Population

Question 1

What does birth rate mean?

Answer 1

• number of live births per 1000 population per year

Question 2

What does death rate mean?

Answer 2

• number of deaths per 1000 population per year

Question 3

What does life-expectancy mean?

Answer 3

• average number of years that a new born child can expect to live

Question 4

What is natural change?

Answer 4

• difference between birth rate and death rate

- demonstrates by how many the population will be by growing per thousand of population per year

Question 5

What is natural increase (NI)?

Answer 5

• Birth rate higher than death rate

- a growing population

Question 6

What is natural decrease?

Answer 6

• Death rate higher than birth rate

- a declining population

Question 7

What is zero growth?

Answer 7

• the maintenance of a population at a constant level by limiting live births

Question 8

What is exponential growth?

Answer 8

• increase in number or size of population at a constant growing rate

Question 9

Explain Stage 1 of the Demographic Transition Model

Answer 9

• high birth rate
• high death rate
• low natural increase
• e.g. Amazonian tribes, Indonesian tribes

Question 10

Explain Stage 2 of the DTM

Answer 10

• high birth rate
• decreasing death rate
• natural increase become high
• e.g. poor countries with low levels of economic development
• e.g. Nigeria, India

Question 11

Explain Stage 3 of the DTM

Answer 11

• decreasing birth rate
• low death rate
• natural increase from high becoming low
• e.g. developing countries: China, Brazil, Mexico

Question 12

Explain Stage 4 of the DTM

Answer 12

• low birth rate (still decreasing)
• low death rate
• low natural increase
• e.g. developed countries: UK, France

Question 13

Explain Stage 5 of the DTM

Answer 13

• low birth rate (may decrease)
• low death rate (stays roughly the same)
• may be natural decrease
• total population may decline
• e.g. Japan, Germany

Question 14

What is replacement level?

Answer 14

• the same replacement level is when the number of people who need to be born for one generation to be the same size as the previous
• i.e. stages 1 and 4

Question 15

What are the factors affecting birth rate and death rate?

Answer 15

• Increasing Urbanisation: - rural to urban migration is common in poorer countries and people then have access to greater medical care and education, decrease in death rate. Decreases birth rate as there are fewer families involved in agriculture. decrease in mechanisation, meaning decrease in birth rate as children are less needed to work in agriculture
• Availability of Family planning services: where contraception is readily available, there would be a decline in birth rate.
• Agricultural Change: - mechanisation of farming means less labour is required, decreasing birth rate. - Improved food production (both quality and reliability) means less malnutrition. Likely to decrease birth rate, death rate and increases life expectancy. - Stage 3 of DTM
• Education: - greater technological advancements likely to decrease birth rate and death rate - as education becomes compulsory, children become a burden, so decreases birth rate - women become better educated and want to fulfil their career potentials. - Stage 3 or 4 of DTM
• Emancipation of Women: - many women are pursuing careers and getting married and having children later in life, likely to decrease birth rate - two incomes per household are needed to have a good standard of living, decrease in birth rate
• Social provisions: death rate may decrease if elderly are cared for properly - fresh water means cholera is not spread easily - media decrease death rate since it increases social awareness

Question 16

What is the name of the Stage 1 Population Pyramid?

Answer 16

• High stationary

Question 17

What is the name of the Stage 2 Population Pyramid?

Answer 17

• Early expanding

Question 18

What is the name of the Stage 3 Population Pyramid?

Answer 18

• Late expanding

Question 19

What is the name of the Stage 4 Population Pyramid?

Answer 19

• Low stationary

Question 20

What is the name of the Stage 5 Population Pyramid?

Answer 20

• Declining

Question 21

Describe and explain the stage 1, high stationary pyramid

Answer 21

• high birth rate shown by wide base
• rapid fall in each upward age group due to high death rates shown by steep sides
• short life expectancy shown by small number of people aged over 65, meaning small number of elderly dependants
• large number of young dependants

Question 22

Describe and explain the stage 2, early expanding pyramid

Answer 22

• wide base shows high birth rate
• death rate not as high as stage 1 as the pyramid is not as steep
• life expectancy is still quite short
• there are more young dependants than working population and an increase in elderly dependants, so dependancy ratio is high

Question 23

Describe and explain the stage 3, late expanding pyramid

Answer 23

• birth rates still high due to the wide base, but proportionally there are fewer births
• death rate has significantly decreased, sides are no longer steep
• life expectancy is longer as more people are living over 65
• working population has increased, but increase in elderly dependants means dependancy is high

Question 24

Describe and explain the stage 4, low stationary pyramid

Answer 24

• birth rates are reasonable but have declined, as seen by the less wide base
• working population very similar to stage 3
• death rates stay low, sides not very steep
• life expectancy is still longer
• number of young dependants just under number of people dying, so steady growth
• high dependancy ratio

Question 25

Describe and explain the stage 5, declining pyramid

Answer 25

• birth rate is lower as shown by the narrower base, it is less than the death rate
• death rate also decreases
• working population significantly higher than young and elderly dependants
• top heavy
• smaller and ageing population

Question 26

What is a sustainable population?

Answer 26

• growth and development is at a rate that the success of future generation is not threatened e.g. resources not over-exploited
• birth rate and death rate are both low and near equal
• best seen by stage 4 of the DTM

Question 27

What are the 10 implications of population change?

Answer 27

• unemployment
• overcrowding
• chronic hunger / food insecurity
• strain on healthcare services
• natural resource shortages
• loss of green space
• cuts or rises on taxes
• shrinking population
• shanty towns
• violence

Question 28

Describe and explain unemployment as an implication of growth

Answer 28

• occurs when there is rapid population increase
• can lead to reduced quality of life as people have less disposable income
• may lead to people living in slum conditions
• stages 2 / 3
• e.g. African countries
• social and economic factor

Question 29

Describe and explain overcrowding as an implication of growth

Answer 29

• too many people living in one city causing bad traffic and soaring rents
• anxiety over how jobs, houses, food, water, transport and sanitation services can be provided.
• competition for jobs are high and many will not live in proper housing
• stages 2/3
• e.g. India
• social, environmental and economic

Question 30

Describe and explain chronic hunger/food insecurity as an implication of growth

Answer 30

• rapid population growth intensifies food insecurity in parts of the developing world
• more than 850 million people worldwide are malnourished
• investments needed in voluntary family planning, but debt problems
• stages 2/3
• e.g. Niger
• social (economic)

Question 31

Describe and explain strain on healthcare services as an implication of growth

Answer 31

• elderly population continues to increase, causing increased strain for healthcare services
• chronic diseases are on the rise
• pressure can be relieved by plants to improve public health
• stages 4/5
• e.g. UK
• social/economic

Question 32

Describe and explain natural resource shortages as an implication of growth

Answer 32

• a number of countries face critical shortages of natural resources. some countries have less than a year of natural energy resources and are almost entirely dependent on imports from Russia, Norway, Qatar.
• may cause blackouts
• stages 2/3/4
• economic, social, environment and political

Question 33

Describe and explain loss of green space as an implication of growth

Answer 33

• children are impacted as they are no longer able to experience nature properly
• dense population means more buildings have to be built, destroying green spaces for children
• pollution
• disease e.g. asthma
• stages 3/4/5
• e.g. UK
• environmental and social

Question 34

Describe and explain cuts or rises on taxes as an implication of growth

Answer 34

• large scale of spendings or tax rises to fund future pension and social obligation for an ageing population
• end of 4 / 5
• e.g. Germany, UK
• social and economic

Question 35

Describe and explain shrinking population as an implication of growth

Answer 35

• more developed countries now have shrinking population
• may increase the dependancy ration from 4 : 1 to 2 : 1 by 2060
• causes stress on welfare and pension systems
• stages 4/5
• e.g. Germany, Japan
• social and economic

Question 36

Describe and explain shanty towns as an implication of growth

Answer 36

• urban areas becoming increasingly overcrowded. Shanty towns will continue to grow and people there will do so in very poor sanitary conditions
• may cause outbreaks of devastating diseases
• stages 2/3
• e.g. India
• social environmental

Question 37

Describe and explain violence as an implication of growth

Answer 37

• may result from pressure and competition from resources, such as food, jobs and space
• perhaps more likely in areas with unstable governments where long term planning is less developed
• stages 2/3
• e.g. India
• social, political, economic

Question 38

What is an ageing population?

Answer 38

• an ageing population is defined as a population in which the number of elderly (65+) is increasing relative to the number of 20-64 year olds.
• there is a high dependancy ratio

Question 39

Which countries are concerned with having an ageing population?

Answer 39

• Stage 5 of the DTM
• due to longer life expectancies and lower birth rates
  low, stable death rates, birth rate below death rate
• natural decrease
  e.g. germany, japan, norway, singapore

Question 40

Why do countries have ageing populations?

Answer 40

• improvement of healthcare and medicine
• decrease in poverty
• children becoming a burden
• improved knowledge about diet and exercise
• increased leisure and recreating time
• improved living standards and quality of life

Question 41

How is global population changing?

Answer 41

• in general, the human population is showing an ageing structure
• life expectancy is increasing in nearly all regions of the world due to better health care and medicine (expect Africa where HIV/AIDS are not under control)
• there is an increased awareness of hygiene, so fewer deaths due to infections and the universal use of antibiotics means that once fatal diseases can be controlled.
• older people tend to be fitter and have wider interests with more spare time

1950 - 2.5 billion
2000 - 6 billion
2015 - 7 billion
2050 - 9.5 billion

Question 42

What are the problems a country could face with an ageing population?

Answer 42

• health and fitness: an increase in degenerative disease such as heart disease. this puts pressure on the economy as the people are cared for. the bill for dementia is expected to double to £47 billion within 20 years
• increasing care needs: elderly people spend longer in hospital than younger people and the increase in degenerative diseases means they require costly medicines. Many may also go to using homes. Putting financial pressure on the government
• housing: many elderly have specific housing needs such as homes without stairs or living in a sheeted accommodation
• pension: as more and more people live longer, they will claim their state pension for longer. the state pension began in 1908 when male life expectancy was 67 and the retirement age was 65. there are now more elderly people and fewer non-dependants working. this means taxes may have to increase to pay the pension bill
• fewer works and increased tax: a smaller working population to pay taxes, so individual contribution rises

Question 43

What are the positive implication of an ageing population?

Answer 43

• childcare: grandparents are able to take care of grandchildren
• longer, healthier lives
• increased knowledge/experience
• grey pound: more money spent by elderly
• work for free