Demographics:
Population Geography
Population Geography
OBJECTIVES:
How
is the world’s population distributed,
and why?
Why has the world’s population grown over
time?
What factors will affect the size of future
populations?
Global Population Density

Demography- the study of the human population
that emphasizes statistics (facts/figures); used to
compare population distribution, population
density, trends in population

Geography of human population is uneven
Some regions densely populated; others not
Some area have aging populations; other areas
mostly children


Why do some areas of the world
have fewer people?
Harsh climate
 Farming is difficult


Population Density: the average number
of people living in an area; usually
expressed as persons per square
mile/kilometer
World Population Density Map
Why do some areas of the world
have a more dense population?
Environments favorable to farming
 Industrialized cities
 Pleasant climates


4 large regions of dense human
settlement: eastern China, south Asia
(India and Bangladesh), western Europe,
eastern North America
Population Growth
End of last Ice Age= less than 10 million
2000 years ago= 250 million people
1650 A.D.= 500 million people
1850 A.D.= 1 billion people
1940 A.D.= 2 billion people
1975 A.D.= 4 billion people
2000 A.D.= 7 billion people
•10,000 B.C.
Introduction of
Agriculture
•World population has
declined only in times of
widespread
disease/war/natural
disasters
Recap
What is demography?
 What is population density and how do we
we examine it?
 What factors contribute to the population
density of a given location? Provide at
least 3 factors.

How the Population Grows

Birthrate- the number of births per 1,000
people in a given year
 Death rate- the number of deaths per
1,000 people in a given year



If birthrate exceeds death rates= population increases
If death rate exceeds birth rates= population decreases
As a country’s economy develops there
are 3 stages of population growth.
1st Stage of Demographic Transition

Birthrate and death rate are high but
equal

Many births but widespread disease
causes many deaths
2nd Stage of Demographic Transition

Death rate declines steadily while the
birthrate remains high

Family size increase; more children survive
to adulthood

Health care and safe water become more
widespread
3rd Stage of Demographic Transition





Birthrate drops and most children live to
adulthood
Family sizes decrease as more people decide to
have fewer children
Birthrate and death rate become about the
same, though at lower levels
Rate of population growth again become low
Population is still much higher than in the first
stage
Push and Pull Factors

Push factor- something that pushes
someone to leave a country (religious
persecution)
 Pull factor- something that pulls a person
to immigrate to a new country (better
wages)
 Emigrant- someone who moves out of a
country
 Immigrant- someone who moves into a
country
Rate of Natural Increase

Natural Increase- this rate is based on
just births and deaths; it does not take
migration into account.

Rate is found by subtracting the death
rate (Y) from the birthrate (X) (Hence: XY= Z (rate of natural increase- expressed
as a percentage)
Rate of Natural Increase
Highest rates of Natural Increase? Africa,
Southwest Asia (can be 3% or higher)
 Moderate rates of Natural Increase?
Central, South America and Southeast Asia
(1-3%)
 Low rates of Natural Increase? Europe and
North American Countries, Japan,
Australia, New Zealand (<1%)
 Negative rates of Natural Increase? Italy,
Russia

Population change/Economic success

Developed countries= period of rapid
population growth has slowed/low
birthrates and low death rates

Developing countries= have not
completed the three stages of population
growth; birthrates still exceed death rates
What’s the Explanation?

What is the reason that some nations Why
does Africa and Southwest Asia have such
high rates?
 What
stage of demographic transfer are they
in and why? Give at least 3 reasons.

Why does Italy and Russia have such
negative rates?
 What
stage of demographic transfer are they
in and why? Give at least 3 reasons.
Homework
You are going to identify 8 countries (4 pairs) and then
highlight in what ways these countries are both similar and
different in terms of demographics.
 For instance: countries might resemble in terms of population
but vary in terms of economic condition. I want you to find
different examples of this.
 Once you have identified the nation’s similarities and
differences I want you to explain in a paragraph why you
believe such differences exist.
 For example why would two nations with the same/similar
population densities have different economic
predicaments?

Some areas to compare are: population density, urban vs
rural development, ethnicity, education level, health
measures, economic state, religion
