Referring to countries you have studied, explain why it is difficult to gather accurate population data in developing world countries (12)

Question 1

In Mexico, it is difficult to gather data TIB

Answer 1

When people are constantly on the move, they may be missed or counted twice.

Question 2

Countries with large numbers of homeless people or migrants living in shanty towns (e.g) Makoko in Lagos, Nigeria have no official address for an enumerator to visit TMT

Answer 2

They cannot be counted.

Question 3

Poor communication links and difficult terrain (e.g) in the Amazon Rainforest TMT

Answer 3

It can make it difficult for enumerators to reach isolated villages.

Question 4

Ongoing war in countries like Syria, TMT

Answer 4

It will be difficult to count the deaths as there are so many, it’s constant & dangerous for enumerators to enter war zones.

Question 5

Disease causes many deaths (e.g) from 2014-2016 during the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, Guinea & Liberia, 11,310 deaths were reported TMT

Answer 5

People die every day due to different diseases and it is difficult to keep up with.

Question 6

In Nigeria 500 different languages are spoken, TMT

Answer 6

It makes it expensive to print census’s in different languages.

Question 7

Countries with high levels of illiteracy, TMT

Answer 7

Mistakes may be made in census’s, more enumerators will be needed to help fill them out and this is expensive.

Question 8

Suspicion of the use of data collected, (e.g) China’s one-child policy with many female births unrecorded. TMT

Answer 8

Data may be manipulated to allow for other births or forms incorrectly as they mistrust the government and feel the information will be used against them.

Question 9

The sheer size of some developing countries, (e.g) the many Indonesian islands spread over a large area, TMT

Answer 9

It can be very difficult to count the population especially in rural areas.

Question 10

The involved in carrying out a census is prohibitive to many developing countries TMT

Answer 10

The government would rather spend the money on health/welfare programs like immunisation.

Question 11

Illegal immigrants wishing to avoid detection (e.g) Mexicans in Southern California. TMT

Answer 11

To avoid detection they will not complete forms.

Question 12

Ethnic tensions & internal political rivalries TMT

Answer 12

It may lead to inaccuracies (e.g) Northern Nigeria was reported to have inflated its population figures to secure increased political representation.