Human Population

(New Wiley Plus)

Prof. Gilbert L. Fabila
Learning Objectives
1. Define demography and summarize the history of human population
growth.
2. Identify Thomas Malthus, relate his ideas on human population
growth, and explain why he might or might not be correct.
Demographics of Countries

• Demographics is the applied branch of sociology that deals with population statistics
• Demography is the Science of Human Population structure and growth.

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Population Ecology
• Population
o Individuals of a particular species
living in a defined area
• Population ecology
o Branch of biology that studies
individuals of a particular species in a
defined area
o Concerned with how and why
population increases or decreases
over time as a result of competition,
disease, predation, and other
environmental pressures

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Human Population
Growth
• It shows the J Curve of exponential
population growth
• It took thousands of years for the
human population to reach 1 billion
(around 1800).
• It took 130 years to reach 2 billion in
1930,
• 30 years to reach 3 billion in 1960,
• 15 years to reach 4 billion in 1975,
• 12 years to reach 5 billion in 1987,
• 12 years to reach 6 billion in 1999, and
• 12 years to reach 7 billion in 2011.
Black Death
Black Death refers to a devastating disease ,
probably bubonic plague , that decimated
Europe and Asia in the 14th century.
The Black Death was the second disaster
affecting Europe during the Late Middle
Ages (the first one being the Great Famine of
1315–1317)[17] and is estimated to have
killed 30% to 60% of Europe's
population.[18] In total, the plague may have
reduced the world population from an
estimated 475 million to 350–375 million in
the 14th century.[19] There were further
outbreaks throughout the Late Middle Ages,
and with other contributing factors[b] it took
until 1500 for the European population to
regain the levels of 1300.[20] Outbreaks of the
plague recurred at various locations around
the world until the early 19th century.
• Thomas Malthus (1764-1834) - a British economist who said
that the human population increases faster than its food
supply, resulting in famine, disease, and war. Malthus's ideas
appear to be erroneous because the human population has
grown from about 1 billion in his time to more than 7 billion
today, and food production has generally kept pace with
population. But Malthus may ultimately be proved correct
because we don't know whether our increase in food
production is sustainable.
Current and Future Population Numbers
• Our world population, which was 7.1 billion in 2012, increased by
about 97 million from 2012 to 2013.
• This increase was not due to an increase in the birth rate (b). In fact ,
the world birth rate has declined during the past 200 years.
• The increase in population was due to a dramatic decrease in the
death rate (d) because of greater food production, better medical
care, improvement in water quality and sanitation practices.
• Life expectancies for a great majority of the global population are
increased.
Human Population Patterns
• Advances in global health result in a decrease in death rate
o Greater food production
o Better and more accessible medical care
o Improved water quality
o Improved sanitation

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How Do Populations Change in Size?
• Growth rate (r)
o Rate of change of a population’s size, expressed in percentage per year
o Birth rate (b) minus death rate (d) gives you growth rate (r)
• r=b–d
o If more individuals are born than die, the growth rate is greater than zero, and population
size increases: r > 0, (d < b)
o If more individuals die than are born, the growth rate is less than zero, and population size
decreases: r < 0, (d > b)
o If deaths and births are equal, the population size remains the same, with zero population
growth: r = 0 (d = b)

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How Do Populations Change in Size?
• Dispersal
o Movement of individuals from one region to another
o Affects local populations
o Immigration (i)
• Individuals enter a population and increase its size
o Emigration (e)
• Individuals leave a population and decrease its size
o Growth rate of a local population must include immigration and emigration
along with birth and death rates
• r = (b – d) + (i – e)

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How Do Populations Change in Size?
• In humans
o Birth rate (b) is expressed as number of births per 1000 people per year
o Death rate (d) is expressed as number of deaths per 1000 people per year
o Growth rate is also referred to as natural increase
Factors that interact to change population size

On a global scale, the change in a population In local populations, such as the population of the
is due to the number of births and deaths. United States, the number of births, deaths,
immigrants, and emigrants, affects population size.
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Demographics of Countries
• Countries are classified into The world’s 10 most populous countries
two main groups: Table 7.1

o Highly developed countries Country 2015 Population (in

millions)
Population density (per
square kilometer)

o Developing countries China

India
1372
1314
143
400

• These classifications are based United States 321 33

Indonesia 256 133
on Brazil 205 24

o Population growth rates Pakistan 199 250

Nigeria 182 197
o Degree of industrialization Bangladesh 160 1081

o Relative prosperity Russia

Mexico
144
127
8
64

Population Reference Bureau

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Population Projection to
2050
The United Nations published low, medium, and
high world population projections to 2050.
Low = approximately 8.3 Billion
Medium = approximately 9.7 Billion
High = approximately 10.9 Billion