WORLD POPULATION STUDIES
Population refers to the total number of people in a particular area. Total number of people in different
areas varies greatly. Some areas have high population densities while some have low population.
Importance of Population studies
- Population statistics are important for economic planning and development of
the country
- It helps in demonstrating the distribution, composition, growth and movement
of the population
- It also helps in explaining the relationship between difference in population on
one hand and the variation in the nature of places occupied by people on the
other hand.
Types of Population Data
- National census
- Vital statistics / Vital Registration.
Census
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This refers to the organized official counting of the entire population in a
specific / given area.
However, other demographic, economic and social information pertaining to
that population is also gathered, e.g. Literacy level, marriage, occupation, sex
,race, etc.
A good census should be periodic, e.g. After every five years or ten years.
Difficulties Experienced by Governments of Developing Countries in Census taking
- Population census is very expensive exercise
- Some areas are isolated / widely spread thus more money is used in
transportation
- Lack of skilled enumerators / lack of training
- Wide spread illiteracy / leading to people not understanding questions
Ways of Census Taking
De jure ; - it involves counting people who are present during the time of counting / enumeration
including those who are temporarily outside the country, e.g. Studying abroad
Defacto ; - it is based only on the count of people who are actually present in the country at the time of
enumeration.
Vital Registration / Vital Statistics
- it is the continuous counting of vital events ( life events) such as births,
deaths, marriage, divorce, migration, adoption, etc in between census – years
- this method is mostly practical in developed countries where the vital
registration of events is readily available / comprehensive keeping of records
- it involves placing / stationing enumerators in every community to record and
compile the data
Population Distribution ; - this refers to the way people are settled in an area or country . population
distribution is influenced by a number of factors.
1.
CLIMATE- some areas are too hot or too cold to be inhabited by people.
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2.RELIEF- people do not want to settle on hilly areas while at times people may prefer such.
3.WATER SUPPLY- Human beings can not live without water, therefore it is natural that a lo of people or
settlements are found near permanent water supply of water.
4. SOILS- the soils are source of food and so, for the purpose of crop production, man must occupy areas
rich in soils that can be cultivated
5.MINERAL RESOURCES- the discovery of minerals may attract large populations e.g. Witwatersrand in
South Africa.
6.POLITICS-civil wars have erupted in many countries which had led to people moving to other places. In
other countries, government policies like relocation also influence the distribution of people.
7.NATURAL DISASTERS-earthquakes, volcanoes, drought, floods and other catastrophes have forced
people to move and determining their distribution
8.COMMUNICATION ROUTES-areas with good communication routes like roads and railways attract
large population
POPULATION DENSITY
Is the number of people per unit area of land.
Population density= population
Land area
Population density tends to be higher in the following areas:
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fertile lands
high rainfall
industrialization and urbanization
mining
adequate fresh water supply
intensive agriculture
moderate temperatures
Population density tends to be lower in the following areas:
 Dry or arid regions
 infertile areas
 mountainous regions
 extreme temperatures e.g. polar or deserts
 swamps/marshes
 Pests and diseases.
POPULATION FERTILITY
Fertility rate- the number of children born per thousand women in the child bearing age(15-45)
Crude Birth rate/Birth rate

This is the number of babies born alive in a year per thousand people. e.g. Botswana-35 per 1000
Zimbabwe-37 per 1000
Africa
-46 per1000
Asia
-40 per 1000
Europe
-14 per 1000
Factors that influence the fertility rate
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family planning
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birth control measures like sterilization and abortion policies
improved status of women
industrialization and urbanization; unlike in rural areas, in urban areas children are expensive to raise
or a burden.
Less Developed countries: have high crude birth rate because of the following reasons:
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The belief that the greater the number of children the greater the social prestige since it proves
a man’s virility.
High levels of illiteracy/low education levels.
Ignorance/lack of use of contraceptives
Children regarded as a source of labour in agriculture
Children regarded as a source of pension/social security in old age.
Early marriages
High infant mortality rates because most people to have many babies to ensure that some
survive into adulthood.
The desire to have a son as a heir(if they are just girls)
Improvement in medical care especially in prenatal and postnatal care.
Increase in food supply due to improvement in agriculture/farming methods
The Developed countries: have lower birth rates because of the following reasons:
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 Widespread use of contraceptives and family planning methods.
 High levels of education
People get married late because of longer periods spent at school and work commitments
 High standards of living which makes large families expensive.
 Limited living space in the urbanized societies.
 Improved status of women
RESULTS OF HIGH FERTILITY
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increase in growth rate
large infant population
shortage of social amenities/ pressure of services
DEPENDENCY RATIO
This shows the number of children and elderly people that the working people have to support. The ratio
compares the working population to the dependent population.
Working population 15-64 years
Non working population- ≤15 and ≥65 years
500 000 × 100 = 50%
1000 000
DOUBLING TIME- this is the average number of years required for the population to double its size. The
high the birth rate the shorter the doubling time.
MORTALITY:
(mortality rate- the number of death per 1000 people in a population per year
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Mortality means death. Therefore the study of mortality is concerned with the number of people dying and
why they are dying.
Mortality is mainly concerned with:
 infant mortality
 death rate
 life expectancy
(a)Crude Death Rate/Death rate:-the number of people dying per thousand per year.
For example: Botswana;6 per 1000
Lesotho;12 per 1000
Tanzania; 18 per 1000
 in a year a country with a population of 1700 000, 15000 people died
Death rate= 15000
× 100= 8.8 deaths per 1000
1700 000
(b)Infant mortality rate:- the number of babies who die before reaching their first birthday per
thousands live births.
For example;
Mozambique: 17 per 1000
Africa
120 per 1000
Malawi
12 per 1000
Europe
18 per 1000
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Mortality rates such as death rate and infant mortality rate are generally high in the less developed
countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America because of the following reasons:
inadequate and poor health care facilities
widespread of diseases and epidemics e.g. cholera, measles, smallpox, etc
poor sanitation and hygiene
food shortages/famines/malnutrition
poverty
wars/civil strife
© Life expectancy:- It is the average age, which people in a country live up to/the average life span of
people in a country.
For example, Botswana’s life expectancy is 45 years.
United Kingdom is 75 years.
Life expectancy in less developed countries is generally lower because of:
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poor health care
poor/inadequate nutrition
poor sanitation and hygiene
low standards of living
back breaking manual labour that makes people age faster
wars
widespread diseases and epidemics
Life expectancy in the developed countries is higher because of:
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excellent nutrition
good hygiene and sanitation
adequate and well equipped health care facilities
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 good social security / pension schemes
 use of machines to perform manual labour
high standards of living
NATURAL POPULATION INCREASE/POPULATION GROWTH
THE FOUR FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE POPULATION CHANGE
Births
Immigrants
Deaths
Emigrants
Immigrants: people who come to live in a country from another country.
Emigrants: people who leave their country to go and live or work in another country.
NATURAL INCREASE)
This refers to the difference between the birth and the death rate
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birth rate minus death rate per thousand of the population e.g. BR= 65 per 1000
DR= 30 per 1000
Births minus Deaths =Natural Population increase
The natural increase is calculated by finding the difference between births and deaths rates and expressing
it as a percentage.
For example: Botswana: Birth rate is 65 per 1000
Death rate is 30 per 1000
35 per 1000
Natural increase= 35 per 1000 population
Population growth rate-is a percentage by which a country’s population is growing each year.
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it reflects Natural increase or population change
CALCULATION; = NATURAL INCREASE ×100
1000
e.g. 35 ×100= 3.5%
1000
This means that the population increases by 3.5 % per annum
Population explosion-It is the rapid growth or increase of people in a country.
Country
Birth rate
Death rate
Natural increase %
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Tanzania
Nigeria
Egypt
Zimbabwe
U.S.A
Germany
48
43
18
14
10
37
17
11
3.0
2.1
2.9
0.8
0.0
WHY COUNTRIES OF ASIA, AFRICA AND SOUTH AMERICA HAVE HIGH POPULATION
GROWTH RATES
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Ignorance and lack of use of contraceptives and family planning
Low levels of education
Children regarded as important source of labour in agriculture
Early marriages
Low living standards/poverty/ social security
Large families source of male pride
High I.M.R. means families have to have more children to ensure that some survive into
adulthood.
WHY DEVELOPED COUNTRIES HAVE LOWER GROWTH RATES
 Widespread of use of contraception and family planning
 Late marriages
 High education levels
 High standards of living
 Child labour banned by law
PROBLEMS CAUSED BY RAPID POPULATION GROWTH
A rapidly growing population leads to a lot of children and in the future a lot of adults who will have many
children. This leads to overpopulation and a lot of problems to the country. The effects could be as
follows;-
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A lot of children create problems of feeding all the extra people each year leading to shortage of
food and malnutrition.
Many people put pressure on the available land leading to shortage of land.
Shortage of jobs because of many people results to unemployment and a high crime rate.
Many people put pressure on the available service leading to;
Lack of medical facilities.
- Overcrowding in hospitals
- Overcrowding in schools
- Shortage of educational facilities
- Lack of or shortage of clean water
- Poor disposal of wastes
- Poor sanitation
Too many people also lead to shortage of houses leading to overcrowding and eventually to the
development of squatter camps.
The development of squatter camps / overcrowding lead to a poor living standard and easy spread
of diseases.
Increase in crime
Pollution/soil erosion/deforestation
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METHODS TO CONTROL POPULATION GROWTH
 Introducing people to the use of contraceptives and family planning
 Educating both men and women
 Voluntary sterilization
 Improving the standards of living/income levels
 Gender equality
 Passing laws which limit size of family e.g. China’s one child per family policy;
Botswana’s civil servants are limited to three children by maternity conditions
POPULATION AND RESOURCES
Total population in a country in relation to available resources.
(a) Under population: This is when the total number of people is too few to fully utilize or develop
the available resources.
This means that the country can actually support
large population.
Characteristics
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low/small population
low population density
large areas of unoccupied but potentially productive land
shortage of labour/manpower
low levels of economic development
(b)Optimum population: This is the maximum number of people that resources in a country can
support without causing any damage or
depletion
©Over population: This is when the total number of people in a country is far larger than the
available resources
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This means the available resources are too small to support the population. For example Lesotho,
Burundi, Malawi, Rwanda e.t.c
Characteristics.
 overcrowding
 shortage of land
 inadequate food
 low standards of living/poverty
 high unemployment levels
 environmental degradation
 social and political unrest e.g. civil wars
 inadequate social services.
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DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION MODEL
This is a model/theory devised by demographers suggesting that most countries pass through a
number of stages in their population growth.
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It is a graph that shows the changes in births and death rates and population growth over time
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It is based on European countries’ demographic changes over the last 250 years
It is subdivided into four stages that shows changes in birth, deaths and population growth
The changes in the population trends are closely linked to improvement in levels of development.
Stage1: High Fluctuating
Europe was in this stage before1750(i.e. before the industrial revolution.). Africa was in this stage before
the coming of colonialism.
Life was still primitive and characterized by:
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High birth rates
High death rates
Low and very slow population growth
Birth rates were high because of:
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Children being regarded as source of labour
Children treated as source of pension in old age
Large families seen as a symbol of pride
High infant mortality rates made parents to have more children to ensure the survival of
some into adulthood
No birth control methods developed as yet
Death rates were also high because of the following reasons:
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Primitive medical knowledge
Widespread of diseases and epidemics
Famine/ starvation
Poor sanitation and hygiene
Wars(ethnic wars)
NB: at certain times the death rate was higher than the birth rates during times of wars epidemics/plagues
and famine. This causes the population to decline.
Stage 2:Early expanding
Most African countries are still at this stage.
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High birth rates
Falling death rate
A rapidly growing population
Birth rates remain high because the people’s attitudes have not changed i.e. as in the first stage.
Death rate begins to fall rapidly because of:
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Improved sanitation and hygiene
Improved medical care e.g. surgery, medicines
Better nutrition/diet
Higher standards of living
Population growth is very high because of the high birth rates and falling death rates. Hence it is called the
expansion.
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Stage 3: Late expanding
Botswana is in this stage of population development.
Newly Industrializing countries(N.I.C.’s) Like South Korea, Taiwan, Brazil, e.t.c.
It is characterized by
 Falling birth rates
 Low death rates
 Lower population growth rates
The birth rates are falling because of the following reasons:
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Increased use of contraceptives and family planning
High standards of living
Passing of laws which stop child labour
The fall in infant mortality means parents no longer need to have many babies since all
children are assured of survival.
High education levels for both men and women.
The population is already high but the rate of growth has already slowed down significantly
Stage 4:Low Fluctuating
The developed countries of Europe, North America and Japan are at this stage.
It is characterized by:
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Low birth rates
Low death rates
Very low population growth of less than 1% per annum. Some countries have zero (0%)
growth i.e. the birth rate is equal to the death rate. For example Germany. Some countries
even have shrinking populations which means death rates are actually higher than birth rates.
POPULATION AGE STRUCTURE
It helps in planning at local and regional levels
It deals with age –sex and also economic composition, e.g.
0-14years- dependents and non reproductive
15-64 years- adults/reproductive
65+
- aged/dependents and non reproductive
Population pyramids
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it is a graphical representation of the age –sex structure of the population
Main features of a population pyramid
 Males are always on the left side and females on the right.
 The younger population is shown at the bottom and the older at the top.
 Each age group is shown at the center of the pyramid in ranges.
 The structure of the population is strongly related to the level of economic development.
Population pyramid for a developed country
DESCRIPTION
REASONS
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Narrow base
-few young people in the population
 it shows that there is low birth rate thus low
dependency ratio
A very wide middle
-big adult population compared to all other groups
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A wide top
above)
-large elderly population/high life expectancy(i.e.65 years and
Therefore the structure of a population pyramid of a Developed country shows that:
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Low population growth rate because there is very little difference between the elderly population
and young population.
High life expectancy
A very large adult population
Low birth rates
Economic implications
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the government has to spend a lot money in providing social services for the old people,
e.g. old age homes, old age pension schemes etc
- schools are closing down because there are no students/few to attend them
absence of labours/few workers
Population pyramid for a developing/less developed country
DESCRIPTION
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REASONS
very wide base
-large child population/high birth rates
 it shows a high birth rate and high dependency ratio
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narrow middle
-small adult population/few children survive into
adulthood
 also indicates a death rate as it has a steep slope
 very narrow top
-small elderly population/low life
Expectancy
Shows a rapid decline in population with age
Economic implications.
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parents have to spend high proportion of their income in supporting their dependents
the government also has to spend a lot of money in providing social services such as schools
The population structure for a less developed country shows that:
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High population growth rates/expanding population
High death rates hence fewer adults
Low life expectancy hence the very few elderly people
IMPACT OF THE IMPACT OF H.I.V./A.I.D.S. ON THE STRUCTURE BOTSWANA’S
POPULATION
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Fewer children because most will be dying or few people will be giving birth to healthy babies.
Lower life expectancy that is very few old people e.g. Botswana’s life expectancy has currently
gone down by 10 years as a result of AIDS.
Fewer adults or sexually active people since most of them are dying
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A high dependency load, i.e. more often children that have to be supported by a very small adult
population.
DEPENDENCY LOAD/RATIO
Definition: It is the proportion of the active/working population compared to the non-active population.
Working/active population: People between the ages of 16 and 64 years.
Non-active population: consists of children between the ages of 0 and 15years and old people 65 years and
above.
The dependency ratio is always expressed as a percentage.
Dependency Load = Non-active population x 100
Active population
= P(0-16) + P(65 years+) x 100
P(16- 64 years
Less developed countries have a high dependency load? This is mainly because the population consists
of a large proportion of children, up to 50% of the total population.
This means that the countries have to spend more money on:
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providing schools for children.
provision of more medical facilities.
more money spends on child welfare services e.g. crèches, supplementary feeding
e.t.c.
 Less money is spent on productive sectors of the economy e.g. agriculture, industry, e.t.c.
Developed countries have a low dependency load. This is because the population of this countries
consists mainly of adults and fewer children. As a result the country can easily provide with schools,
food, health care facilities, employment e.t.c.
Most of the money is directed to the productive sectors of the economy.
ADVANTAGES OF A LARGE POPULATION IN A COUNTRY
 A large domestic market which stimulates industrialization and economic development.
 It lowers labour costs because it provides a large pool of labour.
 It forces people to be innovative in order to solve new problems because “Necessity is the mother
to invention”.
 It provides adequate human resources to fully utilize the available resources
 It leads to a large pool of skilled labour.
What is the disadvantage of a large population in a country? Give at least 6 reasons.
National Population Policy
 It is a strategy/plan adopted by the government to encourage its people to control the size and structure
of the total number of people in the country.
Strategies/programmes
- teaching and encouraging people to use contraceptives and family planning
- improving the standards of living
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improving the level of education of the population
passing of laws against child labour
laws limiting the size of the family.
Maternity leave restrictions that discourage working mothers from having too many babies
Gender equality, which allows women the right to choose.
Why a National Population Policy is important
Rapid and uncontrolled population growth can lead to the following problems:
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shortage and overcrowding of land because there are too many people
high levels of unemployment because the population is growing too rapidly than the economy can
provide jobs
shortage of social facilities such as schools because there are too many children being born into the
country
shortage of food because the population is growing too fast than the nation can produce
low income levels or poverty
shortage of accommodation leading to shanty settlements
high levels of crime because most people find it difficult to survive.
MIGRATION
DEFINITION OF TERMS
MIGRATION- Is the act or processes of moving from one place to the other with he intention of staying at
the destination temporarily or permanently for some reason, e.g. work, retirement etc.
EMIGRATION-this refers to the movement of people of away from the land of birth to another country
EMIGRANTS- people who move away from the land of birth to another country
IMMIGRATION- movement of people into the country
IMMIGRANTS- people who move into or enter the country
NETGAIN- when there are more people entering than leaving the country
NOTE! BIRTH AND MIGRATION result in population growth
DEATH AND EMIGRATION result in population decline
TYPES/PATTERNS OF MIGRATION
When talking about population movements, it is important to distinguish two main types:
-permanent migration: it involves people leaving their home area without the intention of returning to their
place of origin
Temporary migration: it involves people leaving their home area for a short period of time, and then
returning to it
TEMPORARY MIGRATION(REASONS FOR )
-employment
-for market/shopping
-hospitals/clinics
-education/schools
-holiday
-for recreation/entertainment
PERMANENT MIGRATION
Migration of a permanent nature can be divided into; external and internal.
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1. external/international migration: involves people crossing international boundaries and going from one
country to live in another. Common reasons for permanent migration include: marriage
-retirement
-political unrest/civil wars/refugees
-higher standard of living
-to live near to relatives
-for higher paying jobs
2. internal migration: involves people moving entirely within one country, the movement of people out of
the country is known as out migration, while the movement of people into an area is known as in
migration. There are two main types of internal migration: rural area to rural and rural area to urban
area.
a)rural to rural migration: this involves the movement of people from onerural area to another. Common
reasons are;
-drought/lack of rainfall
-overgrazing/overstocking/shortage of pasture
-diseases/pests
b)rural – urban migration: this is one of most common population movements in Africa. It involves people
moving from rural areas to urban areas(towns). The factors which are behind the rural – urban migration
can be classified into , push and pull factors.
Push factors: factors that make or force people to migrate or to leave the rural areas.
-unemployment
-political instability/conflicts
-diseases/epidemics/pests
-drought/lack of rainfall
-crop failure
-witchcraft
-floods
-natural disasters e.g. earthquakes
-religious persecutions
-some people migrate after committing an offence in rural areas
Pull factors: factors that attract or pull people to migrate to towns or urban areas
-availability of employment
-better wages as compared to those offered in rural areas
-better or improved services e. g. schools, hospitals
-urban lifestyles/better standard of living e.g. hairstyles, clothing, language
-bright lights in towns(represent hope and better life)
- entertainment e.g films, theater, circus
Problems o f migration on the receiving areas
-overcrowding/lack of housing
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-lack of employment
-development of shanty towns/squatter settlements
- high crime rate
-pollution
-social problems, e.g. sex workers/prostitution, street children
-lack of health services, hospitals
-traffic congestion
-out break of diseases
-poor sanitation/disposal of waste/sewage
Food shortage/starvation
-problems of migration on the source areas or the places of origin
- breakdown of families as the husbands go for good or find other wives in towns
-development of female headed households
-agricultural production declines because of shortage of labour
-lack of development since strong and productive people migrate to towns
-age- sex imbalance
Reduction in birth rate/depopulation
-juvenile delinquency since women find it difficult to control the children especially boys (in the absence of
their fathers)
-highly dependent population remains in the rural areas, made up of aged and young people
-few middle aged/working people
Positive effects of migration on receiving areas
-people from rural areas provide cheap labour to many industries
-population increase, resulting in large market for business in the area
-problem of shortage of labour is overcome
Positive effects on the source area
-those who work in town send money home to support families e.g. school fees, buying building materials
and buying cattle etc
-those who work abroad,(migrant workers) bring in foreign exchange which the government will use to
import goods from outside
- the absentees remove pressure on the job market, thus creating opportunities for those who remain in rural
areas
What could be done to reduce rural-urban migration?
-creation of employment by encouraging big industries to expand to rural areas(rural industrialization)
-improvement of social services in rural areas, e.g. health, education, electricity etc
-investment in agriculture
-improve rural infrastructure- roads, etc
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