Unit 2: People and the Planet
Revision lesson 1 of 3
Learning objective
To revise
TOPIC 1: Population dynamics
KEY
CONCEPTS
BIRTHS
IMMIGRANTS
POPULATION
DEATHS
EMIGRANTS
Birth and Death rates change
as a country becomes wealthier – WHY?
Country
Stage
in DTM
Birth
rate
Death
rate
Natural
change
Swaziland
1
27.0
30.4
- 3.4
Cambodia
2
25.5
8.2
+ 17.3
Chile
3
15.0
5.9
+ 9.1
UK
4
10.7
10.1
+ 0.6
Germany
5
8.2
10.7
- 2.5
Youthful population = ? Ageing population = ?
The Demographic Transition Model
Reduction in death rates – WHY?
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
Development of modern medicines. This
has meant that more and more people are
kept alive due to modern practices.
Introduction of vaccination and
immunisation programmes e.g. smallpox
vaccination that helps people to live longer.
Cleaner drinking water and better sewage
disposal, a lot more people have access to
clean drinking water than before.
Better healthcare systems – more doctors,
nurses and hospitals, means that people can
be treated and not die.
More hygienic housing and lifestyles.
Better diets, e.g. promoting eating ‘5 a day’
Population Pyramids
Which population pyramid is which?
(Germany, Kenya and USA)
Youthful population - Mexico
This is when a country has a very high percentage of people under the age of 15.
Problems:
• Pressure on housing – not enough housing, people living in slums. This is very common
around the big cities (New Delhi), where millions of people live in shanty towns with no
running water, roads, sewage of any kind.
• Pressure on schooling – illiterate population. India’s literacy rate is 60%
• Pressure on food supplies - famine, food distribution difficulties.
• Pressure on health services – a growth in diseases being spread around and not being
dealt with adequately to stop the spread.
Ageing population - Japan
This is when a country has a very high percentage of people over the age of 65.
Problems
Health care


Pensions
Solutions
Provide more health care e.g. retirement homes, hospital beds,
more undertakers, etc.
Skilled health care workers needed
 Increase tax – not popular
 Raise retirement age – not popular * this is likely to
happen in the UK soon*
 Abolish state pensions – not popular
Why and how can governments
change their populations?
Increase the population
Decrease the population
WHY?


To stop the population
getting too old (ageing)
 So they need more tax
payers/raise taxes
To fill job shortages


Reduce strain on physical
resources – water, food
Reduce strain on human
resources – jobs, services
HOW?
Encourage migrants to come
Financial incentives for women
to have more children:
o Better and longer maternity pay
o Cash - ‘Baby bonus’
o Ongoing child benefit pay


EXAMPLE: Estonia



Encourage emigration
Financial rewards for having
less children
Financial penalties for having
too many children
EXAMPLE: China
Case Study: Pro-Natalist:
Estonia
Case Study: Anti-Natalist
– China’s one child Policy
http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/learning/chinastories/
video_stories/liu_xiao/
Managing migration

In 2004 the eastern European
countries of Czech Republic,
Estonia, Hungary, Poland,
Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and
Slovenia joined the EU (A8 –
Accession countries).

There has been a notable
increase in migrants from these
countries coming to the UK for
work since 2004.
Migration: Advantages and Disadvantages
for source and host countries
Example:
Poland and the UK
Sample questions






What changes have helped to lower the global
infant mortality rate? (2)
How and why does the infant mortality rate
differ between developing and developed
countries? (2)
Explain two problems faced by countries with
ageing populations. (4)
Explain two problems faced by countries with
youthful populations. (4)
Explain how governments can encourage an
increase in the birth rate (4)
Using examples, explain the positives and
negatives of migration on source and host
countries (6)