Chapter 34- Population Flashcards
Emigration
the act of leaving a country to live in another country
Birth Rate
the number of births in a year per 1000 population in a year
Death Rate
the number of deaths in a year per 1000 population in a year
Net Immigration
more people coming to live in a country than people leaving the country to live elsewhere
Infant Mortality Rate
The number of deaths per 1000 live births per year
Net Migration
the difference between immigration and emigration
Factors that affect population growth
population can grow due to natural increase or net immigration
natural increase occurs when birth rate exceeds the death rate
birth rate is influenced by the mean age of the population, the number of women in the population, and their fertility rate
death rate is influenced by nutrition, housing conditions, healthcare, lifestyle, working conditions and military action
Population Structures
In some countries women may live longer than men hence having more women than men
In some countries such as UAE and China there are more males then females, in China, families might prefer males and in the UAE a lot of males migrate for jobs opportunities
Age distribution is the division of the population into different age groups.(under 16, 16-64, over 65)
A country with low development has a population pyramid in the shape of a pyramid, it reflects high birth and death rate and has a large proportion of young people in its population
Population pyramids which show developed countries display low birth rate and death rate and more people surviving until they reach old age
Dependency ratio
The proportion of the population that has to be supported by the labor force
age structure influences the dependency ratio
Number of Dependent age Groups/ Number in the Labor Force X 100
dependent age groups are below the school leaving age and above the retirement age
Optimum Population
It is the number of people which, when combined with resources of land, capital and existing technical knowledge gives the maximum output of goods and services per head
It is a balance between population and resources
A country with large area and small population might still be considered overpopulated if there is a shortage of land, capital and technical knowledge relative to the number of workers. In this case government might try to reduce its population or increase resources by increasing investment.
A country is underpopulated when there are excess resources of land, capital and technical knowledge in comparison to the number of workers. In this case a government might encourage immigration to increase population
Effects of Increase in Population
Benefits:
better use of resources if population is below optimum
size of markets will increase
increased factor in mobility (workers who have immigrated are familiar with other and new methods)
extra demand generated
rise in labor force
Disadvantages: possible famine restriction on improvements of living standards overcrowding environmental pressure pressure on employment opportunities balance of payment pressures
Reducing Birth Rate
Improvement of educational and employment opportunities for women. Educated women tend to marry later and are more likely to restrict their family size because they need to manage their kids and work but want to ensure them a good future.
Better information and increased availability of family planning services aid in households limiting family size.
Improving healthcare and nutrition reduces infant mortality also reducing the birth rate.
Setting up pension and sickness insurance will reduce the need for family support.
Government can also raise the cost of raising children by increasing the school leaving age, and can also reduce financial support provided to families with more children
Consequences of Ageing Population
Rise in the dependency ratio
Change in labor force (decreasing the mobility of labor)
Higher demand for healthcare
Greater need for welfare services
Rise in cost of state and private pensions
Change in the pattern of demand
Ways to Cope with Ageing Population
Raise the retirement age(will reduce the costs of pensions without increasing tax. tax is only increased in countries with rising life expectancy). Working for longer can keep a workers mental and physical health in good condition and can provide them with a stable income.
It might also make it compulsory for workers to save for retirement
It might also try and raise the productivity of workers through education and training. This would temporarily increase government expenditure, but if successful, would increase tax revenue
Governments might also try and increase immigration of young workers by issuing more work permits
Internal Migration
Workers migrate from rural to urban areas to find better jobs and earn higher incomes
They supply growing industries and help in the allocation of resources.
Their migration might also help their villages from underemployment and raise living standards.
Sometimes if all agricultural workers migrate, their might be a fall in the output in the agricultural sector
Their might also be no guarantee that jobs are available, and there might be increased external costs
