chances of small families & are not
survival due to willing to accept family
compulsory planning information
immunisation. • Consider large families
• Young woman as a status symbol
lead healthier & • Early marriages
lengthier • Preferences for sons
productive life • In LDC with agricultural
• Better hygiene activities, sons are
• A stable government, regarded as assets as
peace & security they can help out in the
farm
• Sons are considered a
lineage, carrying the
 family name
• Need for farm labour
• More children= more
income for family

Low rate Low death rate Low birth rate

of • Higher standards of • Later marriages
populati hygiene • Fewer marriages
on • Better nutrition • Preference for smaller
growth
• Higher standards of families
medical and health
care

Consequences Actions
High • Higher demand for High • Education on
rate of resources rate of family planning
populati • Higher demand for populati • Incentives and
on housing on penalties
growth • Higher demands for growth
jobs
• Environmental
problems
Low rate • Aging population Low rate • Encouraging
of • Higher taxes of marriage and
populati • Smaller talent pool populati child bearing
on on • Meeting the
growth growth needs of
elderly
• Extending
working life
• Encouraging on
financial
planning
Factors affecting the world population distribution
• Physical environment
• Tends to live with area with fertile soil and where the climate
is not extreme.
• Rivers deltas usually have large populations, as the soil is
very fertile due to the sediments deposited by the rivers.
• Level of technology
 • Technology refers to the knowledge, skills, and tools that
people use to meet their need.
• With improvement in technology, environments, which were
previously unsuitable for living, can be converted into
suitable living environment.
• High population growth rate [leading to high birth rate]
• Lack of family planning
• Refers mainly to how many children a couple plans to
have.
• In LDC, people are less educated and know little about
family planning methods. Many people in LDC consider
large families as a status symbol.
• Many are also entrenched in their tradition of having large
families and are reluctant to change.
• Early marriages,
• Couples who marry at an early age tend to have larger
families as the number of years that woman who marry
ealy have for childbearing is higher.
• Preference for sons
• In LDC, sons are seen as being capable of carrying family
name or surname when they married while daughter not.
• Sons are also able to continue working on the farms when
their parents grow old, unlike daughter who will move
away from their family when they get married.
• Need for farm labour
• People in LDC depend on farming to earn a living. Farm
work require much labour and large families are therefore
preferred as there will be more hand to work on land.
• High population growth rate [leading to low death rate]
• Better medical and health care
• Refers to the availbiltiy of hospitals, clinics and doctors.
[medical care]
• Immunisation, nutritional knowledge, availbilty of
commuity hospitals andother measures aimed at
improving the quality of life. [ health care]
• Low infant mortality rate- number of deaths among infants
under 1 year of age for every 1000 live birth per year.
• Life expentacy of the elderly increases- average number
of years a person livng in a particular area is expected to
live.
• Better hygiene
•