Population Patterns

Population Patterns 6.2

Population Patterns • In 1798, Thomas Malthus wrote that the human population was growing too fast • His famous essay described problems the world was facing • But farmers learned to grow more on less land, new technologies and ideas came • The world’s population is now more than 6x larger

Overpopulation • When a population is too large to be supported by local resources • Many of Earth’s resources are finite • Parts of China and India do not have enough freshwater • Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Iran are running out of land for growing grains

Regional Trends • People who study population are demographers • Demographers study changes in pop. over time, which are population trends • They predict how the pop. will change in the future • The also look at how pop. changes will affect a person’s quality of life

World Population • Demographers know that the world’s pop is growing very fast • There is a large difference in growth rates between countries • Demographers describe ways that growth is occurring in different countries

Stabilization • Some countries have populations that stay about the same size • This includes all of Europe, parts of Japan and Russia, although their population may soon start to increase

Reproductive Age • Some countries have lowered growth rates, but will continue to grow for many years • It’s because their population is already large and their pop will be of reproduction age • This is not too old/young to reproduce • This includes China and the U.S.

Fast Growing • The last group of countries is experiencing the fastest population growth • They have high birth rates and many people of reproductive age • They include Nigeria and Pakistan

Industrialized Nations • All the countries where pop is stabilizing • They have strong economies based on manufacturing and technology • Their people enjoy high standards of living • This is the quality of life that its people enojy

Developing Nations • Most of the countries with fast growing pop • Their economies are not as strong • Health care, education, and sanitation are inadequate • They rely on subsistence agriculture, which is growing just enough to meet day-to-day needs (Africa, Latin Am., Caribbean)

Life Expectancy • The total number of years someone is expected to live • Affected by a person’s birth year, country of birth, and gender • Usually have higher life expectancies in industrialized nations over developing countries

Problems • Fast population growth causes other problems • Jobs available • Safety issues • Education • Poverty level increases • Food production (starvation) • Not enough water • Crowded living conditions

Problems cont. • Rapid population growth affects human health and well-being • Also affects the natural environment • Biodiversity is a risk due to deforestation and more land needed for farming • Families have more children so they can help work and find food. Also to take care of their parents. Some will die of disease or starve, but few will survive

Solutions • Family planning controls reproduction • Education also helps lower the birth rate • Women who have career choices usually have fewer children • Fertility Rate – The average number of births per woman

Solutions • Many countries are working to control pop through education and information • The decisions young people make will affect pop rates for years to come

Vocabulary • Overpopulation • Stabilize • Reproductive Age • Standard of Living • Subsistence Agriculture • Life Expectancy • Fertility Rate

Population Patterns