Population Ordinary level studies outline

 Importance of population studies

 Population data collection analysis and presentation methods
o Population census,
 how it is done,
 terms used,
 advantages and disadvantages,
 under-enumeration and over- enumeration
 Sample surveys as source of population data
 Secondary sources
 Vital registry

1
 Population distribution and d

2
Population Ordinary level studies outline

 Importance of population studies

 Population data collection analysis and presentation methods
o Population census,
 how it is done,
 terms used,
 advantages and disadvantages,
 under-enumeration and over- enumeration
 Sample surveys as source of population data
 Secondary sources
 Vital registry
 Population distribution and density
o Definition and calculations
o Factors affecting population distribution
o Population distribution in Zimbabwe
o Population distribution in Africa
 Population growth, change and structure
o Population growth model
o Definition of terms associated with population growth rate (fertility, Birth rate, Death rate, natural increase, mortality, lif
expectancy, infant mortality)
o Factors contributing to fast growth rate in LEDCs
o Negative and positive effects of fast population growth rate
o Means of controlling population growth rate
o Factors contributing to low growth rate
o Positive and negative effects of low population growth rate in MEDCs
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 ensity
o Definition and calculations
o Factors affecting population distribution
o Population distribution in Zimbabwe
o Population distribution in Africa
 Population growth, change and structure
o Population growth model
o Definition of terms associated with population growth rate (fertility, Birth rate, Death rate, natural increase, mortality, life
expectancy, infant mortality)
o Factors contributing to fast growth rate in LEDCs
o Negative and positive effects of fast population growth rate
o Means of controlling population growth rate
o Factors contributing to low growth rate
o Positive and negative effects of low population growth rate in MEDCs
 Population change
o The demographic transition model
o Stages of the DTM
o Applicability o DTM to Zimbabwe
o Weaknesses and strengths of the DTM
 Population structure
 Migration
o Internal migrations
o International migrations
o The effects of migration
 Refugees
o Refugee problem
o Problems caused by refugees and their solutions
 Population and resources
o Overpopulation, under population, optimum population

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  Population and land
 Population health
 Killer diseases in the tropics

Notes

Population studies is the scientific study of human populations

The importance of population studies and population data

 Enables government to plan like schools to build, when and where, to decide on population policy (pro-natal or anti-natal) to make financial
budget decisions, employment creation as well as planning for health delivery
 Town planners need to have population data to help them structure the town
 For environmentalist population numbers, habits and activities help to predict, monitor and control environmental impacts
 Other groups of people interested in population data include demographers, geographers, political parties, NGO and businesses
 To determine demand for goods and services

Collecting population Data

There are three main sources of population data

 Census of entire population

 Registration of vital statistics

 Sample surveys
 Secondary sources (church / school registers

Population census

 A census is an official and complete enumeration ( counting) of the entire population with much details as to age, sex, employment, race
etc.

 Zimbabwe conducts decennial census ( ie every ten years) for example in 1982, 1992, 2002, 2012

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  It is carried out by enumerators ( these are employed official/people who move from house to house collecting information about the
population)

 It involves the process of collecting population information as well as it compilation and publishing

 It is the most accurate and comprehensive method of compiling population data

 In a census the basic unit for compiling information is the household (a place made up of a person/ persons who live and eat together)

 Census is done by enumerators who visit each household during the enumeration period interning heads of households and filling in
questionnaires

 Census gathers data on age, sex, fertility, mortality, occupation, mortality , education housing type, location, water source, power type,
income, services e.g. radio, TV and internet

The merits and demerits of population census include

Advantages (merits)

 It is the most accurate count of a country’s population on which official planning can be based upon

 It captures a wide range of a country’s population data and characteristics

 It has a wider coverage of a country’s population as well as other variables such as income, housing, employment and sanitation

Disadvantages (demerits)

 It is very expensive

 It can/ is only done after a long time interval e.g. 10years in Zimbabwe

 It reliability is compromised in areas of high illiteracy

 It is not fool proof is due to it taking several days, it can result in over or under enumeration due to changes in death, births and
migrations

 It is liable to purposeful lying by households

 Double counting and skipping of some household may occur due to little training/ shortage of resources by the enumerators

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There are many reasons why census taking is difficult:

 Census taking is expensive.

 Nomadic people pose a problem as they move from place to place. They may be counted twice or missed out altogether. This is a
particular problem in African countries.
 Illegal immigrants in places such as the USA may not want to be counted.
 Under-registration is common. In China for instance, many baby girls are unregistered because of the one-child policy.
 Low levels of literacy in developing countries mean that many people struggle with the forms.
 There may be more than one language spoken in a country, such as in India. This means forms may need to be printed in more than one
language and this increases costs.
 Migration is also a problem in many developing countries. In places like Brazil, many people move from rural areas to urban areas to live
in favelas (shanty towns) and won't be counted.
 Poor communication links and infrastructure make census taking difficult and expensive. In developing countries many people live in
scattered areas and are difficult to access.
 Large countries such as Sudan, or mountainous countries like Afghanistan, have difficulties with collecting census data due to
accessibility. Both have also suffered war, which again makes census taking difficult

Sample surveys

 Is when a group of chosen people in a district/ region have their information collected and then expressed as representative of the
whole population
 In a sample survey only a part of the population is covered ie data is gathered only from a subset of the population
 The data is then used to estimate attributes for the whole population

Advantages of sample surveys

 They are cheaper than census

 Can have higher level of detail and accuracy when it comes to estimating population attributes since enumerators will be covering a
small area
 Sampling error can be calculated and used to establish the accuracy of data

Disadvantage of sample surveys

 Can be susceptible to sampling bias

 Errors made during sampling are magnified wen results are applied to the whole population
 It can be difficult to ensure that the sample is representative

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Secondary sources of population data

 Secondary data refers to data that was collected by someone other than the user.
 Common sources of secondary data for geography include
o censuses information collected by government departments,
o organisational records and data that was originally collected for other research purposes
o registers, books and journals

Vital registry

 This involves the registration of vital events such as birth, deaths, migrations and divorces or legal separations

What makes it difficult to collect reliable population data in LEDCs

1. Inaccessibility

 Some areas are very remote ,mountainous and have no proper roads and this make it difficult for enumerators to move as they collect
information.

2. Shortage of money (lack of capital)

 Some government do not have enough money to run a population census e.g Ethopia has gone
for years without carring out a population census.

3. Cultural beliefs

 Information regarding to infant mortality rate,miscarriages is not easily disclosed to outsiders for cultural reasons.

4. Ignorance

 People also have a tendency to hide information on education level, occupation, age.

5. Political instability

 It is difficult to collect information in war torn country e.g DRC

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6. Shortage of skilled manpower
7. Illiteracy
8. Resistance from people /lack of cooperation

Importance of collecting population data

Economic reasons

 For employment creation

 For development of projects
 To balance exports and imports

Social purposes

 Measuring the level and trend in the standard of living of the population
 Allocation of resources
 To know number of schools, clinics, hospital, universities to build
 To know number of dams to construct
 To know number of boreholes to sink
 To project into future needs for workers
 To plan for old age security and pensions

Political purposes

 For demarcation of political boundaries e.g. constituencies or allocation of parliament seats.

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10
11
Or this can be expressed in percentage as

3/1000 ×100/1

=0,3%

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13
Birth rate for Botswana is 40/1000

Death rate for Botswana is 11/1000

Natural increase is = …………………………………

=.………………………………...

=………..%

Table 1 shows information about population in selected countries in Africa and Europe (Mid 1990) estimates

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Continent Countries Population per Birth rate per Death rate per Natural increase From table 1, it can be
thousand thousand thousand seen that less
Africa Swaziland 800 46 15 …………..% economically developed
Lesotho 1800 …………. 12 29/1000 countries (LEDCS) have low
Namibia 1500 44 ………….. 32/1000 birth rate and low natural
increase.
Europe Denmark 5100 12 12 ……………
Norway 4200 14 ………….. 3/1000
Finland 5000 ………….. 10 3/1000
Reasons for high birth rate
and high natural increase in less economically developed countries

 Low level of education – education helps tointroduce people to new information, methods and new ideas so low level of education
prevents people from accepting change.
 Small scale use of family planning methods (low contraceptive usage)
 Short education period and this promotes early marriages.
 Children are considered as economic assets who will assists the parents in tilling the land, herding cattle, fetching water and to
provide security in times of old age
 Traditional beliefs – most Africans prefer a boy child than a girl child
 Low status of women – most women are unemployed and they are regarded as child bearing machines
 Cultural reasons which favour large families
 Level of medical technology is low

Reasons for low birth rate and low natural increase in more economically developed countries (MEDCS) e.g. Sweden, UK, France

 High level of education –helps people to adopt to change

 Family planning methods are used on large scale (high contraceptive usage )
 Longer education period
 Late marriages

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 Children are considered as an economic liability (burden) or as consumer durables which you can only have if you can afford
them
 Emancipation of women (this means giving women freedom to make decision to follow carriers of their choice. Women are
bread winners not children bearers)
 Legalisation of abortion
 Well developed health are facilities

Reasons for low death rate in developed countries e.g. Sweden France USA

 Improved medical technology and this enables treatment of diseases

 Better nutrition in form of a balance diet
 Better hygiene
 High standard of living
 Improved sanitation
 Better access to health education
 Low doctor to patient ratio (doctors attend to a few patients and they give a adequate attention to patients)
 High degree of disaster preparedness(they can easily cope with disaster if they occur)

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17
 Infant mortality rate

 Is the number of deaths of children under 1 year old per 1000 births.

 An infant is defined as a child who is less than 1 year

 Infant mortality rate is high in developing countries and low in developed countries e.g. IMR for Kenya is 142/1000, Nigeria
143/1000, Zimbabwe 96/1000 and USA 8/1000, Germany 8/1000 and Canada 7/1000

Martenal Mortality Rate

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 Refers to the number of deaths of women who die from pregnancy related causes per 100 000 live births per year.
 Developing countries have high maternal mortality rates compared to developed countries.

Reasons for high martenal mortality rate in less developed countries

 Poor care for expectant mothers.

 Poor ante-natal and post natal care.
 Lack of education about health, pregnancy and child birth.
 Poor nutrition /diet for expectant mothers.
 Lack of access by women to resources.
 Lack of women empowerment.

Reasons for low maternal mortality rate in more developed countries

 Better maternal care for expectant mothers.

 Improvement in ante-natal and post natal care.
 Improvement in obstetric care.
 Education about health, pregnancy and childbirth.
 Improved nutrition.
 Greater access to resources by women.
 Empowerment of women in decision making as to the number of children to have and when to have them.

Life expectancy

 Is the average number of years which a person is expected to live.

 Life expectancy is low in less developed countries e.g. Ghana 49 years, Botswana 59, Lesotho 57.
 Life expectancy is high in more developed countries e.g. Australia 76 years, New Zealand 75, USA 76 and France 74.

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 Reasons for high life expectancy in developed countries e.g. Canada, UK, USA

 High standard of living (most people have access to food, energy, health services, clean water, high calorie intake as % of needs
etc.)
 Easy access to advanced health care facilities fewer environmental diseases.
 Better diet/nutrition.
 Low doctor to patient ratio (doctor attends to a few people at a time thus giving more individual attention to patients)
 Better pension schemes.
 Better care for ageing population (many old people’s homes)
 More recreational facilities which reduce stress related diseases.
 Better sanitation.
 Surplus food supply.

Reasons for low life expectancy in less developed countries e.g. Ghana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi

 Low standard of living (most people have no access to balanced diet, energy, health facilities, clean water, low calorie intake as
% of needs etc.
 Lack of access to advanced health services.
 High occurrence of environmental diseases e.g. In Africa malaria is the major killer, in west Africa measles kill ½ a million
children each year especially children and nursing mothers as they are easily attacked by diseases.
 Poor diet/poor nutrition.
 Poor pension schemes.
 Poor care for ageing population.
 Few homes for aged people.
 High doctor to patient ratio which means that a doctor attends to a lot of patients at a given time and patients are not given the
necessary attention as the doctor rushes to attend to as many patients as possible (long queue of patients versus one doctor)
 Periodic food shortages e.g. Africa faces poor crop production due to drought and this leads to wide spread hunger,
malnutrition and sometimes starvation.
 Poor sanitation.
 Lack of recreational facilities which enhance stress related diseases.

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 Dependency ratio

 It shows the ratio of workers to non-workers.

 It measures the burden of the working age population (15-65 age group) of supporting the non-working population (children
under 15 and old people over 65)

Formula :Dependency ratio = P(0-14) + P(65+) × 100

P 15-64
 Active P
 P stands for population.

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22
Population and resources relationship

Carrying capacity
Issue linked with the carrying capacity of land.
Limits to absorb ever-greater numbers of people.
Population growth has environmental impacts.
Support of family planning, contraception and abortion.
Population problems cannot be addressed through technology beyond the short term.

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Optimum population: The population is such that it can maximise the benefits from the resources available. It is only when we have optimum
population that the quality of life is maximised.

Over population: The resources cannot sustain the current population. As long as there is over population the quality of life will decline through
unemployment, pollution, degradation of the environment. It refers to a situation in which the number of people in an area is higher than the
resources and skills available

Under population: The population cannot fully utilise the resources available. Quality of life can only slowly be improved. An increase in
population would lead to an increase in quality of life.

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Fast population growth can result in over population when increase in food supply will be lower than population growth as shown below

Optimum population

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  Occurs when the resources of a country are equal or can support the population of that country.

Indicators or signs of optimum population are as follows :

 High per capital income.

 Low unemployment (manpower job balance)
 High standard of living.
 Well developed social and public services.
 Migration exchange is low.
 High population density but there is rigorous planning and environmental controls

Under population

 Refers to a situation whereby the number of resources in a country will be more than the population.

Indicators or signs of under population are as follows :

 Moderate per capital income.

 Moderate standard of living.
 Low unemployment.
 High immigration.
 Examples of under populated countries include Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Botswana

Median age

 Is the age that divides the population into two equal halves (refer to population pyramid which will come later).

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 Sex ratio

 Is the number of males per 100 females.

 Formula = male population ×100
Female population 1

Population density

 Is the number of people per unit area/number of people per square kilometre.
 Formula = Number of people in an area
Unit of area km2
 In an examination situation, candidates may be asked to identify a country with a low population density or a high population density
from a table e.g.

The table gives figures for the population and area of four countries

Country Population in (millions) Area in (thousand km2) Population density

A 1 600
B 7 120
C 8 400
D 14 800

 The country with the highest population density is B with 58,3 people per square kilometre.
 The country with the lowest population density is A with 1, 6 people per km 2.

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Population Density of Zimbabwe

 2012 census indicated population to be 12973808

 Males were 6234931 and females were 6738877
2 28
 Land area of Zimbabwe is 390757KM
 Therefore average population density is
Population distribution

 Refers to how people are spread over a given area.

 The world over, people are not evenly distributed they are several factors which influence the way people are distributed. Below is a
summary of factors which affect population distribution.

Factors which affect population distribution

Natural factors

1. Nature of relief
 A gentle sloping land is more attractive for setting up a settlement than steep, rugged, hilly areas which are sparsely populated.

2. Climate
 Dry areas discourage setting up of settlements.
 Areas with moderate rains 500-1000 mm are more favourable for establishment of settlements.
 Areas which are extremely cold e.g. the poles are sparsely populated.
 Areas which are extremely hot e.g. hot deserts are sparsely populated.

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 3. Water
 People tend to settle in areas which have water sources e.g. rivers.
 People need water for various purposes e.g. domestic and industrial purposes.

4. Soils
 Areas with fertile soils tend to attract settlements than areas with poor soils.
 People need fertile soil for agricultural purposes e.g. the Nile river has a high population density due to fertile alluvial soils.

5. Pests and diseases

 Swampy and lowlands tend to discourage settlements.
 Swampy areas are associated with mosquitoes which cause malaria e.g. The Zambezi valley in Zimbabwe has a low in density because of
malaria.

Economic factors

1. Mining
 Mines attract settlements e.g. copper belt in Zambia, Hwange in Matabeland North, Zvishavane to mention a few.

Agriculture

 Agricultural schemes such as irrigation projects attract settlement e.g. the Gezira irrigation scheme in Sudan

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 2. Industries
 Industries attract settlement
 People move to industries to look for jobs

3. Political factors/government policy

 Wars may force people to migrate
 Resettlement programmes may initiate development of settlement e.g. Zimbabwe situation on land reform of Ujamaa
policy in Tanzania
 NB: when you have been given a question to describe the distribution of people in a given area, populated. Many
candidates lose marks by using the words over populated and under populated in place of high population or low
population

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32
Zimbabwe can be devided into three population distribution areas

1. Low population density areas (0-20 people per square kilometre )

 For example Matabeleland North and South areas
 The Zambezi valley and Limpopo valleys
 These areas are dominated by National Parks and game reserves
 In the Zambezi valley there is the steep escarpment which discourages human settlement

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  Kalahari sands in western Zimbabwe as well as a frequent drought drives away people
Medium population density areas (21- 40 people per square kilometre )
 Includes the middle veld area, areas along railway lines and main commercial farming areas on the high veld
 Mining centres, small industrial and commercial towns
2
3. High population density areas (41+ people per KM )
 This exist mainly in large cities such as Harare , Bulawayo, Mutare and Gweru
 Old reserves such as Gwayi, Shangani, Zvimba and Chihota in which people were forced to settle by the colonial land
apportionment act
Population distribution in Africa

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 2
 Total area of Africa is 20.2million KM
 By 2013 Africa’s population was 1.11 billion i.e. 15% of the world’s population
2
 Therefore average population density is 36.7 people per KM
2
 Low population density areas with a population below 10 people per KM

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  The desert areas of Sahara, Namib, Kalahari due to their aridity which makes human settlement difficult (lack of water, pastures
and presence of sandy soils)
2
 Medium density areas with population density of between 10-50 people per KM include the Zaire basin, west Africa and the
Central plateau due to fertile soils, good rainfall as well plenty forests
 High density areas include Cairo, Johannesburg great lacks region of Malawi, Zambian copper belt, Nile valley and several coastal
towns, this due to plent industries, efficient transport in these areas

NATURAL INCREASE, BIRTH AND DEATH RATES

Birth Rate is the term used to define the number of babies born every year per 1000 people in a population.
Death Rate is the term used to define the number of deaths every year per 1000 people in a population.
Natural increase in a population occurs where Birth rate is greater than death rate. That is, that there are more births than deaths in that
population in a year.
Natural decrease occurs when death rate is greater than birth rate. This means that more deaths occur in a population than babies are born so
population numbers decline.

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Stage 1:
Birth rates and death rates are high so population is low and stable. This would include Amazonian rainforest people and subsistence farmers in
Bangladesh.
Reasons for high death rates include, an unstable political society therefore possible civil unrest. Country could still be in reliant upon a
subsistence economy therefore food supply is very unreliable. Water supply is likely to be unclean. There is very little medical care or social care.
Disease and pests still have a dramatic effect on population.
High birth rates would be a natural consequence of the high death rates. Families have large families to compensate for the large infant mortality
rate and so the children can work to support the families including parents during their old age. Large families become part of the culture and
religion and men are seen as powerful if they have many children. Women's role in society is very much as a mother producing children.

Stage 2:

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Death rates fall but birth rates remain high. Natural increase is greater so population starts to grow rapidly. An example would be Sri Lanka or
Peru.
The death rates have fallen as a consequence of a medical or social breakthrough. For example new hospitals, new vaccinations, or new
legislation to prohibit children from working in factories. Alternatively improvements could be made to water supplies or food, accommodation -
it will usually be a combination of events.
Birth rates remain high as culture and religion still dictates this. There is likely to be very limited access to family planning and women still have a
very submissive role in society.

Stage 3:
Birth rates now fall and death rates continue to fall. Natural increase is still high and population growth rapid. An example would be Chile or
China.
Birth rates will start to fall as there is greater access to family planning. People will also start to appreciate the expense of a large family and opt
for fewer children. The women are getting a better deal from society and has access to the job market so could opt to pursue a career instead of
being a full time mother.
Death rates continue to fall as the country continues to improve medical and social care, sanitation, and living conditions.

Stage 4:
Birth rates and death rates level out. Natural increase is low so population stabilises. Australia would be a good example of a country at the start
of stage 4.
Society is advanced; women can pursue careers and live independent lives. Families opt for smaller families because of the costs involved.
Death rates remain low. There is little scope for further decline.

Stage 5:
Birth rates fall below death rates so natural increase is now negative. Population will start to decrease. Japan and Italy are in this stage.
Birth rates fall further as people are waiting longer to have families. Parents are aware of the cost of children so have one or two so they can still
have a good house, holidays - a good standard of living. Women have full access to the job market and family planning is universally accepted and
available.

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Key Terms Regarding Migration

Migration is the movement of people from one administrative area to another, whether regional or international, usually involving a permanent
change of residence for at least one year. (UN)
Circulations are temporary, reciprocal flows of people over any spatial scale without any substantial long-term period of change in residence.
Mobility refers to both migration and circulation as an overall term..

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migration

 Is defined as the movement of people from one place to another which involves as permanent change of residence which
should last a year according to UN
 Circulation or temporary migration refers to short term repetitive movement e.g. movement by nomadic pastoralists or
commuting from work
 Migration is divided into international and internal migration. International migration involves movement of people from one
country to another e.g. Zimbabwe to UK
 Internal migration involves movement of people from one place to another within the same country e.g. Gweru to Kwekwe.
Harare to Bulawayo, Zvishavane to Gokwe etc

Causes of migration
 Migration is caused by push and pull factors
 Push factors are factors which force people to move away from one place to another

PUSH

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Internal migration

Type of internal migration

 Rural to urban migration

 Urban to rural migration
 Rural to rural migration
 Urban to urban migration

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Rural to urban migration

 It is the most common type of migration in less developed countries

Reasons of rural to urban migration

 better employment prospects(job opportunities)
 Better education facilities
 Better standard of living
 Superior amenities e.g. piped water, modern sanitation , electricity
 Better entertainment facilities(bright lights theory)
 Favourable climate
 Adventure

Effects of rural to urban migration with reference to receiving area (which is the urban area)
 Shortage of accommodation
 Shortage of education facilities
 Shortage of water
 Shortage of medical facilities
 Shortage of transport
 Shortage of employment opportunities
 Results in poor health and poor sanitation (leads to spread of dieases such as T.B , cholera)
 Overcrowding results in busting and blocking of sewer pipes as is the case of Mtapa and Mlambo high density suburbs in Gweru and
Mbare in Harare
 Puts strain on fire and ambulance services
 Results in traffic congestion/traffic jam and this causes frustration and delays

(congestion occur during the rash hours e.g. morning and evening)
 Results in urban growth which leads to urban sprawl.(urban sprawl refers to outward growth or expansion of a town and as the town
expands outwards it consumes land which is meant for agriculture)

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 Effects or rural to urban migration with reference of donating area (source area which is the rural area)
 Leads to rural depopulation as people migrate to urban areas
 Leads to underdevelopment because of the reduction in young labour force. Able bodie people will have left to urban areas and rural
areas will be left with people who are too young and old to work
 Results in shortage of labour
 Results in a fall in agricultural production- most men will have gone to urban areas and women will be left behind to do the tilling of
land
 Break up in marriages
 Underutilization of available e.g. education facilities , medical facilities, and infrastructure
 Leads to an imbalance in sex ratio (more females than males)
 Results in breakdown in rural way of life
 Results in family fragmentation

Possible solutions to rural –urban migration

 Introductionof growth points in rural area to offer employment opportunities, provide goods and services
 Government to build better schools in rural areas
 Government to build better hospitals and clinics to provide health services in the rural areas
 Government to embark on rural electrification and piped water to improve rural quality of life
 Encourage banks and donors to give rural people loans so that they can start income generating projects such as poultry and bee
keeping
 Starting upof irrigation schemes in rural areas to improve food supply and cash incomes
 Need for government to start rural housing programmes to provide decent housing

Problems which are encountered in implementing the solutions are as follows

 Shortage of capital by government to buy required resource/inputs

 Shortage of skilled manpower
 Lack of cooperation from the rural people
 Corruption as inputs for development are diverted to black market
 Nepotism as inputs are given to undeserving relatives and friends

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  Political interference result when struggle for political power hinders development

Rural to rural migration

 In Zimbabwe this is mainly done by landless farmers who migrate in serch of farming land. For example resettlement programmes have
caused migration of over 4million people from communal areas to for white commercial farms
 Rural to rural migration also occur due to marriage as the wife migrates to join husband

Causes of rural to rural migration

 Overpopulation
 Frequent drought in an area
 Conflicts and wars
 Being labelled a witch or sale out
 Need for fertile land
 Shortage of farming land
 Intermarriages
 Environmental disaster eg severe soil erosion

Population structure

Population structure means the 'make up' or composition of a population according to: Age, Gender, Marital Status, Language, Religion,
Occupation

Age and sex structure

 it shows how the population is divided between males and females of different age groups
 The left side of each pyramid shows the number of men in each age group,
 the right side shows the number of women in each age group
 Population structure can be shown as a population pyramid, see diagram below:

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Features of a population pyramid.

 Population is divided into 5 year age groups.

 Population is divided into males and females.
 The percentage of each age /sex group is given.

45
46
Typical pyramids

47
Developed Countries’ Population Pyramid
• Narrow base with many women having less than two children
• Women are marrying later
• Contraception is universal in countries such as Britain
• Excellent medical care and high standards of living mean the infant death rate is low - most children liveto
middle and old age

Developing
Countries’
Population
Pyramid
• The
wide
base

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 indic
ates
a
high
prop
ortio
n of
child
ren
• Larg
e
fami
lies
refle
ct
the
low
stat
us of
wo
men
,
earl
y
marr
iage
s,
lack
of
educ
atio
n
and
little

49
 fami
ly
plan
ning
avail
able
• The
stee
p
side
s
sho
w
that
the
deat
h
rate
is
high
for
both
the
you
ng
and
adul
ts
• Life
expe
ctan
cy is
also
low

50
 with
few
peo
ple
reac
hing
old
age
• High
deat
h
rate
s
refle
ct
the
lack
of
med
icati
on,
clea
n
wat
er
and
regu
lar
food
supp
lies
• Pop
ulati
ons

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 are
gro
wing
rapi
dly
and
in
the
case
of
Nige
ria
are
expe
cted
to
dou
ble
in
25
year
s
•

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

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53
54
55
Population pyramids can also be used for
• be used to help predict changes in the population and plan for the future.
• They can be used to predict the proportion of elderly people in the population who will need health care,
or the number of young people who will be economically active in the future.
• to suggest which stage of the Demographic Transition Model a country is in.
• show strange developments in the population structure caused by wars, population booms and migration
movements.

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Criticism of the DTM
• The model is an over-generalization of the industrialized European experience;
• Model is too rigid in assuming all countries proceed from stage 1-4; it ignores variables and exceptions (eg.
War, political turmoil);
• Industrialization is difficult to achieve for LEDC’s in a trading system that protects the industries of MEDC’s;
• The model assumes that reductions in fertility are a function of increased wealth and industrialization–
other factors such as the status of women and other social development are ignored

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 MEDC/LEDC Occupational Structures
Primary Secondary Tertiary
High. Large numbers
are employed in
Low. Automation is increasingly replacing human
Very low. Machines have largely replaced human education, health,
MEDC labour in factories. Globalisation is leading to a
labour on the farms. administration and
shift of manufacturing jobs to the NICs.
the knowledge
economy
Low. Tariff barriers imposed by the trading blocs Large service sector.
Large primary sector (farming). Exports are usually such as the EU prevent the export of cheap Many employed in
LEDC
primary commodities. manufactured products. The domestic market is the informal
very small. economy.
Small but growing
Secondary sector is large and growing tertiary sector to
NIC Shrinking primary (farming) sector.
(transnationals). serve the needs of
the transnationals

compound bar graph

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59
60
 Ageing Population (MEDCs)

Advantages Disadvantages Solutions

- A larger proportion of ageing people can add - cost of providing pensions, health care and - abolish state pensions

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experience to the workforce - raise retirement age
- a growing 'grey' market for leisure and health - locate retirement 'colonies' in LEDCs
products - increase taxes
- construction boom in favoured retirement - sell homes of the elderly to pay for retirement
locations such as the Costa del Sol (Spain). care

sheltered housing leads to increased taxes on a

proportionally small workforce
- many young people are employed caring for the
elderly. This harms a country's competitiveness,
since they are not producing products for export.

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63
Population policies

A countries government can attempt to influence the population of its country through population policies.

A definition could then read that a population policy is a deliberate attempt by a Government to influence the population of a country.

A government could try to encourage or discourage population growth.

A country will form and initiate a population policy if it believes it to be in the best interest of the country and its people.

Case study: Discouraging population.

Country: China.

Reasons for initiating policy: To control and maintain an explosive population in order to pursue economic policies of development
Faced with the problems of providing for an ever growing population China first tried to discourage births by promoting the slogan
"Later, longer, fewer" –

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later marriages,
longer wait before children,
fewer children.
This failed to have any major influence so in 1979 adopted the infamous one child policy
The Policy: As the country is very closely controlled by the Government they were able to initiate a strict policy.
Before getting married a couple will be tutored and tested on family planning.
Before having a child they have to apply for a certificate from their factory.
Few certificates were issued annually.
If the factory meets certain targets of population control then every worker will get a wage increase
couples signed a form promising to have just one child
For having one child couples were given bonuses at work, receive priority for housing, a school and University place for the child and higher
pensions on retirement.
If the family then have an additional child all benefits are removed.
It is also likely to provoke isolation from their peers as it is not seen as being for the good of the country.
The scheme was monitored by factory workers that act as snoops reporting anyone who looks pregnant or 'broody'.

The scheme has been very successful at reducing population growth.

Fertility rates and Birth rates have fallen significantly. Life expectancy has doubled. Literacy rates have increased

The scheme has however been criticised for the following reasons:
For encouraging to have an abortion.
For creating high dependency ratios of the elderly.
encouragedbfemale infanticide as parents want male child.
The custom in China is that when a couple marry they go to live with the males' parents. This means that they will look after them in old age. If
your child is a girl you will not have anyone to look after you in old age.

Population health and disease

Infant mortality rate

Why are people living longer and fewer infants dying?

Increased food supply and distribution
Better nutrition
Medical advances
Improved sanitation

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In LEDCs infant mortality rate high due to
Inadequate health care for poor women during pregnancy and their infants
Drug addiction among pregnant women
High birth rate among teenagers

Prevention and control of Cholera

Prompt diagnosis and management
Establish treatment centers with barrier nursing.
Fecal material and vomit properly disinfected and disposed.
Health Education on hygiene,safe water, safe food and hand washing.
Funerals to be held quickly and near the place of death.Meticulous hand washing for those who handle the body.
Promote washing hands with soap and water when food is being handled

HIV and AIDS

Reduce sexual and mother to child transmission.
Ensure blood safety
Universal precautions to be used.
Physical protection especially of women and children.
Protect health care workers.
Counseling and voluntary testing programs.
Vaccination of asymptomatic HIV infected children with EPI vaccines.
Symptomatic HIV infected children should not be given BCG or yellow fever vaccine

Primary health care

health care provided in the community for people making an initial approach to a medical practitioner or clinic for advice or treatment

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