4. Managing Population Size Flashcards
What do the features of a population pyramid suggest?
- Narrow top suggests a lower life expectancy with a high death rate at younger ages
- Slight gender imbalance suggests that women have a longer life expectancy
- Wide base at bottom suggests high fertility rate and rapid population growth
- Slight indent in young people at 20-24 shows higer death rates than normal (war / famine / disease) or economic migration
More typical population pyramid of an LIC
What do the features of a population gherkin / skyscraper suggest?
- Tall peak suggests higher life expectancy and a lower death rate
- Wider peak suggests more people live longer
- Thin base suggests low birth rate and a more consistent population.
- More even population distribution across ages.
Why is the Demographic Transition Model useful?
- Easy to understand and can, to some extent, be applied to all countries.
- It provides a framework to compare demographic change between countries over time
- The time scales of each stage are flexible
- It allows countries to anticipate future changes to the population and plan ahead e.g. Stage 4 into Stage 5
Why might some countries not follow the same pattern as the UK on the DTM over a similar period of time?
- In Sub-Saharan Africa, the death rate has risen rapidly due to AIDS
- The death rate in some countries has dropped rapidly due to the introduction of western medicines, especially immunisations against major diseases e.g. Typhoid
- For some countries in Stage 3, the widespread availability of contraceptives has reduced fertility rates (Thailand) or other social policies have resulted in a dramatic decline in fertility rates (China)
- The link between economic growth and population change has become more tenuous.
Why might the DTM be criticised as a working model that is out of date?
When the model was first created, there were only 4 stages. Since stage 5 has been added, the model has not been updated and so could be seen as out of date.
Why might the DTM be criticised as a Eurocentric model?
The model is designed to fit western European countries that have had industrial revolutions, with the expected trends based off the experiences and data of these countries. As such, it may not be accurate to use for countries that choose alternate paths.
Why might the DTM be inaccurate due to the effects of diseases?
Tropical diseases such as malaria increase the mortality rate in countries with the disease. This causes the death rate to be higher in countries with the disease.
Furthermore, HIV outbreaks in Botswana and Tanzania may result in countries taking longer to get through Stage 2
How might the DTM be outdated in comparison to the pace of change?
Rapid economic development condenses the timeframe of the model and makes the link between population change and development more tenuous.
How might the DTM be limited by a lack of information on migration?
Immigration of young economic migrants to a country raises the birth rate of that country.
Conversely, retirement migration to a country increases the death rate and dependency ratio.
What percentage of the population in Uganda is <15 years old in comparison to the UK?
Population percentage <15
Uganda: 48.2%
UK: 17%
What is the fertility rate of Uganda in comparison to the UK?
Fertility Rate
Uganda: 5.36
UK: 1.63
What is the birth rate of Uganda in comparison to the UK?
Birth Rate / 1000 / year
Uganda: 40.94
UK: 10.79
What is the death rate of Uganda in comparison to the UK?
Death Rate / 1000 / year
Uganda: 5.02 deaths
UK: 9.07
What is the total population of Uganda in comparison to the UK?
Total Population
Uganda: 46.2m
UK: 67.8m
What is the median age of Uganda in comparison to the UK?
Median Age
Uganda: 15.7
UK: 40.6
What percentage of the population of Uganda lives in urban areas in comparison to the UK?
Urban Population
Uganda: 26.2%
UK: 84.4%