Changing population:

natural increase, structure

and migration
MYP – Yr 4
Human population through time
Causes and rates of population
change
 The three main causes of population change
 Births - usually measured using the birth rate (number of live
births per 1,000 of the population per year).
 Deaths - usually measured using the death rate (number of deaths
per 1,000 of the population per year).
 Migration - the movement of people in and out of an area.
 Rate of change
 Births and deaths are natural causes of population change. The
difference between the birth rate and the death rate of a country
or place is called the natural increase. The natural increase is
calculated by subtracting the death rate from the birth rate.
Calculation of natural increase

 The rate of natural increase is given as a percentage, calculated

by dividing the natural increase by 10.
 For example, if the birth rate is 14 per 1,000 population, and the
death rate is 8 per 1000 population, then the natural increase = 14
- 8 = 6. That is 6/1000, which is equal to 0.6%.
Population growth
World population distribution &
density and growth
 Population density
 Population density is the average number of people per square
kilometre. It is a way of measuring population distribution and shows
whether an area is sparsely or densely populated. Population density
is calculated using the following formula:
 Population density = total population ÷ total land area in km²
Population distribution

 The way in which people are spread across a given area is known
as population distribution. Geographers study population
distribution patterns at different scales: local, regional, national,
and global.

 Patterns of population distribution tend to be uneven. For

example, in the UK there are more people living in south-east
England than in Wales.
Factors influencing Density of
population

Geographical

factors Economic

Social and cultural

Population pyramids

 Population pyramids show the structure of a population by

comparing relative numbers of people in different age groups.
Population structures differ markedly between LEDCs and 
MEDCs
Analysing population pyramids

 Key things to know about population pyramids

 The shape of a population pyramid can tell us a lot about an area's
population.
 It gives us information about birth and death rates as well as life
expectancy.
 A population pyramid tells us how many dependants there are. There
are two groups of dependants; young dependants (aged below 15) and
elderly dependants (aged over 65).
 Dependants rely upon the economically active for economic
support.
 Many LEDCs have a high number of young dependants, whilst
many MEDCs have a growing number of elderly dependants.
How do pyramids change over time?

 A population pyramid that is very triangular shows a population

with a high number of young dependants and a low life
expectancy.
 A population pyramid that has fairly straight sides (more like a
barrel) shows a population with a falling birth rate and a rising
life expectancy.
 Over time, as a country develops, the shape changes from
triangular to barrel-like.
 Places with an ageing population and a very low birth rate
would have a structure that looks like an upside-down
pyramid.
Population Pyramids
Demographic transition models

 Demographic transition models show population change over

time - and also show marked differences between LEDCs and
MEDCs.
 The demographic transition model shows population change
over time. It studies how birth rate and death rate affect the total
population of a country.
 The five stages of the demographic transition
model

 Total population is low but it is balanced due to high birth rates and high
death rates.
 Total population rises as death rates fall due to improvements in health
care and sanitation. Birth rates remain high.
 Total population is still rising rapidly. The gap between birth and death
rates narrows due to the availability of contraception and fewer children
being needed to work - due to the mechanisation of farming. The natural
increase is high.
The five stages of the demographic transition
model

 Total population is high, but it is balanced by a low birth rate and a

low death rate. Birth control is widely available and there is a desire
for smaller families.

 Total population is high but going into decline due to an ageing

population. There is a continued desire for smaller families, with
people opting to have children later in life.
Source : new geography.com
Limitations of the model

 The model was developed after studying the experiences of

countries in Western Europe and North America. Conditions
might be different for LEDCs in different parts of the world.
 The original model doesn't take into account the fact that some
countries now have a declining population and a 5th stage. Most
texts will now show this stage as it is relevant to an increasing
number of MEDCs in the 21st century.
Migration

 The term 'migrant' ,”should be understood as covering all cases

where the decision to migrate is taken freely by the individual
concerned, for reasons of 'personal convenience' and without
intervention of an external compelling factor.”
 Source : unesco.org
 This definition however does not take into account forced
migration.
 IOM Definition of “Migrant”
 IOM defines a migrant as any person who is moving or has
moved across an international border or within a State away from
his/her habitual place of residence, regardless of
 (1) the person’s legal status;
 (2) whether the movement is voluntary or involuntary;
 (3) what the causes for the movement are; or
 (4) what the length of the stay is.
Global migration data

 In 2015, the number of international migrants worldwide –

people residing in a country other than their country of birth –
was the highest ever recorded, having reached 244
million (from 232 million in 2013).

 As a share of the world population, however, international

migration has remained fairly constant over the past decades, at
around 3%
GLOBAL MIGRATION FLOWS

 https://www.iom.int/world-migration
 Interactive map showing in / out movement of people in a region/
country
Essential Questions To Ask?

 what makes someone want to leave the place they are living?
 what makes someone want to move to a specific place?
Answers to questions
Why Do People Migrate?

 1. Economic Forces
 2. Political Forces
 3. Social Forces
 4. Environmental Forces
 Many times, more than one of these factors is involved.
 Economic Causes of Migration

Poor economic conditions

 urbanization (moving to the cities because of poor
economic conditions in rural areas);
 migration of legal and illegal immigrants to the
United States from poorer countries in search of
employment
 Overpopulation •

 migration to the suburbs in order to secure

better living conditions—especially better
school districts, less crowded living
conditions,
Economic Causes of Migration

 Poor climate conditions

 the Ethiopian refugee crisis during the famine in

the early 1980s;
 Bangladeshis seeking work elsewhere to avoid
yearly flooding caused by the destruction of so
much of the land and national infrastructure .
 natural disasters

 The Haiti earthquake and subsequent refugee crisis;

 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita;
Political Causes of Migration

 War, invasion, military takeover, etc.

 Exiles from Cuba in Castro years;

 Tamils from Sri Lanka during the civil war;
• Escape from persecution on ethnic, political, religious, or other
grounds

 Tibetans to India after Chinese takeover;

• Escape from prosecution for crimes committed

 Many Nazi war criminals fled to South America

after World War II;
 Political Causes of Migration
• Punishment for crime
 When the colony of Georgia was established by the British, it was a
penal colony. After U.S. independence from Britain, the British
established the new colony at New South Wales, Australia as a
replacement. The Australians are arguably much more proud of this
heritage than the Georgians.
• Enslavement

 Many in the U.S. (and throughout the Western Hemisphere) can

trace their roots back to the Atlantic slave trade from Africa .
• Political Agreement

 The forced migration of European Jewish populations during the

holocaust;
Social Causes of Migration

• Spreading a religion, political movement or philosophy

 Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam all began at a

specific point in time at one specific geographic
location and spread rapidly from there—in the
case of both Buddhism and Christianity, these
religions are now a minority at their geographic
point of origin;
• Reuniting with family, friends, etc. who have previously migrated

 This is also called “chain” migration.

Social Causes of Migration

• Seeking more personal freedom, not necessarily as the result of

persecution

 Lenin emigrated from Switzerland to Russia

during World War I to galvanize the Bolshevik
revolution
Environmental Causes of
Migration
• Climate change

 Climate change here does not necessarily

refer to the current climate change (avoid
arguments/discussion about whether climate
change is man-made): island nations in the
Indian Ocean (such as the Maldives, whose
highest elevation is six inches above sea
level) and the Pacific Ocean are concerned
about the possibility of rising sea levels
What are the effects of
migration?
 1.Effects on the immigrants
 2. Effects on the host country
 3. Effects on the home country
 4. Multi-‐national issues
Effects on the Immigrants

• Identity (the “hyphen” effect)

 Post 9/11 this has been a huge issue for Arab-

American and Muslim-American immigrants (and
even second-and third-generations)—where their do
loyalties lie? Which side do they support?
 In addition, the past twenty-five years have seen the
“hyphenization” of Americans—we are now
“Mexican- American,” “Jewish-American,”
“Italian-American,” etc.
Effects on the Immigrants

• Differing cultural values between generations

 Anyone who has seen films like Bend it like Beckham or
My Big Fat Greek Wedding or Real Women Have Curves
will be familiar with the stereotype of the young
generations, born abroad, struggling against the
“restrictive” values of the immigrant generation that seem
archaic and “old fashioned
Effects on the Host Country

• Economic impacts – positive and negative –

real and perceived

 The loss of jobs or perceived loss of jobs—studies during one of the recent economic
recessions indicate that although Americans are losing jobs, and many of them blame
immigrants for “taking our jobs away from us,” immigrants who find employment are
rarely taking jobs of the same type or class as the jobs that are being lost.

 Despite this lack of a correlation between the loss of jobs and the hiring of immigrants,
there is still a popular perception that one of the main factors in rising unemployment
rates is that immigrants are willing to work for less and are therefore being hired en
masse to replace laid-off workers.
Effects on the Host Country

 Welfare issues

 Both real and perceived. The popular perception

is that the vast majority of immigrants are on
welfare—and that this is one of their primary
motives in choosing to come to the United States.
 Social attitudes

 Racism;
Effects on the Home Country

• Remittances

 Money made by nationals working abroad and sent to

relatives in the home country.
 Mexico receives $14 billion per year in remittances;
 Egypt receives $1 billion
• Loss of revenue
 Income earned abroad is not subject to tax by the home
country, and is usually not cycled back into the home
country economy, especially in nations where there is little
trust in the banking system.
Effects on the Home Country

 Families left behind

 In the Indian state of Kerala, it has become routine for men to
marry young, start a family and then go to the Persian Gulf to
work, leaving the wife and children behind for 10 years. Society
in this part of India is male-dominated, and it is very difficult for
females to function as the head of household.
Effects on the Home Country

 •”Brain drain”

 When students go abroad for study and advanced degrees,

many times they choose not to return home because they
will never be able to earn as much money there as they
would if they remain abroad to work. As many of them
study abroad on state-sponsored scholarships, this is an
investment in human development not returned. Nor is this
a small problem. According to the 2002 Arab Human
Development Report by the United Nations, fully 51% of
Arab youth aspire to go abroad for their higher education
and would prefer not to return home afterwards.

Effects on the Home Country

• Population decrease
48 countries have seen a drop of 15% or more in their populations
due to emigration.