growth of world population essay

Understanding Global Change

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Population growth

Population growth is the increase in the number of humans on Earth. For most of human history our population size was relatively stable. But with innovation and industrialization, energy, food , water , and medical care became more available and reliable. Consequently, global human population rapidly increased, and continues to do so, with dramatic impacts on global climate and ecosystems. We will need technological and social innovation to help us support the world’s population as we adapt to and mitigate climate and environmental changes.

World human population growth from 10,000 BC to 2019 AD. Data from: The United Nations

Human population growth impacts the Earth system in a variety of ways, including:

• Increasing the extraction of resources from the environment. These resources include fossil fuels (oil, gas, and coal), minerals, trees , water , and wildlife , especially in the oceans. The process of removing resources, in turn, often releases pollutants and waste that reduce air and water quality , and harm the health of humans and other species.
• Increasing the burning of fossil fuels for energy to generate electricity, and to power transportation (for example, cars and planes) and industrial processes.
• Increase in freshwater use for drinking, agriculture , recreation, and industrial processes. Freshwater is extracted from lakes, rivers, the ground, and man-made reservoirs.
• Increasing ecological impacts on environments. Forests and other habitats are disturbed or destroyed to construct urban areas including the construction of homes, businesses, and roads to accommodate growing populations. Additionally, as populations increase, more land is used for agricultural activities to grow crops and support livestock. This, in turn, can decrease species populations , geographic ranges , biodiversity , and alter interactions among organisms.
• Increasing fishing and hunting , which reduces species populations of the exploited species. Fishing and hunting can also indirectly increase numbers of species that are not fished or hunted if more resources become available for the species that remain in the ecosystem.
• Increasing the transport of invasive species , either intentionally or by accident, as people travel and import and export supplies. Urbanization also creates disturbed environments where invasive species often thrive and outcompete native species. For example, many invasive plant species thrive along strips of land next to roads and highways.
• The transmission of diseases . Humans living in densely populated areas can rapidly spread diseases within and among populations. Additionally, because transportation has become easier and more frequent, diseases can spread quickly to new regions.

Can you think of additional cause and effect relationships between human population growth and other parts of the Earth system?

Visit the burning of fossil fuels , agricultural activities , and urbanization pages to learn more about how processes and phenomena related to the size and distribution of human populations affect global climate and ecosystems.

Investigate

Learn more in these real-world examples, and challenge yourself to  construct a model  that explains the Earth system relationships.

• The Ecology of Human Populations: Thomas Malthus
• A Pleistocene Puzzle: Extinction in South America

Links to Learn More

• United Nations World Population Maps
• Scientific American: Does Population Growth Impact Climate Change?

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Thomas Malthus on population

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Thomas Robert Malthus (1766–1834) demonstrated perfectly the propensity of each generation to overthrow the fondest schemes of the last when he published An Essay on the Principle of Population (1798), in which he painted the gloomiest picture imaginable of the human prospect. He argued that population , tending to grow at a geometric rate, will ever press against the food supply, which at best increases only arithmetically, and thus poverty and misery are forever inescapable. This idea is altogether plausible, if simplistic, and its rapid adoption by theorists of the laissez-faire school is largely responsible for the designation of economics as the “dismal science.” Malthus’s argument had a profounder effect on the science of biology , for it was the reading of his essay that sparked the idea of natural selection by survival of the fittest in the minds of both Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace .

By the time Malthus was asked to write the article “Population” for the 1824 Supplement of the fourth edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica , he had somewhat moderated the bleakness of An Essay on the Principle of Population , at least to the extent of adding to the “positive checks” on population—war, starvation, and so on—the idea of more benign “preventive checks,” prudential acts like the purposeful delay of marriage and childbearing. The following short excerpt from Malthus’s article focuses on his ideas about population control.

Consider…the nature of those checks which have been classed under the general heads of Preventive and Positive.

It will be found that they are all resolvable into moral restraint , vice , and misery . And if, from the laws of nature, some check to the increase of population be absolutely inevitable, and human institutions have any influence upon the extent to which each of these checks operates, a heavy responsibility will be incurred, if all that influence, whether direct or indirect, be not exerted to diminish the amount of vice and misery.

Moral restraint, in application to the present subject, may be defined to be, abstinence from marriage, either for a time or permanently, from prudential considerations, with a strictly moral conduct towards the sex in the interval. And this is the only mode of keeping population on a level with the means of subsistence, which is perfectly consistent with virtue and happiness. All other checks, whether of the preventive or the positive kind, though they may greatly vary in degree, resolve themselves into some form of vice or misery.

The remaining checks of the preventive kind, are the sort of intercourse which renders some of the women of large towns unprolific: a general corruption of morals with regard to the sex, which has a similar effect; unnatural passions and improper arts to prevent the consequences of irregular connections. These evidently come under the head of vice.

The positive checks to population include all the causes, which tend in any way prematurely to shorten the duration of human life; such as unwholesome occupations—severe labour and exposure to the seasons—bad and insufficient food and clothing arising from poverty—bad nursing of children—excesses of all kinds—great towns and manufactories—the whole train of common diseases and epidemics —wars, infanticide, plague, and famine. Of these positive checks, those which appear to arise from the laws of nature , may be called exclusively misery; and those which we bring upon ourselves, such as wars, excesses of all kinds, and many others, which it would be in our power to avoid, are of a mixed nature. They are brought upon us by vice, and their consequences are misery.

…Prudence cannot be enforced by laws, without a great violation of natural liberty, and a great risk of producing more evil than good. But still, the very great influence of a just and enlightened government, and the perfect security of property in creating habits of prudence, cannot for a moment be questioned.…

The existence of a tendency in mankind to increase, if unchecked, beyond the possibility of an adequate supply of food in a limited territory, must at once determine the question as to the natural right of the poor to full support in a state of society where the law of property is recognized. The question, therefore, resolves itself chiefly into a question relating to the necessity of those laws which establish and protect private property. It has been usual to consider the right of the strongest as the law of nature among mankind as well as among brutes; yet, in so doing, we at once give up the peculiar and distinctive superiority of man as a reasonable being, and class him with the beasts of the field.…If it be generally considered as so discreditable to receive parochial relief, that great exertions are made to avoid it, and few or none marry with a certain prospect of being obliged to have recourse to it, there is no doubt that those who were really in distress might be adequately assisted, with little danger of a constantly increasing proportion of paupers; and in that case a great good would be attained without any proportionate evil to counterbalance it.

The Growth of World Population: Analysis of the Problems and Recommendations for Research and Training (1963)

Chapter: world population problems, world population problems, the growth of world population.

The population of the world, now somewhat in excess of three billion persons, is growing at about two per cent a year, or faster than at any other period in man’s history. While there has been a steady increase of population growth during the past two or three centuries, it has been especially rapid during the past 20 years. To appreciate the pace of population growth we should recall that world population doubled in about 1,700 years from the time of Christ until the middle of the 17th century; it doubled again in about 200 years, doubled again in less than 100, and, if the current rate of population increase were to remain constant, would double every 35 years. Moreover, this rate is still increasing.

To be sure, the rate of increase cannot continue to grow much further. Even if the death rate were to fall to zero, at the present level of human reproduction the growth rate would not be much in excess of three and one-half per cent per year, and the time required for world population to double would not fall much below 20 years.

Although the current two per cent a year does not sound like an extraordinary rate of increase, a few simple calculations demonstrate that such a rate of increase in human population could not possibly continue for more than a few hundred years. Had this rate existed from the time of Christ to now, the world population would have increased in this period by a factor of about 7×10 16 ; in other words, there would be about 20 million individuals in place of each

person now alive, or 100 people to each square foot. If the present world population should continue to increase at its present rate of two per cent per year, then, within two centuries, there will be more than 150 billion people. Calculations of this sort demonstrate without question not only that the current continued increase in the rate of population growth must cease but also that this rate must decline again. There can be no doubt concerning this long-term prognosis: Either the birth rate of the world must come down or the death rate must go back up.

POPULATION GROWTH IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD

The rates of population growth are not the same, of course, in all parts of the world. Among the industrialized countries, Japan and most of the countries of Europe are now growing relatively slowly—doubling their populations in 50 to 100 years. Another group of industrialized countries—the United States, the Soviet Union, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Argentina—are doubling their populations in 30 to 40 years, approximately the world average. The pre-industrial, low-income, and less-developed areas of the world, with two thirds of the world’s population—including Asia (except Japan and the Asiatic part of the Soviet Union), the southwestern Pacific islands (principally the Philippines and Indonesia), Africa (with the exception of European minorities), the Caribbean Islands, and Latin America (with the exception of Argentina and Uruguay)—are growing at rates ranging from moderate to very fast. Annual growth rates in all these areas range from one and one-half to three and one-half per cent, doubling in 20 to 40 years.

The rates of population growth of the various countries of the world are, with few exceptions, simply the differences between their birth rates and death rates. International migration is a negligible factor in rates of growth today. Thus, one can understand the varying rates of population growth of different parts of the world by understanding what underlies their respective birth and death rates.

THE REDUCTION OF FERTILITY AND MORTALITY IN WESTERN EUROPE SINCE 1800

A brief, over-simplified history of the course of birth and death rates in western Europe since about 1800 not only provides a frame of reference for understanding the current birth and death rates in Europe, but also casts some light on the present situation and prospects in other parts of the world. A simplified picture of the population history of a typical western European country is shown in

Figure 1 . Schematic presentation of birth and death rates in western Europe after 1800. (The time span varies roughly from 75 to 150 years.)

Figure 1 . The jagged interval in the early death rate and the recent birth rate is intended to indicate that all the rates are subject to substantial annual variation. The birth rate in 1800 was about 35 per 1,000 population and the average number of children ever born to women reaching age 45 was about five. The death rate in 1800 averaged 25 to 30 per 1,000 population although, as indicated, it was subject to variation because of episodic plagues, epidemics, and crop failures. The average expectation of life at birth was 35 years or less. The current birth rate in western European countries is 14 to 20 per 1,000 population with an average of two to three children born to a woman by the end of childbearing. The death rate is 7 to 11 per 1,000 population per year, and the expectation of life at birth is about 70 years. The death rate declined, starting in the late 18th or early 19th century, partly because of better transport and communication, wider markets, and greater productivity, but more directly because of the development of sanitation and, later, modern medicine. These developments, part of the changes in the whole complex of modern civilization, involved scientific and technological advances in many areas, specifically in public health, medicine, agriculture, and industry. The immediate cause of the decline in the birth rate was the increased deliberate control of fertility within marriage. The only important exception to this statement relates to Ireland, where the decline in the birth rate was brought about by an increase of several years in the age at marriage combined with an increase of 10 to 15 per cent in the proportion of people remaining single. The average age at marriage rose to 28 and more than a fourth of Irish women remained unmarried at age 45. In other countries, however, such social changes have had either insignificant or favorable effects on the birth rate. In these countries—England, Wales, Scotland, Scandinavia, the Low Countries, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and France—the birth rate went down because of the practice of contraception among married couples. It is certain that there was no decline in the reproductive capacity; in fact, with improved health, the contrary is likely.

Only a minor fraction of the decline in western European fertility can be ascribed to the invention of modern techniques of contraception. In the first place, very substantial declines in some European countries antedated the invention and mass manufacture of contraceptive devices. Second, we know from surveys that as recently as just

before World War II more than half of the couples in Great Britain practicing birth control were practicing withdrawal, or coitus interruptus. There is similar direct evidence for other European countries.

In this instance, the decline in fertility was not the result of technical innovations in contraception, but of the decision of married couples to resort to folk methods known for centuries. Thus we must explain the decline in the western European birth rates in terms of why people were willing to modify their sexual behavior in order to have fewer children. Such changes in attitude were doubtless a part of a whole set of profound social and economic changes that accompanied the industrialization and modernization of western Europe. Among the factors underlying this particular change in attitude was a change in the economic consequences of childbearing. In a pre-industrial, agrarian society children start helping with chores at an early age; they do not remain in a dependent status during a long period of education. They provide the principal form of support for the parents in their old age, and, with high mortality, many children must be born to ensure that some will survive to take care of their parents. On the other hand, in an urban, industrialized society, children are less of an economic asset and more of an economic burden.

Among the social factors that might account for the change in attitude is the decline in the importance of the family as an economic unit that has accompanied the industrialization and modernization of Europe. In an industrialized economy, the family is no longer the unit of production and individuals come to be judged by what they do rather than who they are. Children leave home to seek jobs and parents no longer count on support by their children in their old age. As this kind of modernization continues, public education, which is essential to the production of a literate labor force, is extended to women, and thus the traditional subordinate role of women is modified. Since the burden of child care falls primarily on women, their rise in status is probably an important element in the development of an attitude favoring the deliberate limitation of family size. Finally, the social and economic changes characteristic of industrialization and modernization of a country are accompanied by and reinforce a rise of secularism, pragmatism, and rationalism in place of custom and tradition. Since modernization of a nation involves extension of deliberate human control over an increasing range of the environment,

it is not surprising that people living in an economy undergoing industrialization should extend the notion of deliberate and rational control to the question of whether or not birth should result from their sexual activities.

As the simplified representation in Figure 1 indicates, the birth rate in western Europe usually began its descent after the death rate had already fallen substantially. (France is a partial exception. The decline in French births began late in the 18th century and the downward courses of the birth and death rates during the 19th century were more or less parallel.) In general, the death rate appears to be affected more immediately and automatically by industrialization. One may surmise that the birth rate responds more slowly because its reduction requires changes in more deeply seated customs. There is in most societies a consensus in favor of improving health and reducing the incidence of premature death. There is no such consensus for changes in attitudes and behavior needed to reduce the birth rate.

DECLINING FERTILITY AND MORTALITY IN OTHER INDUSTRIALIZED AREAS

The pattern of declining mortality and fertility that we have described for western Europe fits not only the western European countries upon which it is based but also, with suitable adjustment in the initial birth and death rates and in the time scale, eastern and southern Europe (with the exception of Albania), the Soviet Union, Japan, the United States, Australia, Canada, Argentina, and New Zealand. In short, every country that has changed from a predominantly rural agrarian society to a predominantly industrial urban society and has extended public education to near-universality, at least at the primary school level, has had a major reduction in birth and death rates of the sort depicted in Figure 1 .

The jagged line describing the variable current birth rate represents in some instances—notably the United States—a major recovery in the birth rate from its low point. It must be remembered, however, that this recovery has not been caused by a reversion to uncontrolled family size. In the United States, for example, one can scarcely imagine that married couples have forgotten how to employ the contraceptive

techniques that reduced the birth rates to a level of mere replacement just before World War II. We know, in fact, that more couples are skilled in the use of contraception today than ever before. (Nevertheless, effective methods of controlling family size are still unknown and unused by many couples even in the United States.) The recent increase in the birth rate has been the result largely of earlier and more nearly universal marriage, the virtual disappearance of childless and one-child families, and a voluntary choice of two, three, or four children by a vast majority of American couples. There has been no general return to the very large family of pre-industrial times, although some segments of our society still produce many unwanted children.

POPULATION TRENDS IN LESS-DEVELOPED COUNTRIES

We turn now to a comparison of the present situation in the less-developed areas with the demographic circumstances in western Europe prior to the industrial revolution. Figure 2 presents the trends of birth and death rates in the less-developed areas in a rough schematic way similar to that employed in Figure 1 . There are several important differences between the circumstances in today’s less-developed areas and those in pre-industrial Europe. Note first that the birth rate in the less-developed areas is higher than it was in pre-industrial western Europe. This difference results from the fact that in many less-developed countries almost all women at age 35 have married, and at an average age substantially less than in 18th-century Europe. Second, many of the less-developed areas of the world today are much more densely populated than was western Europe at the beginning of the industrial revolution. Moreover, there are few remaining areas comparable to North and South America into which a growing population could move and which could provide rapidly expanding markets. Finally, and most significantly, the death rate in the less-developed areas is dropping very rapidly—a decline that looks almost vertical compared to the gradual decline in western Europe—and without regard to economic change.

The precipitous decline in the death rate that is occurring in the low-income countries of the world is a consequence of the development and application of low-cost public health techniques. Unlike

Figure 2 . Schematic presentation of birth and death rates in less-developed countries, mid-20th century. (The steep drop in the death rate from approximately 35 per thousand began at times varying roughly between 1940 and 1960 from country to country.)

the countries of western Europe, the less-developed areas have not had to wait for the slow gradual development of medical science, nor have they had to await the possibly more rapid but still difficult process of constructing major sanitary engineering works and the build-up of a large inventory of expensive hospitals, public health

services, and highly trained doctors. Instead, the less-developed areas have been able to import low-cost measures of controlling disease, measures developed for the most part in the highly industrialized countries. The use of residual insecticides to provide effective protection against malaria at a cost of no more than 25 cents per capita per annum is an outstanding example. Other innovations include antibiotics and chemotherapy, and low-cost ways of providing safe water supplies and adequate environmental sanitation in villages that in most other ways remain relatively untouched by modernization. The death rate in Ceylon was cut in half in less than a decade, and declines approaching this in rapidity are almost commonplace.

The result of a precipitous decline in mortality while the birth rate remains essentially unchanged is, of course, a very rapid acceleration in population growth, reaching rates of three to three and one-half per cent. Mexico’s population, for example, has grown in recent years at a rate of approximately three and one-half per cent a year. This extreme rate is undoubtedly due to temporary factors and would stabilize at not more than three per cent. But even at three per cent per year, two centuries would see the population of Mexico grow to about 13.5 billion people. Two centuries is a long time, however. Might we not expect that long before 200 years had passed the population of Mexico would have responded to modernization, as did the populations of western Europe, by reducing the birth rate? A positive answer might suggest that organized educational efforts to reduce the birth rate are not necessary. But there is a more immediate problem demanding solution in much less than two centuries: Is the current demographic situation in the less-developed countries impeding the process of modernization itself? If so, a course of action that would directly accelerate the decline in fertility becomes an important part of the whole development effort which is directed toward improving the quality of each individual’s life.

POPULATION TRENDS AND THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF PRE-INDUSTRIAL COUNTRIES

The combination of high birth rates and low or rapidly declining death rates now found in the less-developed countries implies two different characteristics of the population that have important impli-

cations for the pace of their economic development. One important characteristic is rapid growth, which is the immediate consequence of the large and often growing difference between birth and death rates; the other is the heavy burden of child dependency which results from a high birth rate whether death rates are high or low. A reduced death rate has only a slight effect on the proportion of children in the population, and this effect is in a rather surprising direction. The kinds of mortality reduction that have actually occurred in the world have the effect, if fertility remains unchanged, of reducing rather than increasing the average age of the population.

Mortality reduction produces this effect because the largest increases occur in the survival of infants, and, although the reduction in mortality increases the number of old persons, it increases the number of children even more. The result is that the high fertility found in low-income countries produces a proportion of children under fifteen of 40 to 45 per cent of the total population, compared to 25 per cent or less in most of the industrialized countries.

What do these characteristics of rapid growth and very large proportions of children imply about the capacity to achieve rapid industrialization? It must be noted that it is probably technically possible in every less-developed area to increase national output at rates even more rapid than the very rapid rates of population increase we have discussed, at least for a few years. The reason at least slight increases in per capita income appear feasible is that the low-income countries can import industrial and agricultural technology as well as medical technology. Briefly, the realistic question in the short run does not seem to be whether some increases in per capita income are possible while the population grows rapidly, but rather whether rapid population growth is a major deterrent to a rapid and continuing increase in per capita income.

A specific example will clarify this point. If the birth rate in India is not reduced, its population will probably double in the next 25 or 30 years, increasing from about 450 million to about 900 million. Agricultural experts consider it feasible within achievable limits of capital investment to accomplish a doubling of Indian agricultural output within the next 20 to 25 years. In the same period the output of the non-agricultural part of the Indian economy probably would be slightly more than doubled if the birth rate remained unchanged.

For a generation at least, then, India’s economic output probably can stay ahead of its maximum rate of population increase. This bare excess over the increase in population, however, is scarcely a satisfactory outcome of India’s struggle to achieve economic betterment. The real question is: Could India and the other less-developed areas of the world do substantially better if their birth rates and thus their population growth rates were reduced? Economic analysis clearly indicates that the answer is yes. Any growth of population adds to the rate of increase of national output that must be achieved in order to increase per capita output by any given amount.

To double per capita output in 30 years requires an annual increase in per capita output of 2.3 per cent; if population growth is three per cent a year, then the annual increase in national output must be raised to 5.3 per cent to achieve the desired level of economic growth. In either instance an economy, to grow, must divert effort and resources from producing for current consumption to the enhancement of future productivity. In other words, to grow faster an economy must raise its level of net investment. Net investment is investment in factories, roads, irrigation networks, and fertilizer plants, and also in education and training. The low-income countries find it difficult to mobilize resources for these purposes for three reasons: The pressure to use all available resources for current consumption is great; rapid population growth adds very substantially to the investment targets that must be met to achieve any given rate of increase in material well-being; and the very high proportions of children that result from high fertility demand that a larger portion of national output must be used to support a very large number of non-earning dependents. These dependents create pressure to produce for immediate consumption only. In individual terms, the family with a large number of children finds it more difficult to save, and a government that tries to finance development expenditures out of taxes can expect less support from a population with many children. Moreover, rapid population growth and a heavy burden of child dependency divert investment funds to less productive uses—that is, less productive in the long run. To achieve a given level of literacy in a population much more must be spent on schools. In an expanding population of large families, construction effort must go into housing rather than into factories or power plants.

Thus the combination of continued high fertility and greatly reduced mortality in the less-developed countries raises the levels of investment required while impairing the capacity of the economy to achieve high levels of investment. Economists have estimated that a gradual reduction in the rate of childbearing, totaling 50 per cent in 30 years, would add about 40 per cent to the income per consumer that could be achieved by the end of that time.

To recapitulate, a short-term increase in per capita income may be possible in most less-developed areas, even if the fertility rate is not reduced. Nevertheless, even in the short run, progress will be much faster and more certain if the birth rate falls. In the longer run, economic progress will eventually be stopped and reversed unless the birth rate declines or the death rate increases. Economic progress will be slower and more doubtful if less-developed areas wait for the supposedly inevitable impact of modernization on the birth rate. They run the risk that rapid population growth and adverse age distribution would themselves prevent the achievement of the very modernization they count on to bring the birth rate down.

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Two centuries of rapid global population growth will come to an end

Global population has increased rapidly over the past century. this period of rapid growth is temporary: the world is entering a new equilibrium and rapid population growth is coming to an end..

One of the big lessons from the demographic history of countries is that periods of rapid population growth are temporary. For many countries, the demographic transition has already ended, and as the global fertility rate has now halved we know that the world as a whole is approaching the end of rapid population growth.

This visualization presents an overview of the global demographic transition, based on estimates from the 2022 data release from the UN Population Division .

As we explore at the beginning of the topic page on population growth , the global population grew only very slowly up to 1700 – only 0.04% per year. In the many millennia up to that point in history very high mortality of children counteracted high fertility. The world was in the first stage of the demographic transition.

Once health improved and mortality declined things changed quickly. Particularly over the course of the 20th century: Over the last 100 years global population more than quadrupled. As we see in the chart, the rise of the global population got steeper and steeper and you have just lived through the steepest increase of that curve. This also means that your existence is a tiny part of the reason why that curve is so steep.

The 7-fold increase of the world population over the course of two centuries amplified humanity’s impact on the natural environment. To provide space, food, and resources for a large world population in a way that is sustainable into the distant future is without question one of the large, serious challenges for our generation. We should not make the mistake of underestimating the task ahead of us. Yes, I expect new generations to contribute , but for now, it is upon us to provide for them. Population growth is still fast: every year, 134 million are born, and 58 million die. 1 The difference is the number of people that we add to the world population in a year: 76 million.

Where do we go from here?

In pink, you see the annual population growth rate (that is, the percentage change in population per year) of the global population. It peaked around half a century ago. Peak population growth was reached in 1963 with an annual growth of 2.3%.

Since then the increase of the world population has slowed and today grows by 0.9% per year. This slowdown of population growth was not only predictable but predicted . Just as expected by demographers, the world as a whole is experiencing the closing of a massive demographic transition.

This chart also shows how the United Nations envision the end of the global demographic transition. As population growth continues to decline, the curve representing the world population is getting less and less steep.

Towards the end of the century, the UN expects the global population to reach its peak at around 10.4 billion. After this point, the UN demographers project global population growth to become negative, so that the world population starts to fall slowly.

It is hard to know the population dynamics beyond 2100. It will depend on the fertility rate and – as we discuss in our entry on fertility rates – fertility first falls with development, and then rises with development. The question will be whether it will rise above an average of 2 children per woman.

The world enters the last phase of the demographic transition and this means we will not repeat the past. The global population has quadrupled over the course of the 20th century, but it will not double anymore over the course of this century.

The world population will reach a size that, compared to humanity’s history , will be extraordinary; if the UN projections are accurate (they have a good track record ), the world population will have increased more than 10-fold over the span of 250 years.

We are on the way to a new balance. The big global demographic transition that the world entered more than two centuries ago is then coming to an end. This new equilibrium is different from the one in the past when it was the very high mortality that kept population growth in check. In the new balance, it will be low fertility that keeps population changes small.

This was the annual figure in 2019, before the high mortality years of 2020 and 2021.

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Essay on Population Growth

Students are often asked to write an essay on Population Growth in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Population Growth

What is population growth.

Population growth means the increase in the number of people living in a particular area over time. Imagine a classroom getting more students every year; that’s like a small example of population growth.

Causes of Population Growth

Effects of more people.

When there are too many people, it can be hard to have enough food, water, and homes for everyone. Too many people can also harm the environment.

Managing Population Growth

Countries can manage population by teaching people about family planning and making sure everyone can go to school and work, especially women. This helps families make better choices about having children.

250 Words Essay on Population Growth

Population growth is when the number of people in a place increases over time. Imagine your school getting more students every year; that’s like a small example of population growth. This happens all over the world and can be due to babies being born or people moving to new places.

Why Do Populations Grow?

There are a few reasons why more people are added to the world’s population. One big reason is that we have better medicine and food now, so fewer people get sick and almost everyone has enough to eat. This means people can live longer and more children grow up to be adults. Also, when families have more babies, the population goes up.

When there are more people, it can be both good and bad. It’s good because there are more workers and more ideas for inventions. But it can be tough because we need more houses, schools, and hospitals. Also, if there are too many people, there might not be enough food or clean water for everyone.

Countries try to manage population growth by educating people. They teach about family planning and provide healthcare. This helps families make smart choices about how many children to have. It’s important to balance the number of people with what the environment can support.

500 Words Essay on Population Growth

There are a few reasons why more people are added to the world. First, when families have many children, the population goes up. Second, thanks to better medicine and food, people are living longer than they used to. If more people are born than those who die, the population will grow.

The Good Side of Population Growth

More people can mean more ideas and more help to do big projects. Imagine having a lot of friends to help you build a fort; with many hands, the work gets easier. Countries with growing populations can have more workers, which might help them make more things and have stronger economies.

The Challenges of Population Growth

Schools might get too crowded, and there might not be enough doctors and hospitals for sick people. It can also be hard on our planet because more people use more resources and can create more trash and pollution.

What Are People Doing About It?

Looking ahead.

To sum it up, population growth is like a garden. If we take good care of it and plan well, it can be a place of beauty and abundance. But if we don’t look after it, it can become crowded and difficult to manage. By working together and making smart choices, we can ensure that our world can support all the people who live in it, now and in the future.

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An Introduction to Population Growth

Why Study Population Growth?

Population ecology is the study of how populations — of plants, animals, and other organisms — change over time and space and interact with their environment. Populations are groups of organisms of the same species living in the same area at the same time. They are described by characteristics that include:

• population size: the number of individuals in the population
• population density: how many individuals are in a particular area
• population growth: how the size of the population is changing over time.

If population growth is just one of many population characteristics, what makes studying it so important?

First, studying how and why populations grow (or shrink!) helps scientists make better predictions about future changes in population sizes and growth rates. This is essential for answering questions in areas such as biodiversity conservation (e.g., the polar bear population is declining, but how quickly, and when will it be so small that the population is at risk for extinction?) and human population growth (e.g., how fast will the human population grow, and what does that mean for climate change, resource use, and biodiversity?).

Studying population growth also helps scientists understand what causes changes in population sizes and growth rates. For example, fisheries scientists know that some salmon populations are declining, but do not necessarily know why. Are salmon populations declining because they have been overfished by humans? Has salmon habitat disappeared? Have ocean temperatures changed causing fewer salmon to survive to maturity? Or, maybe even more likely, is it a combination of these things? If scientists do not understand what is causing the declines, it is much more difficult for them to do anything about it. And remember, learning what is probably not affecting a population can be as informative as learning what is.

Finally, studying population growth gives scientists insight into how organisms interact with each other and with their environments. This is especially meaningful when considering the potential impacts of climate change and other changes in environmental factors (how will populations respond to changing temperatures? To drought? Will one population prosper after another declines?).

Ok, studying population growth is important...where should we start?

Population Growth Basics and the American Bison

The US government, along with private landowners, began attempts to save the American bison from extinction by establishing protected herds in the late 1800's and early 1900's. The herds started small, but with plentiful resources and few predators, they grew quickly. The bison population in northern Yellowstone National Park (YNP) increased from 21 bison in 1902 to 250 in only 13 years (Figure 1, Gates et al . 2010).

The yearly increase in the northern YNP bison population between 1902 and 1915 can be described as exponential growth . A population that grows exponentially adds increasingly more individuals as the population size increases. The original adult bison mate and have calves, those calves grow into adults who have calves, and so on. This generates much faster growth than, say, adding a constant number of individuals to the population each year.

Exponential growth works by leveraging increases in population size, and does not require increases in population growth rates. The northern YNP bison herd grew at a relatively constant rate of 18% per year between 1902 and 1915 (Gates et al . 2010). This meant that the herd only added between 4 and 9 individuals in the first couple of years, but added closer to 50 individuals by 1914 when the population was larger and more individuals were reproducing. Speaking of reproduction, how often a species reproduces can affect how scientists describe population growth (see Figure 2 to learn more).

Figure 2: Bison young are born once a year — how does periodic reproduction affect how we describe population growth? The female bison in the YNP herd all have calves around the same time each year — in spring from April through the beginning of June (Jones et al. 2010) — so the population size does not increase gradually, but jumps up at calving time. This type of periodic reproduction is common in nature, and very different from animals like humans, who have babies throughout the year. When scientists want to describe the growth of populations that reproduce periodically, they use geometric growth. Geometric growth is similar to exponential growth because increases in the size of the population depend on the population size (more individuals having more offspring means faster growth!), but under geometric growth timing is important: geometric growth depends on the number of individuals in the population at the beginning of each breeding season. Exponential growth and geometric growth are similar enough that over longer periods of time, exponential growth can accurately describe changes in populations that reproduce periodically (like bison) as well as those that reproduce more constantly (like humans). Photo courtesy of Guimir via Wikimedia Commons.

The power of exponential growth is worth a closer look. If you started with a single bacterium that could double every hour, exponential growth would give you 281,474,977,000,000 bacteria in just 48 hours! The YNP bison population reached a maximum of 5000 animals in 2005 (Plumb et al . 2009), but if it had continued to grow exponentially as it did between 1902 and 1915 (18% growth rate), there would be over 1.3 billion (1,300,000,000) bison in the YNP herd today. That's more than thirteen times larger than the largest population ever thought to have roamed the entire plains region!

The potential results may seem fantastic, but exponential growth appears regularly in nature. When organisms enter novel habitats and have abundant resources, as is the case for invading agricultural pests, introduced species , or during carefully managed recoveries like the American bison, their populations often experience periods of exponential growth. In the case of introduced specie s or agricultural pests, exponential population growth can lead to dramatic environmental degradation and significant expenditures to control pest species (Figure 3).

After the Boom: Limits to Growing Out of Control

Let's think about the conditions that allowed the bison population to grow between 1902 and 1915. The total number of bison in the YNP herd could have changed because of births, deaths, immigration and emigration (immigration is individuals coming in from outside the population, emigration is individuals leaving to go elsewhere). The population was isolated, so no immigration or emigration occurred, meaning only births and deaths changed the size of the population. Because the population grew, there must have been more births than deaths, right? Right, but that is a simple way of telling a more complicated story. Births exceeded deaths in the northern YNP bison herd between 1902 and 1915, allowing the population to grow, but other factors such as the age structure of the population, characteristics of the species such as lifespan and fecundity , and favorable environmental conditions, determined how much and how fast.

Changes in the factors that once allowed a population to grow can explain why growth slows or even stops. Figure 4 shows periods of growth, as well as periods of decline, in the number of YNP bison between 1901 and 2008. Growth of the northern YNP bison herd has been limited by disease and predation, habitat loss and fragmentation, human intervention, and harsh winters (Gates et al . 2010, Plumb et al . 2009), resulting in a current population that typically falls between 2500 and 5000, well below the 1.3 billion bison that continued exponential growth could have generated.

Factors that enhance or limit population growth can be divided into two categories based on how each factor is affected by the number of individuals occupying a given area — or the population's density . As population size approaches the carrying capacity of the environment, the intensity of density-dependent factors increases. For example, competition for resources, predation, and rates of infection increase with population density and can eventually limit population size. Other factors, like pollution, seasonal weather extremes, and natural disasters — hurricanes, fires, droughts, floods, and volcanic eruptions — affect populations irrespective of their density, and can limit population growth simply by severely reducing the number of individuals in the population.

The idea that uninhibited exponential growth would eventually be limited was formalized in 1838 by mathematician Pierre-Francois Verhulst. While studying how resource availability might affect human population growth, Verhulst published an equation that limits exponential growth as the size of the population increases. Verhulst's equation is commonly referred to as the logistic equation , and was rediscovered and popularized in 1920 when Pearl and Reed used it to predict population growth in the United States. Figure 5 illustrates logistic growth: the population grows exponentially under certain conditions, as the northern YNP bison herd did between 1902 and 1915, but is limited as the population increases toward the carrying capacity of its environment. Check out the article by J. Vandermeer (2010) for a more detailed explanation of the equations that describe exponential and logistic growth.

Logistic growth is commonly observed in nature as well as in the laboratory (Figure 6), but ecologists have observed that the size of many populations fluctuates over time rather than remaining constant as logistic growth predicts. Fluctuating populations generally exhibit a period of population growth followed a period of population decline, followed by another period of population growth, followed by...you get the picture.

Populations can fluctuate because of seasonal or other regular environmental cycles (e.g., daily, lunar cycles), and will also sometimes fluctuate in response to density-dependent population growth factors. For example, Elton (1924) observed that snowshoe hare and lynx populations in Canadian boreal forests fluctuated over time in a fairly regular cycle (Figure 7). More importantly, they fluctuated, one after the other, in a predictable way: when the snowshoe hare population increased, the lynx population tended to rise (plentiful food for the lynx!); when the lynx population increased, the snowshoe hare population tended to fall (lots of predation on the hare!); when the snowshoe hare...(and the cycle continues).

It is also possible for populations to decline to extinction if changing conditions cause death rates to exceed birth rates by a large enough margin or for a long enough period of time. Native species are currently declining at unprecedented rates — one important reason why scientists study population ecology. On the other hand, as seen in the YNP bison population, if new habitats or resources are made available, a population that has been declining or relatively stable over a long period of time can experience a new phase of rapid, long-term growth.

What about Human Population Growth?

The growth of the global human population shown in Figure 8 appears exponential, but viewing population growth in different geographic regions shows that the human population is not growing the same everywhere. Some countries, particularly those in the developing world, are growing rapidly, but in other countries the human population is growing very slowly, or even contracting (Figure 9). Studying the characteristics of populations experiencing different rates of growth helps provide scientists and demographers with insight into the factors important for predicting future human population growth, but it is a complicated task: in addition to the density dependent and independent factors we discussed for the northern Yellowstone National Park bison and other organisms, human population growth is affected by cultural, economic, and social factors that determine not only how the population grows, but also the potential carrying capacity of the Earth.

biodiversity : The variety of types of organisms, habitats, and ecosystems on Earth or in a particular place.

exponential growth : Continuous increase or decrease in a population in which the rate of change is proportional to the number of individuals at any given time.

age structure : The distribution of individuals among age classes within a population.

lifespan : How long an individual lives, or how long individuals of a given species live on average .

fecundity : The rate at which an individual produces offspring.

density : Referring to a population, the number of individuals per unit area or volume; referring to a substance, the weight per unit volume.

carrying capacity : The number of individuals in a population that the resources of a habitat can support; the asymptote, or plateau, of the logistic and other sigmoid equations for population growth.

logistic equation : The mathematical expression for a particular sigmoid growth curve in which the percentage rate of increase decreases in linear fashion as the population size increases.

native species : A species that occurs in a particular region or ecosystem by natural processes, rather than by accidental or deliberate introduction by humans.

introduced species : A species that originated in a different region that becomes established in a new region, often due to deliberate or accidental release by humans.

demographers : Demography is the study of the age structure and growth rate of populations.

References and Recommended Reading

Dary, D. A. The Buffalo Book: The Full Saga of the American Animal . Chicago, IL: Swallow Press, 1989.

Elton, C. Periodic fluctuations in the numbers of animals: Their causes and effects. British Journal of Experimental Biology 2, 119-163 (1924).

Gates, C. C. et al . eds. American Bison: Status Survey and Conservation Guidelines 2010 . Gland, Switzerland: International Union for Conservation of Nature, 2010.

Hornaday, W. T. The Extermination of the American Bison, With a Sketch of its Discovery and Life History . Annual Report 1887. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, 1889.

Jones, J. D. et al . Timing of parturition events in Yellowstone bison Bison bison : Implications for bison conservation and brucellosis transmission risk to cattle. Wildlife Biology 16, 333-339 (2010).

Livingston, M., Osteen, C. & Roberts, D. Regulating agricultural imports to keep out foreign pests and disease. United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. Amber Waves 6, " http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/September08/Features/RegulatingAgImports.htm " (2008).

Pearl, R. & Reed, L. J. On the rate of growth of the population of the United States since 1790 and its mathematical representation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 6, 275-288 (1920).

Plumb, G. E. et al . Carrying capacity, migration, and dispersal in Yellowstone bison. Biological Conservation 142, 2377-2387 (2009).

Rohrbaugh, R., Lammertink, M. & Piorkowski, M. Final Report: 2007 - 08 Surveys for Ivory-Billed Woodpecker and Bird Counts in Louisiana . Ithaca, NY: Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, 2009.

Shaw, J. H. How many bison originally populated western rangelands? Rangelands 17, 148-150 (1995).

Vandermeer, J. How Populations Grow: The Exponential and Logistic Equations. Nature Education Knowledge 1 (2010).

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• v.5(4); 2013

The world population explosion: causes, backgrounds and projections for the future

J. van bavel.

Centre for Sociological Research / Family & Population Studies (FaPOS), Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Leuven, Parkstraat 45 bus 3601, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the total world population crossed the threshold of 1 billion people for the first time in the history of the homo sapiens sapiens. Since then, growth rates have been increasing exponentially, reaching staggeringly high peaks in the 20th century and slowing down a bit thereafter. Total world population reached 7 billion just after 2010 and is expected to count 9 billion by 2045. This paper first charts the differences in population growth between the world regions. Next, the mechanisms behind unprecedented population growth are explained and plausible scenarios for future developments are discussed. Crucial for the long term trend will be the rate of decline of the number of births per woman, called total fertility. Improvements in education, reproductive health and child survival will be needed to speed up the decline of total fertility, particularly in Africa. But in all scenarios, world population will continue to grow for some time due to population momentum. Finally, the paper outlines the debate about the consequences of the population explosion, involving poverty and food security, the impact on the natural environment, and migration flows.

Key words: Fertility, family planning, world population, population growth, demographic transition, urbanization, population momentum, population projections.

Introduction

In the year 1900, Belgium and the Philippines had more or less the same population, around 7 million people. By the year 2000, the population of the Western European monarchy had grown to 10 million citizens, while the South East Asian republic at the turn of the century already counted 76 million citizens. The population of Belgium has since then exceeded 11 million citizens, but it is unlikely that this number will rise to 12 million by the year 2050. The population of the Philippines on the other hand will continue to grow to a staggering 127 million citizens by 2050, according to the demographic projections of the United Nations (UN 2013).

The demographic growth rate of the Philippines around the turn of the century (2% a year) has already created enormous challenges and is clearly unsustainable in the long term: such growth implies a doubling of the population every 35 years as a consequence of which there would be 152 million people by 2035, 304 million by 2070, and so on. Nobody expects such a growth to actually occur. This contribution will discuss the more realistic scenarios for the future.

Even the rather modest Belgian demographic growth rate around the turn of this century (0.46%) is not sustainable in the long term. In any case, it exceeds by far the average growth rate of the human species (homo sapiens sapiens) that arose in Africa some 200.000 years ago. Today, earth is inhabited by some 7 billion people. To achieve this number in 200.000 years, the average yearly growth rate over this term should have been around 0.011% annually (so 11 extra human beings per 1.000 human beings already living on earth). The current Belgian growth rate would imply that our country would have grown to 7 billion in less than 1500 years.

The point of this story is that the current growth numbers are historically very exceptional and untenable in the long term. The demographic growth rates are indeed on the decline worldwide and this paper will attempt to explain some of the mechanisms behind that process. That doesn’t change the fact, however, that the growth remains extraordinarily high and the decline in some regions very slow. This is especially the case in Sub Saharan Africa. In absolute numbers, the world population will continue to grow anyway for quite some time as a result of demographic inertia. This too will be further clarified in this paper.

The evolution of the world population in numbers

In order to be sustainable, the long term growth rate of the population should not differ much from 0%. That is because a growth rate exceeding 0% has exponential implications. In simple terms: if a combination of birth and growth figures only appears to cause a modest population growth initially, then this seems to imply an explosive growth in the longer term.

Thomas R. Malthus already acquired this point of view by the end of the 18th century. In his famous “Essay on the Principle of Population” (first edition in 1789), Malthus argues justly that in time the growth of the population will inevitably slow down, either by an increase of the death rate or by a decrease of the birth rate. On a local scale, migration also plays an important role.

It is no coincidence that Malthus’ essay appeared in England at the end of the 18th century. After all, the population there had started to grow at a historically unseen rate. More specifically the proletariat had grown immensely and that worried the intellectuals and the elite. Year after year, new demographic growth records were recorded.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the number of 1 billion people was exceeded for the first time in history. Subsequently growth accelerated and the number of 2 billion people was already surpassed around 1920. By 1960, another billion had been added, in 40 instead of 120 years time. And it continued to go even faster: 4 billion by 1974, 5 billion by 1987, 6 billion by 1999 and 7 billion in 2011 ( Fig. 1 ).

This will certainly not stop at the current 7 billion. According to the most recent projections by the United Nations, the number of 8 billion will probably be exceeded by 2025, and around 2045 there will be more than 9 billion people 1 . The further one looks into the future, the more uncertain these figures become, and with demography on a world scale one must always take into account a margin of error of a couple of tens of millions. But according to all plausible scenarios, the number of 9 billion will be exceeded by 2050.

Demographic growth was and is not equally distributed around the globe. The population explosion first occurred on a small scale and with a relatively moderate intensity in Europe and America, more or less between 1750 and 1950. From 1950 on, a much more substantial and intensive population explosion started to take place in Asia, Latin America and Africa ( Fig. 2 ). Asia already represented over 55% of the world population in 1950 with its 1.4 billion citizens and by the year 2010 this had increased to 4.2 billion people or 60%. Of those people, more than 1.3 billion live in China and 1.2 billion in India, together accounting for more than one third of the world population.

In the future, the proportion of Asia will come down and that of Africa will increase. Africa was populated by some 230 million people around 1950, or 9% of the world population. In 2010 there were already more than 1 billion Africans or 15% of the world population. According to UN projections, Africa will continue to grow at a spectacular rate up to 2.2 billion inhabitants in 2050 or 24% of the world population. The proportion of Europe, on the other hand, is evolving in the opposite direction: from 22% of the world population in 1950, over 11% in 2010 to an expected mere 8% in 2050. The population of Latin America has grown and is growing rapidly in absolute terms, but because of the strong growth in Asia and especially Africa, the relative proportion of the Latin American population is hardly increasing (at most from 6 to 8%). The proportion of the population in North America, finally, has decreased slightly from 7 to 5% of the world population.

What these figures mainly come down to in practice is that the population size in especially the poor countries is increasing at an unprecedented rate. At the moment, more than 5.7 billion people, or more than 80% of humanity, are living in what the UN categorise as a developing country. By 2050, that number would – according to the projections – have increased to 8 billion people or 86% of the world population. Within this group of developing countries, the group of least developed countries, the poorest countries so to speak, is growing strongly: from 830 million now, up to an expected 1.7 billion in 2050. This comprises very poor countries such as Somalia, Sudan, Liberia, Niger or Togo in Africa; Afghanistan, Bangladesh or Myanmar in Asia; and Haiti in the Caribbean.

The growth of the world population goes hand in hand with global urbanisation: while around the year 1950 less than 30% of people lived in the cities, this proportion has increased to more than 50%. It is expected that this proportion will continue to grow to two thirds around 2050. Latin America is the most urbanised continent (84%), closely followed by North America (82%) and at a distance by Europe (73%). The population density has increased intensely especially in the poorest countries: from 9 people per square km in 1950 to 40 people per square km in 2010 (an increase by 330%) in the poorest countries, while this figure in the rich countries increased from 15 to 23 people per square km (a 50% growth). In Belgium, population density is 358 people per square km and in the Netherlands 400 people per square km; in Rwanda this number is 411, in the Palestinian regions 666 and in Bangladesh an astonishing 1050.

Although the world population will continue to grow in absolute figures for some time – a following paragraph will explain why – the growth rate in percentages in all large world regions is decreasing. In the richer countries, the yearly growth rate has already declined to below 0.3%. On a global scale, the yearly growth rate of more than 2% at the peak around 1965 decreased to around 1% now. A further decline to less than 0.5% by 2050 is expected. In the world’s poorest countries, the demographic growth is still largest: at present around 2.2%. For these countries, a considerable decrease is expected, but the projected growth rate would not fall below 1.5% before 2050. This means, as mentioned above, a massive growth of the population in absolute figures in the world’s poorest countries.

Causes of the explosion: the demographic transition

The cause of, first, the acceleration and, then, the deceleration in population growth is the modern demographic transition: an increasingly growing group of countries has experienced a transition from relatively high to low birth and death rates, or is still in the process of experiencing this. It is this transition that is causing the modern population explosion. Figure 3 is a schematic and strongly simplified representation of the modern demographic transition.

In Europe, the modern demographic transition started to take place in the middle of the 18th century. Until then, years of extremely high death rates were quite frequent. Extremely high crisis mortality could be the consequence of epidemic diseases or failed harvests and famine, or a combination of both. As a consequence of better hygiene and a better transportation infrastructure (for one, the canals and roads constructed by Austria in the 18th century), amongst other reasons, crisis mortality became less and less frequent. Later on in the 19th century, child survival began to improve. Vaccination against smallpox for example led to an eradication of the disease, with the last European smallpox pandemic dating from 1871. This way, not only the years of crisis mortality became less frequent, but also the average death rate decreased, from an average 30 deaths per 1000 inhabitants in the beginning of the 19th century to around 15 deaths per 1000 citizens by the beginning of the 20th century. In the meantime, the birth rate however stayed at its previous, high level of 30-35 births per 1000 inhabitants.

The death rate went down but the birth rate still didn’t: this caused a large growth in population. It was only near the end of the nineteenth century (a bit earlier in some countries, later in others) that married couples in large numbers started to reduce their number of children. By the middle of the 20th century, the middle class ideal of a two children household had gained enormous popularity and influence. The reaction by the Church, for example in the encyclical Humanae Vitae (1968), came much too late to bring this evolution to a halt.

As a consequence of widespread family planning – made even easier in the sixties by modern hormonal contraceptives – the birth rate started declining as well and the population tended back towards zero growth. Nowadays the end of this transition process has been more than achieved in all European countries, because the fertility has been below replacement level for several decades (the replacement level is the fertility level that would in the long term lead to a birth rate identical to the death rate, if there would be no migration) 2 .

That the population explosion in the developing countries since the second half of the 20th century was so much more intense and massive, is a consequence of the fact that in those countries, the process of demographic transition occurred to a much more extreme extent and on a much larger scale. On the one hand, mortality decreased faster than in Europe. After all, in Europe the decline in mortality was the result of a gradual understanding of the importance of hygiene and afterwards the development of new medical insights. These insights of course already existed at the start of the demographic transitions in Asian, Latin American and African regions, whereby the life expectancy in these regions could grow faster. On the other hand, the total fertility – the average number of children per woman – at the start of the transition was a lot higher in many poor regions than it initially was in Europe. For South Korea, Brasil and the Congo, for example, the total fertility rate shortly after the Second World War (at the start of their demographic transition) is estimated to be 6 children per woman. In Belgium this number was close to 4.5 children per woman by the middle of the nineteenth century. In some developing regions, the fertility and birth rate decreased moderately to very fast, but in other regions this decline took off at an exceptionally sluggish pace – this will be further explained later on. As a consequence of these combinations of factors, in most of these countries the population explosion was much larger than it had been in most European countries.

Scenarios for the future

Nonetheless, the process of demographic transition has reached its second phase in almost all countries in the world, namely the phase of declining fertility and birth rates. In a lot of Asian and Latin American countries, the entire transition has taken place and the fertility level is around or below the replacement level. South Korea for example is currently at 1.2 children per woman and is one of the countries with the lowest fertility levels in the world. In Iran and Brasil the fertility level is currently more or less equal to Belgium’s, that is 1.8 to 1.9 children per woman.

Crucial to the future evolution of the population is the further evolution of the birth rate. Scenarios for the future evolution of the size and age of the population differ according to the hypotheses concerning the further evolution of the birth rate. The evolution of the birth rate is in turn dependent on two things: the further evolution of the total fertility rate (the average number of children per woman) in the first place and population momentum in the second. The latter is a concept I will later on discuss in more detail. The role of the population momentum is usually overlooked in the popular debates, but is of utmost importance in understanding the further evolution of the world population. Population momentum is the reason why we are as good as certain that the world population will continue to grow for a while. The other factor, the evolution of the fertility rate, is much more uncertain but of critical importance in the long term. The rate at which the further growth of the world population can be slowed down is primarily dependent on the extent to which the fertility rates will continue to decline. I will further elaborate on this notion in the next paragraph. After that, I will clarify the notion of population momentum.

Declining fertility

Fertility is going down everywhere in the world, but it’s going down particularly slowly in Africa. A further decline remains uncertain there. Figure 4 shows the evolution per world region between 1950 and 2010, plus the projected evolution until 2050. The numbers before 2010 illustrate three things. First of all, on all continents there is a decline going on. Secondly, this decline is not equal everywhere. And thirdly: the differences between the continents remain large in some cases. Asia and Latin America have seen a similar decline in fertility: from 5.9 children per woman in 1950 to 2.5 at the start of the 21st century. Europe and North America had already gone through the largest part of their demographic transition by the 1950’s. Their fertility level has been below replacement levels for years. Africa has indeed seen a global decrease of fertility, but the average number of children is still at an alarmingly high level: the fertility merely decreased from 6.7 to 5.1 children per woman.

These continental averages hide a huge underlying diversity in fertility paths. Figure 5 attempts to illustrate this for a number of countries. Firstly let us consider two African countries: the Congo and Niger. As was often the case in Europe in the 19th century, fertility was first on the rise before it started declining. In the Congo this decrease was more extensive, from around 6 children in 1980 to 4 children per woman today, and a further decline to just below three is expected in the next thirty years. Niger is the country where the fertility level remains highest: from 7 it first rose to an average of just below 8 children per woman in the middle of the 1980’s, before decreasing to just above 6.5 today. For the next decades a decline to 4 children per woman is expected. But that is not at all certain: it is dependent on circumstances that will be further explained in a moment. The demographic transition is after all not a law of nature but the result of human actions and human institutions.

Around 1950, Pakistan and Iran had more or less the same fertility level as Niger, but both countries have seen a considerable decline in the meantime. In Pakistan the level decreased slowly to the current level of 3 children per woman. In Iran the fertility decreased more abruptly, faster and deeper to below the replacement level – Iran today has one of the lowest fertility levels in the world, and a further decline is expected. The Iranian Revolution of 1978 played a crucial role in the history of Iran (Abassi-Shavazi et al., 2009): it brought better education and health care, two essential ingredients for birth control.

Brasil was also one of the countries with very high fertility in the 1950’s – higher than the Congo, for example. The decrease started earlier than in Iran but happened more gradually. Today both countries have the same total fertility, below the replacement level.

Child mortality, education and family planning

Which factors cause the average number of children to go down? The literature concerning explanations for the decrease in fertility is vast and complex, but two factors emerge as crucial in this process: education and child survival.

Considering child survival first: countries combining intensive birth control with very high child mortality are simply non-existent. The statistical association between the level of child mortality and fertility is very tight and strong: in countries with high child mortality, fertility is high, and vice versa. This statistical correlation is very strong because the causal relation goes in both directions; with quick succession of children and therefore a lot of children to take care for, the chances of survival for the infants are lower than in those families with only a limited number of children to take care of – this is a fortiori the case where infrastructure for health care is lacking. A high fertility level thus contributes to a high child mortality. And in the other direction: where survival chances of children improve, the fertility will go down because even those households with a lower number of children have increasing confidence in having descendants in the long term.

It is crucial to understand that the decline in child mortality in the demographic transition always precedes the decline in fertility. Men, women and families cannot be convinced of the benefits of birth control if they don’t have confidence in the survival chances of their children. Better health care is therefore essential, and a lack of good health care is one of the reasons for a persistently high fertility in a country like Niger.

Education is another factor that can cause a decline in fertility. This is probably the most important factor, not just because education is an important humanitarian goal in itself (apart from the demographic effects), but also because with education one can kill two birds with one stone: education causes more birth control but also better child survival (recently clearly demonstrated by Smith-Greenaway (2013), which in its turn will lead to better birth control. The statistical correlation between level of education and level of fertility is therefore very strong.

Firstly, education enhances the motivation for birth control: if parents invest in the education of their children, they will have fewer children, as has been demonstrated. Secondly, education promotes a more forward-looking lifestyle: it will lead people to think on a somewhat longer term, to think about tomorrow, next week and next month, instead of living for the day. This attitude is necessary for effective birth control. Thirdly, education also increases the potential for effective contraception, because birth control doesn’t just happen, especially not when efficient family planning facilities are not or hardly accessible or when there are opposing cultural or family values.

The influence of education on birth control has been demonstrated in a vast number of studies (James et al., 2012). It starts with primary education, but an even larger effect can be attained by investment in secondary education (Cohen, 2008). In a country like Niger, for example, women who didn’t finish primary school have on average 7.8 children. Women who did finish primary school have on average 6.7 children, while women who finished secondary school “only” have 4.6 children ( Fig. 6 ). The fertility of Niger would be a lot lower if more women could benefit from education. The tragedy of that country is that too many people fall in the category of those without a degree of primary school, with all its demographic consequences.

One achieves with education therefore a plural beneficial demographic effect on top of the important objective of human emancipation in itself. All this is of course not always true but depends on which form of “education”; I assume that we’re talking about education that teaches people the knowledge and skills to better take control of their own destiny.

It is one thing to get people motivated to practice birth control but obtaining actual effective contraception is quite another matter. Information concerning the efficient use of contraceptives and increasing the accessibility and affordability of contraceptives can therefore play an important role. There are an estimated 215 million women who would want to have contraception but don’t have the means (UNFPA, 2011). Investments in services to help with family planning are absolutely necessary and could already have great results in this group of women. But it’s no use to put the cart before the horse: if there is no intention to practice birth control, propaganda for and accessibility of contraception will hardly have any effect, as was demonstrated in the past. In Europe the lion’s share of the decline in fertility was realized with traditional methods, before the introduction of hormonal contraception in the sixties. There is often a problem of lack of motivation for birth control on the one hand, as a result of high child mortality and low schooling rates, and a lack of power in women who may be motivated to limit fertility but are confronted with male resistance on the other (Blanc, 2011; Do and Kurimoto, 2012). Empowerment of women is therefore essential, and education can play an important role in that process as well.

Population momentum

Even if all the people would suddenly practice birth control much more than is currently considered possible, the world population would still continue to grow for a while. This is the consequence of population momentum, a notion that refers to the phenomenon of demographic inertia, comparable to the phenomenon of momentum and inertia in the field of physics. Demographic growth is like a moving train: even when you turn off the engine, the movement will continue for a little while.

The power and direction of population momentum is dependent on the age structure of the population. Compare the population pyramids of Egypt and Germany ( Fig. 7 ). The one for Egypt has a pyramidal shape indeed, but the one for Germany looks more like an onion. As a consequence of high birth rates in the previous decades, the largest groups of Egyptians are to be found below the age of forty; the younger, the more voluminous the generation. Even if the current and future generations of Egyptians would limit their fertility strongly (as is indeed the case), the birth rate in Egypt would still continue to rise for quite some time, just because year after year more and more potential mothers and fathers reach the fertile ages. Egypt therefore clearly has a growth momentum.

Germany on the other hand has a negative or shrinking momentum: even if the younger generations of Germans would have a larger num ber of children than the generation of their own parents, the birth rate in Germany would still continue to decrease because fewer and fewer potential mothers and fathers reach the fertile ages.

The population momentum on a global scale is positive: even if fertility would decrease overnight to the replacement level, the world population would continue to grow with 40% (from 7 billion to 9.8 billion). Only the rich countries have a shrinking momentum, that is -3%. For Europe the momentum is -7%. The population momentum for the poorest countries in the world is +44%, that of Sub Saharan Africa +46% (Espenshade et al., 2011).

Consequences of the population explosion

The concerns about the consequences of population explosion started in the sixties. Milestone publications were the 1968 book The Population bomb by biologist Paul Ehrlich, the report of the Club of Rome from 1972 (The Limits to Growth) and the first World Population Plan of Action of the UN in 1974 among others.

In the world population debate, the general concerns involve mainly three interconnected consequences of the population explosion: 1) the growing poverty in the world and famine; 2) the exhaustion and pollution of natural resources essential to human survival; and 3) the migration pressure from the poor South to the rich North (Van Bavel, 2004).

Poverty and famine

The Malthusian line of thought continues to leave an important mark on the debate regarding the association between population growth and poverty: Malthus saw an excessive population growth as an important cause of poverty and famine. Rightfully this Malthusian vision has been criticized a lot. One must after all take the reverse causal relation into account as well: poverty and the related social circumstances (like a lack of education and good health care for children) contribute to high population growth as well.

Concerning famine: the production of food has grown faster since 1960 than the world population has, so nowadays the amount of food produced per person exceeds that which existed before the population explosion (Lam, 2011). The problem of famine isn’t as much an insufficient food production as it is a lack of fair distribution (and a lack of sustainable production, but that’s another issue). Often regions with famine have ecological conditions permitting sufficient production of food, provided the necessary investments in human resources and technology are made. The most important cause of famine is therefore not the population explosion. Famine is primarily a consequence of unequal distribution of food, which in turn is caused by social-economic inequality, lack of democracy and (civil) war.

Poverty and famine usually have mainly political and institutional causes, not demographic ones. The Malthusian vision, that sees the population explosion as the root of all evil, therefore has to be corrected ( Fig. 8 ). Rapid population growth can indeed hinder economical development and can thus pave the way for poverty. But this is only part of the story. As mentioned, poverty is also an underlying cause of rapid population growth. Social factors are at the base of both poverty and population growth. It’s those social factors that require our intervention: via investments in education and (reproductive) health care.

Impact on the environment

The impact of the population explosion on the environment is unquestionably high, but the size of the population represents only one aspect of this. In this regard it can be useful to keep in mind the simple I=PAT scheme: the ecological footprint or impact on the environment (I) can be regarded as the product of the size of the population (P), the prosperity or consumption level (A for affluence) and the technology used (T). The relationship between each of these factors is more complex than the I=PAT scheme suggests, but in any case the footprint I of a population of 1000 people is for example dependent on how many of those people drive a car instead of a bike, and of the emission per car of the vehicle fleet concerned.

The ecological footprint of the world population has increased tremendously the past decades and the growth of the world population has obviously played an important role in this. The other factors in the I=PAT scheme have however played a relatively bigger role than the demographic factor P. The considerable increase in the Chinese ecological footprint of the past decades for example, is more a consequence of the increased consumption of meat than of population growth (Peters et al., 2007; Liu et al., 2008). The carbon dioxide emission of China grew by 82% between 1990 and 2003, while the population only increased by 11% in that same period. A similar story exists for India: the population grew by less than 23% between 1990 and 2003, while the emission of carbon dioxide increased by more than 83% (Chakravarty et al., 2009). The consumption of water and meat in the world is increasing more rapidly than the population 3 . The consumption of water per person is for example threefold higher in the US than in China (Hoekstra and Chapagain, 2007). The African continent has at present the same number of inhabitants as Europe and North America together, over 1 billion. But the total ecological footprint of Europeans and Americans is many times higher than that of Africans (Ewing et al., 2010). Less than 18% of the world population is responsible for over 50% of the global carbon dioxide emission (Chakravarty et al., 2009).

If we are therefore concerned about the impact of the world population on the environment, we can do something about it immediately by tackling our own overconsumption: it’s something we can control and it has an immediate effect. In contrast, we know of the population growth that it will continue for some time anyhow, even if people in poor countries would practice much more birth control than we consider possible at present.

The population explosion has created an increasing migration pressure from the South to the North – and there is also important migration within and between countries in the South. But here as well the message is: the main responsibility doesn’t lie with the population growth but with economic inequality. The primary motive for migration was and is economic disparity: people migrate from regions with no or badly paid labour and a low standard of living to other regions, where one hopes to find work and a higher standard of living (Massey et al., 1993; Hooghe et al., 2008; IMO, 2013). Given the permanent population growth and economical inequality, a further increasing migration pressure is to be expected, irrespective of the national policies adopted.

It is sometimes expected that economic growth and increasing incomes in the South will slow down the migration pressure, but that remains to be seen. After all, it isn’t usually the poorest citizens in developing countries that migrate to rich countries. It is rather the affluent middle class in poor countries that have the means to send their sons and daughters to the North – an investment that can raise a lot of money via remittances to the families in the country of origin (IMO, 2013). There is after all a considerable cost attached to migration, in terms of money and human capital. Not everyone can bear those costs: to migrate you need brains, guts and money. With growing economic development in poor countries, an initial increase in migration pressure from those countries would be expected; the association between social-economic development and emigration is not linearly negative but follows the shape of a J turned upside down: more emigration at the start of economic development and a decline in emigration only with further development (De Haas, 2007).

7 Billion and counting… What is to be done?

A world population that needed some millennia before reaching the number of 1 billion people, but then added some billions more after 1920 in less than a century: the social, cultural, economic and ecological consequences of such an evolution are so complex that they can lead to fear and indifference at the same time. What kind of constructive reaction is possible and productive in view of such an enormous issue?

First of all: we need to invest in education and health care in Africa and elsewhere, not just as a humanitarian target per se but also because it will encourage the spread of birth control. Secondly, we need to encourage and support the empowerment of women, not just via education but also via services for reproductive health. This has triple desirable results for demographics: it will lead to more and more effective birth control, which in itself has a positive effect on the survival of children, which in turn again facilitates birth control.

Thirdly: because of the positive population momentum, the world population will certainly continue to grow in absolute figures, even though the yearly growth rate in percentages is already on the decline for several years. The biggest contribution we could make therefore, with an immediate favourable impact for ourselves and the rest of the world, is to change our consumption pattern and deal with the structural overconsumption of the world’s richest countries.

(1) Unless otherwise specified, all figures in this paragraph are based on the United Nations World Population Prospects, the 2012 Revision, http://esa.un.org/wpp/ . Concerning projections for the future, I reported the results of the Medium Variant. Apart from this variant, there are also high and low variants (those relying on scenarios implying respectively an extremely high and extremely low growth of the population) and a variant in which the fertility rates are fixed at the current levels. It is expected that the actual number will be somewhere between the highest and lowest variant and will be closest to the medium variant. That’s why I only report this latter value.

(2) In demography, the term «fertility» refers to the actual number of live births per women. By contrast, the term fecundity refers to reproductive capacity (irrespective of actual childbearing), see Habbema et al. (2004).

(3) See http://www.unwater.org/water-cooperation-2013/water-cooperation/facts-and-figures

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Geography Notes

Essay on world population: top 10 essays | human geography.

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Here is a compilation of essays on ‘World Population’ for class 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. Find paragraphs, long and short essays on ‘World Population’ especially written for school and college students.

Essay on World Population

Essay Contents:

• Essay on the Views of Malthus on World Overpopulation

Essay # 1. Introduction to World Population:

Human and economic geography are concerned with Man and his use of natural resources. The way in which land, sea, minerals, forests, and water supplies are used varies very much around the world, chiefly because of the wide variation of human numbers, human types and the stage of development of different human groups.

The rapid growth of population is perhaps the most obvious factor affecting present and future na­tional and regional development, but it is by no means the only population problem in the world today. Un­even distribution of population and conflicts stem­ming from racial, cultural, religious, social or political diversity are problems in almost every country in the world.

In 1977 the total world population was estimated at 4,105 million and by the end of the twentieth cen­tury it will have reached about 7,000 million. It is seen that world population is increasing ever more rapidly. This is because it increases in geo­metrical fashion (i.e. 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, . . .), rather than arithmetically (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, . . .).

Moreover the rate of growth in the last two centuries has been accelerated by the great advances in medicine, hygiene, and nutrition made all over the world. Death rates and particularly infant mortality rates have been drastically reduced so that more children grow up and themselves have families.

But enormous as the world population is, mere numbers do not present a problem if all the people in an area can be adequately fed, clothed, housed, edu­cated and employed. But this cannot always be done and this is why population growth creates problems.

Some of the main difficulties arise because people are not distributed evenly over the earth and because the age and sex structure of populations varies widely from country to country. Only in terms of these factors can we discuss whether a country is under- or over- populated.

Essay # 2. Distribution of World’s Population:

In terms of continents and countries the world’s popu­lation is very ill-balanced. More than half of the world’s people live in Asia (excluding the U.S.S.R.) which accounts for only one-fifth of the world’s land area, while North, Central and South America together, occupying more than a quarter of the land surface, have only one-seventh of the population.

The African continent also accounts for a quarter of the land sur­face but has just over one-tenth of the world popula­tion. On the other hand Europe, whose area is only one twenty-fifth of the total, has about one-ninth of the world’s people.

The distribution within the continents is also un­even. In Asia, China alone, with ab  out 900 million people, accounts for half the Asian and a quarter of the world population. The Indian subcontinent has a further 710 million people. In Europe too, the popu­lation is unevenly distributed. Far more people live in northern and western European countries than in southern and Eastern Europe.

The U.S.S.R. is the largest country in the world and has 259 million peo­ple but only a quarter of them live in the Asian sec­tion. In Africa and the Americas people are for the most part spread very thinly across the land, leaving large sections such as northern Canada, south-western U.S.A., the Sahara Desert, and the Amazon forests practically uninhabited.

The distribution of population depends to a large extent on the quality of the land itself, which is very uneven. Where the land is well suited to agriculture or there are natural resources for industrial development the population will naturally be larger than in areas where climatic conditions are hostile or where re­sources are few.

Thus population density, that is the number of people living in a unit area, varies widely. In Singapore there are nearly 4,000 people to the square kilometre (ppsk)or 10,300 people to the square mile (ppsm); in Belgium there are 320 (840); in Brazil only 13 (34) and in Mongolia less than 1 ppsk or 2 ppsm, though even within these countries the population is far from evenly spread.

A map of world population densities shows that while the great majority of the land surface is sparsely or moderately populated (between 0 and 50 ppsk or between 0 and 125 ppsm) some limited areas are very densely populated.

These areas are Western Europe, the Indian subcontinent, the plains and river valleys of China, and north-eastern U.S.A. Smaller concen­trations of people are found in the Nile Valley of Egypt, the island of Java in Indonesia and the south­ern part of Japan.

The factors which lead to high population densities are often complex, but those which restrict popu­lation are clear-cut. They are usually climatic factors and, despite modern advances in technology, most ’empty’ areas are never likely to be much more densely peopled than they are today.

Essay # 3. Features of Population Patterns in the World:

The broad features of world population distribution are clearly related to climatic, soil, and other physical factors. This is because such factors regulate the type and amount of crops which can be grown, determining both negative and positive areas for economic develop­ment.

But physical factors are not the only ones which affect population distribution. In most parts of the world the basic pattern of population due to physical factors has detailed variations imposed upon it as a result of social, ethnic, cultural or historical factors.

Some of the most important of such factors are the concentration of racial or linguistic groups in limited areas; the dominance of particular religions in certain areas which may in turn affect birth rates or economic development; the way of life of particular population groups which may mean for instance that a large area of land is required to support a relatively small num­ber of people; the history of settlement, which for instance has led to the dominance of the eastern sea­board in North America; and the history of coloniza­tion, which has led to the development of some tropi­cal areas, especially those nearest the coast.

Moreover modern developments such as rural resettlement, the introduction of new farming techniques, industrialization, the drift to the towns, and changes in the standard of living, are all leading to changes in the population patterns of many countries.

It is not possible in this book to cover the popula­tion pattern of the whole world in detail, but by deal­ing with some countries as examples the comparative roles of basic physical features, economic and social factors can be better understood.

(i) People’s Republic of China:

China has the largest population of any country in the world but its average population density is only about 75 ppsk (200 ppsm). Compared with countries such as the Netherlands (average density 410 ppsk: 1,601 ppsm) or Japan (310 ppsk: 800 ppsm), China does not appear particularly densely peopled.

However, average densities can be misleading where there is a very uneven spread of population, for about three- quarters of China’s population is concentrated in only 15 per cent of the land area. The most densely settled region is in the east, while the western half of the coun­try is still under-populated. Moderately populated dis­tricts are found on the fringes of the densely settled regions.

The physical background to this pattern is fairly clear: the eastern plains and river valleys, including the North China Plain, the Chang Jiang (Yangtze) basin, the Sichuan (Szechwan) basin and the Xi Jiang (Si Kiang) basin, offer ideal conditions for agriculture, with adequate monsoon rainfall, good soils, flat land and water for irrigation from the large rivers.

As a re­sult rural population densities are sometimes as large as 1,000 ppsk (2,500 ppsm). During the long history of settlement in eastern China only the inherent rich­ness of the land has enabled the population to expand to such proportions. The long tradition of dense set­tlement has led to the development of many towns and cities which must originally have served as markets and administrative centres, but have now become in­dustrial centres.

The existence of sixteen or more cities with over a million inhabitants helps to raise population densities in the eastern region; but in terms of the total population urbanization is not very im­portant, for only about one-sixth of the population lives in towns.

In the surrounding uplands and foothills the poorer agricultural opportunities, poorer accessibility and dif­ficulties of irrigating the steep slopes have led to more moderate population densities. Moderate densities are also found in the more favoured areas of the generally negative western provinces.

In the interior provinces of Xinjiang (Sinkiang), Gansu (Kansu), Qinghai (Tsinghai), Tibet and Inner Mongolia, where densities are generally less than 1 ppsk (3 ppsm), physical factors such as a cold continental climate, aridity, high alti­tude and inaccessibility have militated against intensive agriculture. The best form of land use is some form of herding.

This extensive type of agriculture is practiced by the Tibetans, Uighurs, Kazaks, Mongols and Kirghiz who inhabit the area but does not support large num­bers of people. The region is, however, capable of greater development than has hitherto taken place.

The contrasts between China proper and the in­terior are not all due to physical factors however. The sparse population of the interior is partly the result of the traditional way of life of the herders, for in recent years the growing of crops and the exploitation of mineral resources has led to an increase in population density.

In the more densely peopled regions, too, so­cial factors have helped to create overpopulation. Peo­ple could have moved westwards into the empty areas and relieved pressure on the lowlands, but partly be­cause the people of China proper are of true Chinese or Han race while the outer territories are peopled by other ethnic groups, and partly because the unfamiliar conditions would have meant the evolution of new forms of agriculture, this has not taken place on a large scale.

Recently, however, planned colonization of the interior has been encouraged by the communist gov­ernment. Pressure on land in China proper would also have been less, had industrial development taken place earlier, causing many people to migrate to the towns. To some extent this occurred in the 1950s and early 1960s when emphasis was placed on industrial devel­opment.

Despite government attempts to reduce the ‘drift to the towns’ this inevitable movement from the overcrowded countryside continues. The present popu­lation distribution pattern of China is the result of a combination of physical, social, historical and eco­nomic factors.

Present changes are due to the breaking down of traditional attitudes and the rational planning of economic development but it remains to be seen whether this will significantly alter the long-established pattern.

(ii) Canada:

Canada also has marked dis­parities in its population distribution pattern. Over 90 per cent of its 23 million people live in a narrow belt not more than 320 km (200 miles) wide, immediately north of the U.S. border, leaving the vast Northlands practically uninhabited.

Even within the settled belt there are marked differences in population densities for the western coast, the Prairies and the Maritime Provinces are only moderately peopled while the St. Lawrence lowlands are more densely peopled.

The small total population of the country means, however, that nowhere are there the extremely high densities found in China. The main basis of this pattern is the physical background. The cold climate, permafrost, short growing season, rocky terrain and poor soils of the Northlands means that except in certain favoured areas, agriculture is not possible.

The Northlands do have some physical advantages, such as rich mineral resources, coniferous forests and swift-flowing rivers for the generation of H.E.P., but none of these need a large or permanently settled population for their ex­ploitation.

The only permanent inhabitants of the re­gion are Eskimos and certain Indian tribes, who have adapted their way of life to the harsh conditions and have traditionally, depended on hunting and fishing, neither of which supports a dense population.

The Northlands are not the only negative area as far as settlement is concerned; the Rocky Mountain ranges are also sparsely peopled. The climate in the moun­tains is severe, the slopes are steep and rocky and ac­cessibility is limited by the terrain. Only limited coastal areas and valleys are suitable for settlement and these support only a moderate population.

The Prairies have a moderately dense population because the main activity is agriculture. Extensive, highly mechanized farming does not offer employment opportunities to more than a moderate number of people.

The most densely settled parts of the Prairie provinces are those where mineral resources (oil and phosphates) offer some possibilities of industrial de­velopment, or where more intensive agriculture is pos­sible as in the Red River Valley.

The cool, foggy, damp climate of the Maritime Provinces, the hilly terrain and the limited agricultural lands are only suited to a moderate population den­sity, but the better conditions of the St. Lawrence lowlands lead to a denser settlement. The possibilities of more intensive agricultural development, good water communications, and land of moderate relief are the main physical advantages of the region.

Physical factors are not all-important, however, in determining Canada’s population distribution. Re­moteness from central services, and fear of loneliness play some part in keeping the Northlands empty. Similarly the distance of the Prairies from contacts with the rest of the world, limits the willingness of people to live there as well as hampering industrial growth for lack of markets. The eastern seaboard was the first area settled by European immigrants.

As the longest-settled part of the country it has the best social and cultural amenities. Its nearness to Europe allows traditional links with Britain and France to be main­tained as well as promoting trade and industry. Anoth­er reason for the concentration of settlement in the south-east of the country is the proximity of the U.S.A.’s industrial belt.

This has encouraged invest­ment and therefore industrial development and has led to a greater density of population, especially in and around the industrial centres of Toronto, Kingston, Montreal and Quebec. The Maritimes have not had the same advantage for they adjoin the northern New England states which themselves suffer from inaccessi­bility. Social factors also play an important role.

The population of Canada is descended mainly from immi­grants; about half from British and a third from French stock. Descendants of immigrants of other nationali­ties are far fewer in number. While the English-speaking Canadians are found throughout the country, the French are concentrated in Quebec and eastern On­tario.

This is mainly because they feel most at home in a French environment, where French is spoken, French language papers and French food are available. Because of this concentration, and the fact that most of the French Canadians are Catholics, the birth rate is high and this leads to a denser population. For these various reasons, therefore, the provinces of Quebec and Ontario have about two-thirds of the Canadian population.

(iii) Peninsular Malaysia:

It is not only large countries with a wide range of physical and climatic regions which have a marked disparity in population distribution. Peninsular Malaysia has far greater den­sities of population on its western coastlands than in other parts of the country. This is partly due to the far greater possibilities for agriculture on the west where the lowlands are broader than on the east.

In the north are the wide padi-lands of Kedah and Perlis, while far­ther south are undulating lowlands which were found ideal for the growing of export crops, especially rub­ber and oil palm. On the East Coast, however, the swampy coastal plain is narrower and gives way more rapidly to mountainous terrain, except in the north in a region around Kota Bharu and Kuala Trengganu where the lowlands are wider and support a high rural population growing rice, rubber and other crops.

The western lowlands proved ideal for colonial plantation development not only from a physical standpoint but also because of their proximity to the Strait of Malacca which has always been a major sea- route. Ports such as Malacca, Port Kelang and George Town provided outlets for the produce of the western coastlands.

Ports on the east coast did not have the advantage of facing such a major seaway. Population was expanded in the west by an influx of immigrant labourers for the plantations. Nowadays the West Coast is still favoured for agricultural development both in plantations and smallholdings because of the existing infrastructure of roads, market towns and ports.

The other important factor has been the exploita­tion of vast reserves of tin which occur largely in the western coastal plains. Here again immigrants came in to work the mines or came as traders to support and serve the mining communities.

Tin and rubber trading led to the establishment of far more market towns in western districts and these in turn have grown into ex­panding industrial and commercial centres. George Town, Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur alone house 15 per cent of the Peninsular Malaysian population.

Agriculture and fishing have led to a moderate popu­lation on the East Coast but the centre of the country, which is mountainous, forested and ill-provided with transport routes has few people and is far more diffi­cult and expensive to develop. Government policy is to help open up the land for settlement through settle­ment schemes such as that at Jengka Triangle but this will make little impact on overall population distribution.

(iv) Nigeria:

Nigeria has a very compli­cated pattern of population distribution, with three separate centres of dense population divided by regions of moderate or sparse settlement. This pattern is part­ly governed by physical factors, since the area of least dense population, known as the Middle Belt, coincides with a region of poor soils, low rainfall and inadequate groundwater supplies. The tsetse fly is also a great problem in this region.

The regions of dense popula­tion are those where climate, soils and terrain are more favourable, and where a wide variety of food and cash crops can be grown. In the south-east the main cash crop is oil palm, in the south-west cocoa and some oil palm, and in the north the main crops are cotton and groundnuts.

Areas of moderate population density tend to be found on the more marginal land on the fringes of the densely settled zones and in those parts of the sparsely settled zones which are better served by roads, railways or river transport and are thus more accessible.

Many other factors than those of climate and soil have contributed to the present pattern. Perhaps the most important is that each of the main centres of population is the chief area of settlement of one of the three main ethnic groups in Nigeria. The Ibos are con­centrated in the south-east, the Yorubas in the south­west, and the Muslim Hausa peoples in the north.

These are the three most successful and powerful groups and their numbers have increased more rapidly than those of smaller groups which were more subject to wars, slave raiding and general unrest. As a result of these ethnic differences and the separate development of the three groups, the detailed population distribu­tion differs from one densely settled region to another.

In the north the main centres of population are large, isolated towns such as Kano and Sokoto which have traditionally served as termini on the caravan routes of the Sahara. In the south-west, the towns are more con­centrated, forming an area of dense population includ­ing Ibadan, Oshogbo and Oyo; the rural population is also fairly dense. Lagos, the capital city, has grown rapidly by in-migration and is the centre of another densely settled region.

The south-eastern concentra­tion of population is characterized, however, by few large urban centres but by very high rural densities, reaching about 700 ppsk (1,500 ppsm) in some dis­tricts, and is thus more similar to densely settled rural areas in some Asian countries than to conditions in most parts of Africa. The south-east is also the region where major oil exploitation has taken place with as­sociated industrial development.

The Middle Belt, which represents a negative area for settlement has also been affected by factors other than those of terrain. Though poor, this region is in fact capable of greater economic development than has hitherto taken place. It could support more peo­ple, but its population was greatly reduced in the past by slave raiding by the more powerful tribes of the north and south. Some regions such as the Jos Plateau and the Niger Valley, which have mineral and agricul­tural potential are now being developed and are gain­ing population.

Many of the moderately settled areas on the fringes of densely settled regions could also support far more people. In some cases natural conditions in such areas are highly suitable to agriculture. However, people from the overcrowded regions have not moved into them because of traditional social attitudes and their wish to stay near friends, homes and existing cultural centres.

Recent government policy has encouraged a wider spread of settlement by developing transport, mineral resources, power supplies and agriculture in the regions still capable of supporting a larger popula­tion.

Essay # 4. Population Structure of the World:

Population structure is analysed in terms of age and sex groupings and is represented by population pyra­mids. By studying such diagrams it is possible to gain a clearer idea of the population characteristics of any given country.

In working-class families all the children could contribute to the family income. However, death rates were also very high be­cause epidemic diseases such as bubonic plague, chol­era and typhoid had not been brought under control and tuberculosis was also very common. Moreover low standards of hygiene and nutrition meant that infant mortality rates were also high. It was therefore neces­sary to have a large family so that at least some of the children would live.

During the nineteenth century great advances were made in medicine and the death rate began to fall, but the birth rate remained high so that the population expanded rapidly. During the twentieth century a different pattern has emerged.

The First World War and the Depression of the 1920s impressed upon people the difficulty of feeding, clothing and educating a large family of chil­dren. Children were no longer an economic asset, con­tributing their labour or wages to the family as they had done in the past. At the same time people wished to give their children a better education and better homes than they had had themselves. This led to a de­cline in the birth rate.

This trend was assisted by the fact that, with far better living conditions and health facilities, children had a much better chance of sur­vival. At first this trend was more apparent in the towns than in the country districts and in middle-class rather than in working-class families but it eventually affected the whole population. Birth rates dropped even further during the Second World War and though there was a post war ‘baby boom’ when the number of babies born was very large, the size of families re­mained small.

People live longer on an average and Britain therefore has an ageing population. The proportion of the population living to ages of 65 or more has doubled since the late nineteenth century. Britain’s death rate is slightly higher than that of Aus­tralia or the U.S.A. because of the large proportion of older people in the population.

The nicks in the pyra­mid at age groups 60—64 and 35—49 reflect the very low birth rates of the Depression and war years (1920s and 1939-45) while the bulge in the 10-20 year age groups indicates higher birth rates in the more hopeful economic conditions of the 1960s which has petered out with renewed economic difficulties in the late 1970s.

Britain’s population is now decreasing. People are unwilling to have many children who have to be supported through many years of education, and who thus restrict the money available for material comforts in the home or for leisure pursuits.

Other European countries have a similar population structure though there are minor differences. In West Germany for instance the birth rate is so low that the population is decreasing markedly and may drop from 57 million today to 52 million by the year 2000.

Some countries in Europe and elsewhere attempt to encour­age population growth by giving child allowances or tax relief to lessen the financial burden of larger fami­lies, e.g. in France. But in Spain and Ireland, where the Catholic Church forbids birth-control, birth rates are still high and the population still has a high pro­portion of young people and is growing.

Population structure in most Asian, African and Latin American countries is very different from that of Europe. Death rates have declined markedly in the twentieth century, though they are still a little higher than in Europe or North America because standards of hygiene, nutrition and disease control are lower.

The proportion of old people in the population is very small. The moderate decline in the death rate however has not been matched by a change in the birth rate which remains very high, so that the popu­lation contains many young people. The pyramids for most underdeveloped countries are even more broadly based than that of Britain in the nineteenth century.

In many of these countries it will take a long time to overcome the traditional attitudes and lack of know­ledge of family planning techniques though some countries such as India give great publicity and promi­nence to family planning. Few of the underdeveloped countries show any sign of a voluntary change to small­er families. Only in some of the most rapidly develop­ing countries, such as Singapore have birth rates de­clined rapidly.

Singapore is small and changes in birth rates affect the population quite quickly. Singapore has a policy of encouraging two children per family by imposing financial penalties on families with more than two children. Japan with 114,000,000 people and among the lowest death and infant-mortality rates in the world today has an interesting population history.

Until the early 1950s except for a nick in the male 30—45 age groups, caused by deaths during the Second World War, the pyramid resembled that of any other traditionally agricultural country. However the impact of industrialization, urbanism and a rising standard of living led to a decline in the birth rate and the pyramid is now ‘top-heavy’, though it still does not show the concentration in the middle and older age groups found in European countries.

The case of Japan illustrates the time-lag in changes in population structure, for though industrial develop­ment began in the late nineteenth century, it took fifty years for the effect to be felt in the population structure. Population structure in Japan now follows the European pattern.

Migration can have profound effects on population structure. This relates to Australia but in the 1950s and 1960s the U.S.A., Canada and New Zealand had a similar pattern. Immi­gration into these countries is much more restricted today. Immigrants are usually young people who have their families in their new country, encouraged by the better standards of living they find there.

The immi­grants themselves swell the population in the 30—45 age groups while their children help to increase the proportion of people under 20. When the rate of im­migration slows down the population becomes more stable. The U.S.A., for example, now has a declining birth rate. Immigration of large numbers of people of a different racial group often produces a temporary imbalance both in age and sex structure, because the bulk of immigrants are men, and also in racial com­position.

An age, sex pyramid divided by race for Peninsular Malaysia in 1931 illustrates this. Men out­number women in the middle age groups while a time lag between the bulk of Chinese and the bulk of Indian immigration is also seen.

Indian women came into the country mainly after the men. At this stage immigrants were not settling down to have families so the percen­tage of young Chinese and Indians in the population was smaller than that of Malays.

Migration not only affects the population structure of the receiving countries, but also that of the home countries of emigrants. Thus between 1850 and 1900 Ireland’s population was reduced from 8 to 4 million people by migration, about 90 per cent of which was to the U.S.A. Many young people left and the birth rate was drastically reduced. This migration has now slowed down and the population is beginning to as­sume a more normal pattern.

The sex structure of population is also important. The proportion of men to women affects the rate of population growth through the net reproduction ratio, which measures the rate at which the present genera­tion of women is being replaced by daughters who will in turn have children.

The calculation of this ratio allows forecasts of future population trends to be made. The numbers of men and women are usually fairly even but are sometimes out of balance after such events as wars, when more men than women are killed. The numbers are usually uneven in the higher age groups because women tend to live longer than men.

Essay # 5. Population Problems of Advanced Countries:

Underdeveloped countries do not have a monopoly of population problems, though in general their prob­lems are more widespread and more difficult to solve. It is, however, worthwhile to note the problems of in­dustrial and urbanized societies, some of which are becoming increasingly serious.

1. Ageing Population:

As the birth rate is low the proportion of younger people in the population is relatively small and the low death rate and high life expectancy mean that there is an ever-increasing pro­portion of older people in the population. Many retire from active work in their sixties and then become dependent on the working population. Provision of pensions and other facilities, e.g. extra health services, for elderly people pose financial problems.

2. Small Work Force:

As educational standards improve children remain longer at school and join the work force later. This, combined with the low birth rate, means that the labour force expands only slowly while industrial and other employment opportunities continue to multiply. Despite a high degree of mecha­nization in most industries many countries are short of workers.

In Europe for instance workers migrate from Italy, Greece, Yugoslavia and Turkey which are some­what overpopulated, to Germany and Switzerland where there are insufficient workers. Another problem is that the work force is generally well-educated and skilled and there is a shortage of unskilled workers. Because the majority of workers are skilled and the work force is relatively small wages are high.

3. Rural Depopulation:

Towns provide ameni­ties such as shops, entertainment and better social services, which cannot be matched in country districts, and employment is usually easier to find in urban areas. For this reason there is a steady movement of people from the country to the towns so that in some areas farms are even abandoned.

The fewer people live in the country the less economic it is to provide serv­ices and the greater becomes the disparity between town and country. Where rural depopulation is accom­panied by mechanization and rationalization of farm­ing and thus a rise in income, an improvement may result, but often the country districts suffer a decline in living standards.

4. Urbanization:

As towns expand, the pressure on transport, water supplies, sewage and refuse disposal grows and creates problems. Smoke and chemical ef­fluents from factories produce air and water pollution. Traffic congestion and noise are other problems.

Ten­sions created by urban life lead to a far higher incidence of mental illness than in underdeveloped countries, and pollution, particularly fumes from motor vehicles, also has physical health hazards. Urban sprawl is anoth­er problem; the expanding towns engulf land which would otherwise be suitable for agriculture and thus reduce self-sufficiency in many countries.

Underdeveloped and advanced countries have some problems in common, for most countries are unevenly developed. Most advanced countries have areas where agriculture or industry could be improved or where the population is too large. Similarly the underdeveloped countries all have large towns where the problems are similar to those of urbanized societies everywhere.

It is also important to bear in mind the differences be­tween underdeveloped countries. Some have a much better resource base or a smaller population, and these, such as Argentina, Mexico and Malaysia, are much more likely to be able to overcome their problems than countries with few resources and a large popula­tion with fixed traditional ideas.

Essay # 6 . Moderately Populated Areas of the World:

Around the margins of sparsely-populated areas the density of population gradually increases; only occa­sionally are low and high densities found side by side with no transition zone. The sharpest changes occur between the irrigated and non-irrigated areas in the deserts, the most notable example being the con­trast between the Nile Valley and the surrounding desert.

The moderately peopled regions of the world are usually those where agriculture is the dominant occu­pation. The climate, relief and soil are thus the main factors affecting population density; the more favour­able these conditions are, the more people the land can support. But human and economic factors such as communications and accessibility to markets also af­fect population patterns.

The moderately-peopled parts of the world are of four main types:

(i) Tropical Savannas:

The savanna areas have a very seasonal climate with summer rainfall and a natural vegetation of grass and scattered trees which are adapted to withstand the drought of the winter. Various types of extensive farming are practised. Ranching is important in the sertao of Brazil, in north­ern Australia and in many parts of Africa.

Shifting cultivation provides food crops for the scattered popu­lations in Brazil and Africa though some areas have been developed for the cultivation of cash crops, such as groundnuts, tobacco, sisal or pyrethrum, either on large estates or smallholdings. None of these occupa­tions supports a dense population.

(ii) Temperate Grasslands:

In temperate con­tinental areas there are broad stretches of grassland where the climate is relatively dry and most of the rain falls in summer. Temperatures are high in summer and very low in winter. The growing season is long enough for cereal cultivation but where there is insuf­ficient moisture ranching is the dominant occupation.

The largest grassland areas are in North America (the Prairies), U.S.S.R. (the Steppes), and Argentina (the Pampas), but parts of interior Australia and South Africa have similar conditions. The grasslands coincide with vast plains or with regions of undulating terrain and are thus ideal for large-scale, mechanized cereal cultivation, but neither this nor ranching supports a large population.

Both savannas and temperate grasslands are con­tinental in location and lack of communications and remoteness have helped to keep the population rela­tively small. The best developed areas are those with good lines of transport, e.g. Argentina. Settlement has often followed the building of railways, such as the Trans-Siberian or the Canadian Pacific.

(iii) Tropical Coastlands:

While the interiors of tropical countries are often not well developed, the more accessible tropical regions have been cleared of forest and are devoted to agriculture. Both food crops such as rice and maize and cash crops such as rubber, oil palm, cocoa and sugar-cane are important in the lowlands, while tea and coffee are grown in the high­lands.

Coastal areas are preferred since accessibility to the sea is an advantage to growers of these dominantly export crops. Many areas were cleared only in the nineteenth century and thus populations are not as large as those found in tropical countries with a long agricultural tradition.

(iv) Temperate Coastlands:

Temperate coast- lands have a moderate climate, with an adequate rain- fall and no great extremes of temperature, so that a very wide range of crops can be grown. Livestock also form an important part of the agricultural economy. Farming is well established and although farms are usually small in size, yields per hectare are high.

As a result the land can support fairly large numbers of people, and such areas as central and eastern Europe, central, southern and north-western U.S.A., south­eastern Australia, central Chile and along the Plate estuary in Argentina, therefore have a moderate to dense population.

Both tropical and temperate coastlands are more densely peopled than the continental interiors, partly because the climate is more favourable and partly be­cause communications and markets are better. The larger the population the faster it will grow and the greater will be the market for agricultural and other goods.

This in turn helps to promote improvements in farming practices and the production of larger crops. The more productive the land the more peo­ple it can support. Areas of moderate population grad­ually merge into more densely settled areas where intensive farming and the development of industry allow far more people to get a living from the land.

Essay # 7 . Densely Populated Areas of the World :

Only limited areas of the world have high densities of population and these have all the advantages of good climatic, soil and relief conditions, as well as re­sources of fuel and industrial raw materials. The largest populations also grow most rapidly so that, unless there is rapid out-migration, people tend to concen­trate in relatively restricted areas.

The development of urban areas with many people, markets, shops, en­tertainment and other facilities tend to attract people from the surrounding areas.

Densely populated regions fall into two main categories, those dependent mostly on agriculture and those dependent mostly on indus­try:

(i) Agriculture:

Some of the most densely peo­pled parts of the world rely basically on agriculture. Industry has been developed in these areas and there are many large towns but a large proportion of the population still lives and works on the land. These areas include the Nile Valley of Egypt, the river valleys and plains of mainland China, the Indo-Gangetic plain and western coastal plain of the Indian subcontinent, and the island of Java in Indonesia.

In these areas as many as 1,000-2,000 people may live on a square kilometre (3,000-4,000 per square mile) of land. This is only possible because climate, relief, soil and water supply in the regions are favourable. Egypt has a Medi­terranean type of climate which is suitable for many crops and the Nile waters have been harnessed to irri­gate the fields.

In India, too, the fertile alluvial soils of the plains, the availability of water for irrigation in the dry season, the regular rhythm of the monsoons and high temperatures all the year round, allow several crops to be grown each year.

In China warm summers, monsoon rainfall, irrigation, constant manuring of the soil, and the careful management of the land, all con­tribute to support a huge rural population. Java has a warm climate, heavy rainfall and rich volcanic soils.

These areas were always advantageous for settle­ment. The Nile, Indus and Huang He (Hwang Ho) val­leys were the centres of ancient civilizations and as agriculture developed large settled populations were built up. Numbers have continued to grow ever since but farming techniques have not been modernized at the same rate.

As the capacity of the land to provide food has been outstripped the people have become poorer. Farms are very small—often not more than half a hectare and although a wide variety of cash crops is grown the cultivation of food crops is more important. Rice is the main food crop and is supple­mented by vegetables; poultry are kept, and buffaloes, sheep and goats are important in Egypt, Indonesia and India, and pigs in China.

The pressure on land is continually increasing as more and more people must be fed from the same plot, and such large populations can only live off the land because the people are willing to subsist on a relatively meagre diet of little nutri­tional value. Overcrowding thus leads to poverty and a low standard of living which in turn makes moderni­zation difficult because people cannot afford to buy machinery or fertilizers.

Moreover the farms are often too small to use modern techniques efficiently. Farm­ing could be done much more effectively by fewer people working larger plots of land but there is as yet no alternative source of employment in the towns of these countries. Large-scale industry has only recently been established and may never be able to compensate for population problems which have existed for so long.

(ii) Industry:

The densely populated areas depen­dent on industry and urban development are Western Europe, north-eastern U.S.A., and Japan. These areas are less extensive than densely peopled agricultural areas and are radically different, for most of the peo­ple live in large towns and few in the country.

The food for these large centres of population is not pro­duced locally but drawn from all over the world, so they are much more dependent on industry, trade and commerce. Unlike densely peopled agricultural areas they have a generally high standard of living and rather than getting poorer they are becoming richer as new techniques and ideas create greater employment op­portunities.

However problems of traffic, noise, pollu­tion, disposal of waste and provision of water supplies become greater as towns expand, and as the standard of living improves, health, education, recreation and other amenities must be provided at greater and great­er cost. Large urban centres attract ever larger popu­lations by in-migration, for while improved agricultural methods mean that fewer people are needed in the country, employment opportunities are much greater in the cities.

The three areas of high urban population differ from one another for historical reasons. The Industrial Revolution first took place in Britain where industrial­ization coincided with a phase of rural depopulation, caused by changes in land tenure, which provided workers for the factories in the towns.

At this time too, medical advances brought down the death rate and thus the population began to expand rapidly so that a large urban labour force was available through­out the nineteenth century. Mineral resources such as coal and iron were also available and trading relation­ships with other countries were already well-established so that raw materials could be obtained and goods marketed all over the world.

Industrialization spread to Belgium, northern France and later to Ger­many, but in these countries agricultural reform did not take place as early as in England and there is still a relatively large agricultural population.

The industrial district of the U.S.A. is an offshoot of the European region. Immigrants from Europe brought their knowledge and skill in industry to the new country, where the huge resources of coal, oil, iron, copper and many other raw materials allowed industry to develop rapidly. Large industrial towns and cities were already established before the whole country was settled.

Japan was traditionally an agricultural nation with a large rural population similar to that of China, and had little contact with other countries. In the late nineteenth century, however, this isolation was broken down and the advantages of industry were realized. Many circumstances aided the growth of Japanese in­dustry and its already large population was transformed from an agricultural to an urban one.

In this Japan differs from other industrial regions where the growth of population occurred at the same time as the growth of industry. As a result the popu­lation pattern in Japan is different; 13 per cent of the people still depend on agriculture as compared with only 2 per cent in Britain for example.

Essay # 8 . Problems of Overpopulation across the World :

There are underdeveloped countries where the level of technological development inhibits agricultural effi­ciency and the establishment of industry even though the resources exist in the country. Such countries have additional problems if they are overpopulated like China or India. In these countries the modern indus­trial economy has been grafted on to a traditional agricultural one and the two have not yet been proper­ly balanced.

Another group of countries which are underdeveloped are those which lack population, al­though they sometimes have advanced societies and command modern technological methods. These coun­tries, such as Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Zaire, or Asiatic U.S.S.R., have tremendous resources which cannot be fully developed because of lack of population.

Their problems are often accentuated by adverse climatic conditions. Population problems are thus among the basic difficulties of underdeveloped countries but those of overpopulation are of course different from those of under-population.

(i) Rapid Population Growth:

Large popula­tions increase rapidly and in most underdeveloped countries the birth rate is high and family planning is not practiced on a large scale. This means that there is a large proportion of young people in the population who are dependent on the relatively small working section of the population. At the same time the large number of young people puts extra strain on social services, especially education.

(ii) Unemployment:

In many underdeveloped countries industry is not well-established and there are few employment opportunities for unskilled work­ers. Unemployment is therefore high. On the other hand there is often a shortage of skilled workers be­cause there are few facilities for training.

In overpopulated rural areas unemployment or under-employment is also a major problem; people migrate to the towns where it is often even more difficult to find work. Moreover the towns become overcrowded, making living conditions poorer.

(iii) Housing and Health:

The standard of living in overpopulated countries is low and housing condi­tions are often poor and overcrowded. Standards of hygiene and nutrition are also low which leads to health problems such as malnutrition, and the spread of dis­eases. Prevention and cure of disease is hampered by insanitary conditions, by the ignorance of the people, by the lack of financial resources and often by the sheer numbers of people involved.

(iv) Under-Utilization of Agricultural Re­sources:

Traditional methods of agriculture, out­dated or inadequate equipment, lack of financial re­sources for improving farms, the non-use of fertilizer and the non-use or misuse of marginal agricultural land, such as highlands, may all help to keep agricultural production much lower than its potential. Difficulties of rationalizing farming techniques and reforming land tenure to give larger, more economic farms are aggra­vated by lack of capital and by traditional atti­tudes of the farmers who are often slow to accept new ideas.

(v) Slow Growth of Industry:

In most under­developed countries industry is only slowly becoming established. Apart from lack of local capital which makes the actual exploitation of resources or setting- up of factories difficult, the population factors are important. The labour force, though large in number is generally unskilled and has no background of indus­trial employment.

Similarly, although the large popu­lation should provide a good market for the finished goods, the majority of the people are poor and cannot afford to buy the products. To produce goods cheaply for a small market mechanized manufacture is most economical but this employs very few workers and does not help the employment situation.

(vi) Traditional Attitudes:

Traditional or reli­gious attitudes may militate against change or may make conditions worse. Birth-control is forbidden by the Catholic Church, for instance, and caste restric­tions on occupations in India also help to slow down development. Less important is the conservatism of rural people regarding farming methods and the intro­duction of new crops. This kind of attitude can be removed by education in a way that religious beliefs cannot.

Essay # 9 . Problems of Under-Population across the World :

(i) uneven distribution of population :.

Average population densities for under-populated coun­tries are low, and in many areas there are practically no people at all. Small populations increase slowly, even though birth rates are often high. Immigration is an important source of people but it is usually to the towns rather than to the country that new immigrants go.

At the same time the towns with their better con­ditions attract people from the already sparsely settled countryside. Imbalance between town and country is a major problem of under-populated countries.

(ii) Remoteness:

It is difficult to increase settle­ment in sparsely populated areas because people are unwilling to forego the amenities of the town. Where there are few people it is uneconomic to provide elab­orate communications, health, education or other facilities. This in turn increases the unwillingness of people to settle in such areas.

(iii) Under-Utilization of Resources:

Lack of population makes it difficult for a country to de­velop its resources to the full. Minerals will usually be extracted, especially precious metals and petroleum, because the desire for wealth will overcome other con­siderations. Agricultural resources are more difficult to develop because they require more and harder work over a long period of years before they show a good return.

In the nineteenth century when the U.S.A. was settled people were prepared to develop the land be­cause many of them were landless peasants, but immigrants to under-populated countries today generally prefer town life.

(iv) Slow Growth of Industry:

The growth of industry is often slow in under-populated countries because there is a shortage of labour, especially skilled labour, e.g. in the South American and African coun­tries. Where skilled labour has to be brought in this raises the cost of industrial development. Moreover the small population does not always provide an adequate market even where the standard of living is high.

(v) Climatic Problems:

Many under-populated countries have hostile climatic or relief conditions which make settlement difficult or dangerous for im­migrants. Such conditions obstruct development and are likely never to be fully overcome.

Are there any solutions to the problems of under­developed countries? In terms of economics the major need is for an infusion of capital, probably in the form of foreign aid, to finance development. In terms of population the need is for a decline in birth rates in overpopulated countries, but progress towards this end is extremely slow so that the improvement of agricul­ture, establishment of industry and extension of edu­cational, health and other facilities will in the long run be more important in solving overpopulation by mak­ing better use of available resources.

In under-populated countries immigration might be increased but this could only work if immigrants possessed the right skills and were prepared to live in the sparsely populated areas. To open up under-populated areas is both diffi­cult and expensive and thus economic factors are again paramount.

Essay # 10 . Views of Malthus on World Overpopulation:

Thomas Malthus was an English clergyman who, in 1798, published an Essay on the Principle of Popu­lation in which he put forward the view that, ‘the power of population is indefinitely greater than the power of the earth to produce subsistence for man’. He thought that a balance could only be maintained if famine, disease or war periodically increased the death rate and reduced population growth.

His pessimistic ideas were accepted by several other nineteenth-century scholars in England and France and many people still hold similar views today. Is this pessimistic view really justified?

In the first place it is important to realize the context of Malthus’ work. He was not considering the world as a whole but only England. Moreover he wrote almost 200 years ago when conditions certainly justified some of his conclusions.

At the end of the eighteenth century the popu­lation of England was only about 10 million, but much of their food supply had to be produced from the limited agricultural land of the country. The Agricultural Revolution of the late eighteenth cen­tury had brought about many improvements, but farming methods and crop yields were still much lower than they are today.

Changes in land tenure, brought about by enclosure of the old common fields and the formation of large farms in the place of small scattered plots, led to rural depopulation. The towns, especially those where the new factory industries had been established, grew very rapidly and were overcrowded, dirty and unhealthy. The people who lived in them were poor, under-fed, overworked and had little resistance to disease.

Thus, had food supplies been reduced or popula­tion expanded too rapidly, these people would have suffered and starvation and epidemics would have reduced the population. This had already hap­pened twice during England’s history; the Black Death of the fourteenth century and the Great Plague of the seventeenth century coincided with periods when harvests were bad and there were food shortages. Hunger reduced resistance to dis­eases and bubonic plague caused the death of many thousands of people.

Malthus was afraid that something similar would happen again. In his time great advances were being made in the treatment and control of diseases such as cholera, typhoid and smallpox which were still rife in England and Europe. This meant that death rates, and particularly infant mortality rates, were falling.

Malthus calculated that population could double every 25 years, but no similar increases in food supplies could be expected. Given the social conditions of the time it was not therefore surpris­ing that his predictions should be pessimistic. He could not have foreseen the tremendous changes which were to take place in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

These changes completely altered the economic and social conditions in Britain and Europe:

1. Great improvements have taken place in agri­cultural production as a result of better farm man­agement, increased use of fertilizers and pesticides, use of better seeds and livestock breeds, application of soil-conservation methods and so on. These im­provements led to considerable increases in the yields of most agricultural products and also allow­ed hitherto unusable land to be brought into profit­able use.

2. During the nineteenth century vast new agri­cultural regions in America, Africa and Australasia were opened up and large-scale plantation agricul­ture was established in tropical countries. Improve­ments in transportation not only allowed migrants to reach new areas and bring them into production, but also meant that their crops could be easily transported to Britain and Europe to supplement local food supplies.

3. The population did not expand anything like as fast as Malthus predicted. The rate of increase declined largely as a result of a decreasing birth rate although death rates continued to fall. Improved standards of living, the costs of maintaining a large family and especially the difficulties of the depres­sion and the two World Wars in the first half of the twentieth century all contributed to the trend to­wards smaller families and a slower rate of popula­tion growth.

Thus, in Europe at least, Malthus’ predictions were proved wrong by events. But many people still apply his ideas to underdeveloped countries, where advances in agriculture are slower and population growth much more rapid. Death rates in many un­derdeveloped countries have been reduced but can still be lowered considerably.

In some ways this gives these countries a breathing space for if current high birth rates were combined with the low death rates of advanced countries, populations would ex­pand so rapidly that it would indeed be impossible to feed them. On this basis, for instance, India’s population could be trebled in less than 50 years.

Death rates are linked with levels of hygiene, nutri­tion and housing and will fall as Living standards improve. Fortunately these improvements are grad­ually taking place. The question remains-when death rates reach their lowest level, will a propor­tional reduction have occurred in birth rates?

There are several reasons to hope that the future of underdeveloped countries is not as bleak as it seems:

1. Rapid and efficient means of transportation have benefited not only Europe but the rest of the world. Thus if there is famine in one area food sup­plies can usually be brought in from elsewhere.

2. On a world scale there is no real food short­age and in many fields, such as livestock and dairy products, output could be greatly expanded in a very short time. But financial considerations pre­vent poor countries from purchasing as much food as they need or could absorb. Thus huge surpluses of wheat, for example, cannot be sold to the coun­tries which need them most.

Other food crops such as coffee, tea and sugar, of which surpluses are often produced, cannot be sold in underdeveloped countries because incomes are low and therefore demand is low. The lack of an effective market is also the chief obstacle to the production and sale of highly nutritious meat and dairy produce.

Thus the problem is not one of food shortage but of economic inequality. This inequality is, how­ever, gradually being reduced by the development of natural resources, agriculture and industries in underdeveloped countries, which in turn earns for­eign exchange and provides them with the financial resources for further development.

Such improve­ments in agriculture and industry should eventually improve incomes and standards of living and allow people in underdeveloped countries to obtain more and better foods.

3. Tremendous advances have been made in agriculture in underdeveloped countries which, with foreign aid and technical advice, are growing more staple crops and are introducing more nutritious crops not previously grown. Research into plant varieties has produced improved hybrids which have greater resistance to disease, greater tolerance to unfavourable climatic conditions and give much higher yields.

The most important achievements have been in producing ‘miracle’ rice strains. IR8 and IR15 grown in the Philippines, turned that country from a rice importer to a rice exporter in the course of a few years. Moreover the nutritional value of rice has been improved in certain recently developed strains.

4. Education in underdeveloped countries is being steadily improved and is gradually reaching a larger and larger proportion of the population. In the long term education has a tremendously impor­tant role to play in the fields of agriculture, techni­cal training to equip people for industrial employ­ment and in spreading the idea of family planning.

All these changes in underdeveloped countries are gradual and the real test of Malthusian views of population and food supplies will depend upon the speed with which these countries can be modernized and the rate at which improvements in living stand­ards affect birth rates.

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• Population Essay

Introduction to Population

Population is a very interesting topic to learn. There is no denying the fact that the population of any country is a very strong indicator of how exactly the country will function in the future and what its capabilities are as a nation. Leaders of the world pay a lot of attention to their country’s population for the same reason. The population and the skills that they possess are perhaps some of the most essential assets for any country. The following article is an essay on the topic of population and has been structured in a way that students of all ages can learn and understand the key points that they need to mention whenever they are writing an essay like this. 

Brief on Population

When we talk about a country’s population, we are talking about a lot of things. We are talking about its future workforce, the people that will build the country as a place to live and grow in, we definitely are talking about the future of the entire country. Taking India’s example, when we talk about the population of the country, we are talking about the future of the dream that our freedom fighters dreamt for us as a nation. Together, the entire population of a country has the potential to change the entire landscape of the kinds of work, and jobs that they do. 

The population of a country is responsible for the economical changes and growth in the country and hence is very important. It is also very important to take care of this population. The population needs the right kind of food, healthy environment to grow in and a great and comfortable lifestyle right from the start. Is that something that is possible for everyone? We all know the answer to this. In a country like India, where income disparities are massive, there is no chance for every single section of the population to have a good lifestyle right from the start that can help them grow as individuals. 

The same applies for other countries as well. Every country has an income disparity among the people that live in it and this is what makes the topic of population so interesting. We already know that it is the biggest asset that any country can have, but every country must plan and strategize well to take care of this population so that every single need is being fulfilled. This not only helps the country flourish as a whole, but also increases its chances of becoming successful in the future. 

Population Explosion

The current population of India is around 140 crores. According to certain reports, in the next few years, there will be a solid growth of population in India, and globally too.

The population is the total number of human beings living in a city or the country. It allows knowing how much resources are required by this population to fulfil and other plans needed. Year by year, there has been an explosion of population, which is making it difficult to provide resources to every person living in the country. Low literacy, early marriage and demand for family growth are some of the reasons behind the explosion of the population.  India is the primary ground of population explosion. It covers 17% of the population of the world and is the most populated country.

Reasons Behind the Growth of the Population

There are many reasons for the growth of the population. The low literacy rate is one of the reasons behind this explosion. For example, in India, the literacy rate is relatively low in many states. Many people living in the village fail to complete education and have less knowledge about birth control. They keep on expanding their family.

Moreover, they do not carry much knowledge about birth control techniques or medication. This lack of understanding further leads to a population explosion.

Another primary reason behind the growth of population is child marriage. The custom of child marriage is still followed in many parts of the country. Parents marry off their daughter at an early age, and at a young age, these girls get pregnant. This process continues for a long time.

One of the reasons behind this growth is there are not strict laws in India, unlike other countries. This also makes it hard for citizens to get an equal share of resources.

Impact of Population Explosion

Population explosion causes harm, not only to citizens of the country, but also nature. Increase in population means the need for more space to live, resulting in deforestation. Many cities have lost the green zone to fill it with urban living. Deforestation is leading to the extinction of species and other resources.  Animals are losing their homes, which makes them encroach on cities taking the lives of people.

Subsequently, an increase in population is also leading to population. More and more people are buying vehicles for their convenience, which is resulting in pollution. Massive traffic, congestion on roads and other negative scenes are witnessed in cities.

Population increase also calls for industrialization, which invites pollution in all areas. A country like India is now witnessing a massive problem of pollution and global warming.

Irregular distribution of food to all populations is another significant impact. Many families in rural areas do not get proper food to eat. Many poor kids go to sleep without eating food. This irregular distribution of food is not the scenario only in India, but other developing countries.

How to Control the Population?

One of the ways to control the population is to educate people about its ill effects on the country's resources. Government, along with NGOs, need to visit every rural area of the country to inform people about population control.

Providing birth control kits, education to kids and monetary benefits to families successful in restricting birth can do the needful.

We, humans, often forget how we are going to suffer if the population keeps exploding. If the number keeps rising, then it will be difficult to survive. Citizens need to understand the negative impact of the population explosion. Taking the right measures and keeping the resources in mind will help to control the population.

FAQs on Population Essay

1. How can the population affect climate change?

A growing population can have a significant impact on climate change. The buildup of human-generated greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is one of the effects of increasing human population. According to one study, there is a deep relationship between population growth and global warming. One child can produce 20 times more greenhouse. Similarly, a child born in the US will add up to 9441 carbon dioxide. This is certainly the most chilling effect of increasing population.

Global warming is the most common fear for today and the coming generation. To stop its growth, controlling the population is essential.

2. How population growth affects the environment?

There is a direct impact of population on the environment. More the population, the more resources are needed. There is a requirement that more space means more deforestation. Population growth also leads to an increase in greenhouse gases, which can affect this planet earth.

Rising sea levels in the coastal region are seen, which eventually leads to flooding. Like these, there are many impacts on the environment due to population growth. In many cities in developing countries, there is a shortage of space. People are not able to find space to live. Moreover, they find it hard to get clean water and are exposed to air pollution and other environmental issues.

3. Will the population increase post-lockdown?

According to the UN report, India will witness a baby boom post-lockdown. The report said, "The pandemic could strain health care capacities for mothers and newborns.” There is an estimate of 116 million babies to be born post-lockdown. The case is not just about India, but China (13.5 million births), Nigeria (6.4 million) and Indonesia (4 million). Post-lockdown, it could be a testing time for developing countries on how the population will affect resources.

4. What are some things that shall be considered while writing an essay on the topic of “Population”?

Whenever you are writing an essay on this topic, make sure that you are highlighting points like how population grows, the impact of this growth, ways to control population and the reasons why population of a country is so important. Once this is done and when you have an idea of what you need to be writing about, start building upon these points. By simply doing this, you will be able to write a brilliant essay. 

Home — Essay Samples — Sociology — Human Population — The Growth Of Population

The Growth of Population

• Categories: Human Population Overpopulation Society

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Words: 1510 |

Published: Sep 19, 2019

Words: 1510 | Pages: 3 | 8 min read

Table of contents

Introduction, effect of climate change on the world’s population, reasons for food shortages, solution to food shortages, reasons for unemployemnent, consequences of poverty, climate change.

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Population Growth Essay

Population growth today has become a serious matter of concern for the world. The world population has been consistently increasing at an alarming rate and is estimated to be around 7.7 billion in 2019. Uncontrolled population growth leads to rapid urbanization and depletion of resources. Natural resources that are pretty scarce in some parts of the world become scarcer due to increased consumption. Apart from depleting resources, a population increase means more buildings and factories come up and more tress fell and forests destroyed. It also puts an strain on the availability of basic amenities like health, education and welfare.

Long and Short Essay on Population Growth in English

We have provided below short and long essay on population growth in English for your information and knowledge.

The essays have been written in simple yet effective English so that you can easily grasp the information and present it whenever needed.

After going through these population growth essay you will know what the effects of population growth on natural resources, what is the trend of population growth in different countries; advantages and disadvantages of population growth etc.

The information given in the essays can be used in school/college during speech giving, essay writing and other competitions.

Short Essay on Population Growth – Essay 1 (200 Words)

In today’s time the population has become one of the leading problems of world. It requires a quick and serious attention from all of us. The worst situation due to growing population now can be seen in many countries where people are struggling with shortage of food, shelter, pure water and also have to breathe polluted air.

Increased Population Affects the Natural Resources

This crisis is growing day by day and affecting completely our natural resources as more people results in more consumption of water, food, land, tree and also the fossil fuels badly impacting the environment in many ways. In current time, over population has become a curse to the existence of natural beauty. People are suffering from various diseases due to polluted air in environment.

Population may cause unemployment and also effects the economical development of any country. Due to consistently increasing level of population, poverty is also growing in many countries. People are bounded to live under limited resources and supplements. In many countries including India, population has crossed all its limits and as result we find high illiteracy level, poor health services and lack of resources in the rural areas.

Essay on Population Growth and Its Effects – Essay 2 (300 Words)

Introduction

Population of the World is increasing day by day and it is becoming a huge concern for the world. As per latest data, population is already crossed 7.6 billion in the world. Increase in population affects the economic, environmental and social development of the world.

Different Country with Different Population

Population growth is not uniform in all the countries of the World. Some Countries have high growth while some are having moderate or a very low increase in their population. It creates  lot of challenges as countries with high growth are suffering with poverty, more expenses, unemployment, lack of fresh water, food, education, depletion of resources etc as a consequence of population explosion, while countries with low population growth have lack of  manpower, an increased old to young ratio , hampering the Country’s growth.

Effects of Population Growth

Let’s see how population affects a country in various ways:

• Population increase results in more consumption of natural resources.
• Increased demand for everything while the production of the necessary items doesn’t keep up as population growth.
• Increase in unemployment, sometimes resulting in the youth’s misguidance towards other illegitimate methods of earning.
• Government has to spend more on basic necessities such as education, healthcare, infrastructure, irrigation, water etc while the revenue are not increasing as per population growth, so demand and supply difference is consistently increasing, resulting an increase in prices of items.
• Unemployment reduces the capacity of expenditure and families spent its saving on basic need and can’t afford the good education for their children. This results in low qualification and low chance of employment for children when they reach their working age. It affects the growth in economy and industrial expansion.

Population growth rate is needed to be controlled to save the World especially in those countries with faster growth rate. It will balance the system as manpower is required for the growth of country.

Essay on Population Growth is Good for a Country – Essay 3 (400 Words)

Though over population is a worldwide problem but still in some countries population is below the required rate which is also a serious issue as in those countries less people means less manpower to support and work for the development of that country. Over Population is definitely harmful for any country in many ways but it has some positive side too. Increased population leads to increase in manpower for a country where more people are easily found helping in the development of different sectors.

How Population Growth is Good for a Country?

Controlled population growth is also required for growth of the economy of any country. Let’s see how:

If population of a country is constant or is not increasing, it will create more old age people than the young people. That country will not have enough manpower to do the job. Japan is the best example as there government is motivating to increase the birth rate in an attempt to minimize the age gap. Second best example can be taken of China as 25 years ago here government implemented the rule of one child in a family. After few years when the growth rate of China started reducing and was having less young manpower, then recently they lifted this ban and allowed parents to have two children instead of one.

Population increase will create more manpower and more consumption of items required for basic / luxurious. More consumption means more industry growth to cater that consumption. More industry requires more manpower. Money circulation will improve and cost of living of the country will improve. People in the country will earn money and will educate their kids so that they can do work for the growth of country. Basically it all depends on the controlled growth of population. If population growth is higher than required, it will create problem of unemployment, poverty etc.

Over Population is always has negative impact on a country’s growth but controlled pollution growth is also required for a country to achieve success in many ways. Whether resources may be limited for over populated countries but extra manpower is definitely required for generating extra resources and making new inventions.

Essay on Population Growth in India – Essay 4 (500 Words)

Population is the count of the number of persons living in a particular region. It has reached an alarming rate in some countries. Over population can be due to many causes like illiteracy, improper knowledge of family planning, migration from different places.

India is the Second Highest Populated Country in World

According to survey this whole World is inhabited by around 7.6 billion humans among which a major part 17% of the total population of world is residing in India i.e. more than 125 crore people. Adding to this around 21% Indians are below poverty level as a result of uncontrolled population growth. This may lead to disastrous effects in future and thus it is required to control it in order to live a safe and healthy life.

According to Census of 2011, India’s population has crossed 121 crore and it is at second position after the China in the world. Presently this figure may have crossed 130 crore and in near future, it will surpass that of China China. India is facing a big challenge as population growth. It is adversely affecting India’s economical condition and also responsible for poverty and low living standard of people.

Government has to spend more to provide the basic things at the subsidized rate to cater to the massive population of below poverty line (BPL) consumers. As Government is providing subsidy on basic items, it is left with a minimal amount to be used in, developmental projects aiding to the growth in economy. Government has the fewer amounts to spend on social services such as education, hospital, housing, infrastructure etc which are essentially required for a progressive country. Therefore, a planned growth of our economy needs some effective check on population explosion.

Illiteracy is the Major Cause of over-Population

Illiteracy is the main cause in India for the population growth. People living below poverty line (BPL) are not aware of the consequence of this population growth owe to their illiteracy. People think that more children mean they will earn more money for the family without realizing its impact. Sometimes parents desire boy as they think that he will popular his name and family name. Sometimes they give birth to 3-4 girl children in the desire of single boy.

How Overpopulation causes Unemployment

Overpopulation is the main cause for the unemployment in India. We can see that for any examination or vacancy, millions applications are received. It increases the competition and sometimes people use the bribe to get the job. It also increases the corruption in the system which is India’s growing concern.

Role of Government for Controlling Population in India

Government has taken various initiatives to educate the people about the benefits of family planning. Some major steps are noted here:

• Government has amended the law and fixed the minimum age for marriage of boy and girl.
• Government is creating awareness among people about the importance of family planning, equality of boys and girls, by various advertisements on TV, posters in village etc.
• Government is promoting the education of child by taking minimum fees, providing free mid-day meal, free uniform, books etc.

To make a country developed and powerful every citizen of that country need to take step on his own end apart from blaming on others. Over population may be the biggest cause for the destruction of a nation. We must find out effective solutions to the problem in order to achieve success as a Nation.

Long Essay on Causes, Effects, Solutions of Population Growth – Essay 5 (600 Words)

At present situation the problem of overpopulation comes under the category of global crisis which is growing day by day and with each passing second. This essay is specially written for understanding the issues its causes, its affects and most importantly the solution.

Over Population: Causes, Effects and Solutions

Over population means an increase in the number of people in an area than the number, the resources of that particular area can sustain. Many causes are behind this problem some are:

Causes of Population Growth

• Growth rate of population is higher in developing countries. Reason for this increase is mainly due to lack of knowledge of family planning. Mostly people who are contributing for population growth are illiterate and living below of poverty line. They are also getting their child marrying at an early age without understanding its implication.
• Mostly people come from the rural areas to urban areas/city for the job opportunities or employment and improvement in life style. It creates imbalance in city and shortage of resources.
• Improvement in medical technology/treatment reduces the mortality rate for many serious diseases. A lot of chronic diseases or deadly viruses such as measles, small pox are being treated with the improvement in medical services.
• With the improvement in medical science, it has become possible for couple who are unable to conceive, to undergo fertility treatment methods and have their own babies. Moreover, due to awareness, people go to the hospital for routine checkups and delivery, which are safer for the mother and baby.
• As population increases, consumption of basic need such as food and water will also increase. However Earth can produce a limited amount of water and food, which is lesser in comparison to consumption, leading to an increase in prices.
• Forests are depleting to cater the growth of urbanization that is affecting animals in the forest, causing pollution and imbalance in ecology. Natural resources are depleting very fast due to overuse of coal, oil and natural gas etc. It is creating serious effects on our environment.
• With the increase in population, number of vehicles and industries has increased significantly; badly affecting the quality of air. Rise in amount of release of greenhouse gases causing global warming, which causes melting of ice from iceberg and glaciers. Changing climate patterns, rise in sea level are few of the consequences that we might have to face due to environmental pollution.
• Overpopulation has increased the acts of violence and aggression as people are competing with each other for getting resources and achieving good lifestyle.

Solutions to Protect Population Growth

• Developed countries are not facing problem of overpopulation as people in develop countries are educated and they are aware of consequences of having more kids. While in developing countries, people are not well educated and have no proper idea about family planning. If the education improves then they will understand disadvantage of having more than one or two children.
• In slum areas government has continuously provided some awareness programs to make understand families about the hard life they will have to face with four or five or more children. They also guide them about family planning and efficient birth control.
• Government should impose some restrictions/hard method to control the number of children per couple. Government should also provide some incentives or tax exemption to curb overpopulation.

To live a better life every family need to have proper family planning in manner to provide their kids complete nutritious food, proper shelter, best education and other important resources. A country can only get success when its citizens are healthy and live a happy and content life. Thus controlled population is the key to the success for every Country in the World.

Related Information:

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Essay on Family Planning in India

Essay on World Population Day

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Essay on Overpopulation in World

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• World Population Distribution Density and Growth

World Population: Distribution, Density and Growth

The world population, its distribution, density and growth reflect the advancement and development of each geographical zone. The world population has a huge impact on the world economy and climate change.

Being an important topic, world population is discussed widely and is featured in the General Studies I section of the UPSC syllabus.

This article gives a good understanding of the topic, world population from the IAS Exam point of view.

Patterns of Population Distribution in the World

The term population distribution refers to the way people are spaced over the surface of the earth. Broadly, 90% of the world’s population lives in about 10% of the earth’s land area. The 10 most populous countries of the world contribute about 60% of the world’s population (the six countries out of the ten are located in Asia).

Image source-NCERT

Population Density

Population density is the ratio between the number of people to the area of the land. It is measured in persons per square kilometre or km². The densely populated parts of the world are the north-eastern part of the U.S.A, north-western part of Europe, south, south-east and east Asia. The thinly populated regions of the world are near the north and south poles, the hot and the cold deserts and high rainfall zones near the equator. The population density of India in 2011 was 382 per sq. km.

Density of population = Total Population / Total Area Patterns of population distribution and density give the demographic characteristics of any area.

Factors influencing the distribution of population

The following factors affect the population distribution:

• Geographical factors
• Economic factors
• Social and cultural factors

Geographical Factors-

• Water availability – Water is the most essential factor for the existence of life. It is used for multiple purposes like cooking, drinking, agriculture, etc. People prefer to inhibit areas which have water in abundance, that is why river valleys are among the most densely populated areas of the world.
• Landforms – The Ganga Plains are among the most densely populated areas of the world while mountainous regions of the Himalayas are thinly populated. People prefer flat plains and gentler slopes which are favourable for agricultural purposes, to build better road connectivity and for industries.
• Climate – A climate which is neither too hot nor too cold attracts more people. Areas with very heavy rainfall or extreme and harsh climate have low population density.
• Soil – Areas with fertile, loamy soils are preferred by people as this type of soil supports intensive agriculture.

Economic Factors-

• Minerals -The regions with rich mineral deposits attract industries which in turn generate employment opportunities. People move to such places and make them thickly populated. For example, Katanga Zambia copper belt in Africa.
• Urbanisation – Urban centres offer better employment opportunities, educational and medical facilities, have better means of transport and communication. This results in rural to urban migration and cities become densely populated.
• Industrialisation – Industrial areas provide job opportunities thereby attracting a huge number of people. For example, the Kobe-Osaka region of Japan is densely populated due to the presence of a large number of industries.

Social and Cultural Factors-

Religious or cultural importance also affects the population density of a place. Such places attract more people and if there is social and political unrest in a region, people tend to move away from such places. Sometimes the government offers incentives to people to move to thinly populated areas or move away from overcrowded places.

Population Growth/Population Change

It refers to the change in the number of inhabitants of a territory over a specific period of time. Population growth is expressed either in terms of percentage or absolute numbers. It can be positive as well as negative. Population change indicates the economic development, social upliftment and historical and cultural background of the area.

Some Basic Concepts of Population Geography

• Growth of population – It is the change of population in a particular area between two points of time.
• Growth rate of population – When the change in population is expressed in terms of percentage, it is the growth rate of population.
• Natural growth of population – Natural Growth = Births – Deaths (It is the population increase by the difference between births and deaths in a particular region between two points of time).
• Actual growth of population –  Actual Growth = Births – Deaths + In Migration – Out Migration.
• Positive growth of population –  This happens when the birth rate is more than the death rate between two points of time or when people from other countries migrate permanently to a region.
• Negative growth of population – This happens when the population decreases between two points of time, either when the birth rate falls below the death rate or people migrate to other regions.

Components of Population Change

There are three components of population change – births, deaths and migration.

• Crude Birth Rate (CBR) – It is expressed as the number of live births in a year per thousand of the population.

The region’s demographic structure, social advancement and economic development largely affect the mortality rates of that particular region.

3. Migration – The population size also changes by way of migration. Migration refers to the movement of people from one place to the other, the place they move from is called the place of origin and the place they move to is called the place of destination. Migration may be permanent, temporary or even seasonal. The people who move are called migrants. Migrants who move into a new place are called immigrants and migrants who move out of a place are called emigrants. The main purpose of migration is to attain better economic and social life. Factors that influence migration-

• Push factors – The factors like poor living conditions, unemployment, unpleasant climate, political turmoil, epidemics, natural disasters and social-economic backwardness make the place of origin seem less attractive.
• Pull factors – The factors like better living conditions, job opportunities, peace and stability, security of life and property, and pleasant climate make the place of destination more attractive

Trends in Population Growth

During the early periods, the population of the world grew very slowly. The world population exploded in the 18th century after the Industrial Revolution . Technological developments helped in reducing the death rate thereby, paving the way for accelerated population growth. The human population increased more than ten times in the past 500 years.

• In the 20th century itself, population growth has increased four times.

Image Source- NCERT

• The annual population growth rate in India is 1.64%.

Demographic Transition

It is a theory which is used to represent the movement of high birth and death rates as the society progresses from rural agrarian and illiterate to urban industrial and literate society. It studies the relationship between economic development and population growth. This theory can be used to describe and predict the future population of any area. These changes occur in stages which are collectively called a demographic cycle.

• Stage 1 – The first stage is characterised by high birth and death rates, and therefore, population growth is slow. This stage is associated with under-developed, low output and agriculture-dominated conditions. Two hundred years ago, all the countries of the world were in the first stage of demographic transition.
• Stage 2 – It is characterised by a high birth rate and reduced mortality rate leading to an increased population. Improvements in medical care, water supply and sanitation result in decreased death rates.
• Stage 3 – In this stage both birth and death rate decline appreciably. The population is either stable or grows slowly. The population becomes urbanised, literate and has a high technical know-how and controls the family size.

In the present times, different countries are at different stages of demographic transition.

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Essay on Population Growth in English for Children and Students

Table of Contents

Essay on Population Growth: Population growth today has become a serious matter of concern for the world. The world population has been consistently increasing at an alarming rate and is estimated to be around 7.7 billion in 2019. Uncontrolled population growth leads to rapid urbanization and depletion of resources. Natural resources that are pretty scarce in some parts of the world become scarcer due to increased consumption. Apart from depleting resources, a population increase means more buildings and factories come up and more tress fell and forests destroyed. It also puts an strain on the availability of basic amenities like health, education and welfare.

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Long and Short Essay on Population Growth in English

We have provided below short and long essay on population growth in English for your information and knowledge.

The essays have been written in simple yet effective English so that you can easily grasp the information and present it whenever needed.

After going through these population growth essay you will know what the effects of population growth on natural resources, what is the trend of population growth in different countries; advantages and disadvantages of population growth etc.

The information given in the essays can be used in school/college during speech giving, essay writing and other competitions.

Short Essay on Population Growth – Essay 1 (200 Words)

In today’s time the population has become one of the leading problems of world. It requires a quick and serious attention from all of us. The worst situation due to growing population now can be seen in many countries where people are struggling with shortage of food, shelter, pure water and also have to breathe polluted air.

Increased Population Affects the Natural Resources

This crisis is growing day by day and affecting completely our natural resources as more people results in more consumption of water, food, land, tree and also the fossil fuels badly impacting the environment in many ways. In current time, over population has become a curse to the existence of natural beauty. People are suffering from various diseases due to polluted air in environment.

Population may cause unemployment and also effects the economical development of any country. Due to consistently increasing level of population, poverty is also growing in many countries. People are bounded to live under limited resources and supplements. In many countries including India, population has crossed all its limits and as result we find high illiteracy level, poor health services and lack of resources in the rural areas.

Essay on Population Growth and Its Effects – Essay 2 (300 Words)

Introduction

Population of the World is increasing day by day and it is becoming a huge concern for the world. As per latest data, population is already crossed 7.6 billion in the world. Increase in population affects the economic, environmental and social development of the world.

Different Country with Different Population

Population growth is not uniform in all the countries of the World. Some Countries have high growth while some are having moderate or a very low increase in their population. It creates lot of challenges as countries with high growth are suffering with poverty, more expenses, unemployment, lack of fresh water, food, education, depletion of resources etc as a consequence of population explosion, while countries with low population growth have lack of manpower, an increased old to young ratio , hampering the Country’s growth.

Effects of Population Growth

Let’s see how population affects a country in various ways:

• Population increase results in more consumption of natural resources.
• Increased demand for everything while the production of the necessary items doesn’t keep up as population growth.
• Increase in unemployment, sometimes resulting in the youth’s misguidance towards other illegitimate methods of earning.
• Government has to spend more on basic necessities such as education, healthcare, infrastructure, irrigation, water etc while the revenue are not increasing as per population growth, so demand and supply difference is consistently increasing, resulting an increase in prices of items.
• Unemployment reduces the capacity of expenditure and families spent its saving on basic need and can’t afford the good education for their children. This results in low qualification and low chance of employment for children when they reach their working age. It affects the growth in economy and industrial expansion.

Population growth rate is needed to be controlled to save the World especially in those countries with faster growth rate. It will balance the system as manpower is required for the growth of country.

Essay on Population Growth is Good for a Country – Essay 3 (400 Words)

Though over population is a worldwide problem but still in some countries population is below the required rate which is also a serious issue as in those countries less people means less manpower to support and work for the development of that country. Over Population is definitely harmful for any country in many ways but it has some positive side too. Increased population leads to increase in manpower for a country where more people are easily found helping in the development of different sectors.

How Population Growth is Good for a Country?

Controlled population growth is also required for growth of the economy of any country. Let’s see how:

If population of a country is constant or is not increasing, it will create more old age people than the young people. That country will not have enough manpower to do the job. Japan is the best example as there government is motivating to increase the birth rate in an attempt to minimize the age gap. Second best example can be taken of China as 25 years ago here government implemented the rule of one child in a family. After few years when the growth rate of China started reducing and was having less young manpower, then recently they lifted this ban and allowed parents to have two children instead of one.

Population increase will create more manpower and more consumption of items required for basic / luxurious. More consumption means more industry growth to cater that consumption. More industry requires more manpower. Money circulation will improve and cost of living of the country will improve. People in the country will earn money and will educate their kids so that they can do work for the growth of country. Basically it all depends on the controlled growth of population. If population growth is higher than required, it will create problem of unemployment, poverty etc.

Over Population is always has negative impact on a country’s growth but controlled pollution growth is also required for a country to achieve success in many ways. Whether resources may be limited for over populated countries but extra manpower is definitely required for generating extra resources and making new inventions.

Essay on Population Growth in India – Essay 4 (500 Words)

Population is the count of the number of persons living in a particular region. It has reached an alarming rate in some countries. Over population can be due to many causes like illiteracy, improper knowledge of family planning, migration from different places.

India is the Second Highest Populated Country in World

According to survey this whole World is inhabited by around 7.6 billion humans among which a major part 17% of the total population of world is residing in India i.e. more than 125 crore people. Adding to this around 21% Indians are below poverty level as a result of uncontrolled population growth. This may lead to disastrous effects in future and thus it is required to control it in order to live a safe and healthy life.

According to Census of 2011, India’s population has crossed 121 crore and it is at second position after the China in the world. Presently this figure may have crossed 130 crore and in near future, it will surpass that of China China. India is facing a big challenge as population growth. It is adversely affecting India’s economical condition and also responsible for poverty and low living standard of people.

Government has to spend more to provide the basic things at the subsidized rate to cater to the massive population of below poverty line (BPL) consumers. As Government is providing subsidy on basic items, it is left with a minimal amount to be used in, developmental projects aiding to the growth in economy. Government has the fewer amounts to spend on social services such as education, hospital, housing, infrastructure etc which are essentially required for a progressive country. Therefore, a planned growth of our economy needs some effective check on population explosion.

Illiteracy is the Major Cause of over-Population

Illiteracy is the main cause in India for the population growth. People living below poverty line (BPL) are not aware of the consequence of this population growth owe to their illiteracy. People think that more children mean they will earn more money for the family without realizing its impact. Sometimes parents desire boy as they think that he will popular his name and family name. Sometimes they give birth to 3-4 girl children in the desire of single boy.

How Overpopulation causes Unemployment

Overpopulation is the main cause for the unemployment in India. We can see that for any examination or vacancy, millions applications are received. It increases the competition and sometimes people use the bribe to get the job. It also increases the corruption in the system which is India’s growing concern.

Role of Government for Controlling Population in India

Government has taken various initiatives to educate the people about the benefits of family planning. Some major steps are noted here:

• Government has amended the law and fixed the minimum age for marriage of boy and girl.
• Government is creating awareness among people about the importance of family planning, equality of boys and girls, by various advertisements on TV, posters in village etc.
• Government is promoting the education of child by taking minimum fees, providing free mid-day meal, free uniform, books etc.

To make a country developed and powerful every citizen of that country need to take step on his own end apart from blaming on others. Over population may be the biggest cause for the destruction of a nation. We must find out effective solutions to the problem in order to achieve success as a Nation.

Long Essay on Causes, Effects, Solutions of Population Growth – Essay 5 (600 Words)

At present situation the problem of overpopulation comes under the category of global crisis which is growing day by day and with each passing second. This essay is specially written for understanding the issues its causes, its affects and most importantly the solution.

Over Population: Causes, Effects and Solutions

Over population means an increase in the number of people in an area than the number, the resources of that particular area can sustain. Many causes are behind this problem some are:

Causes of Population Growth

• Growth rate of population is higher in developing countries. Reason for this increase is mainly due to lack of knowledge of family planning. Mostly people who are contributing for population growth are illiterate and living below of poverty line. They are also getting their child marrying at an early age without understanding its implication.
• Mostly people come from the rural areas to urban areas/city for the job opportunities or employment and improvement in life style. It creates imbalance in city and shortage of resources.
• Improvement in medical technology/treatment reduces the mortality rate for many serious diseases. A lot of chronic diseases or deadly viruses such as measles, small pox are being treated with the improvement in medical services.
• With the improvement in medical science, it has become possible for couple who are unable to conceive, to undergo fertility treatment methods and have their own babies. Moreover, due to awareness, people go to the hospital for routine checkups and delivery, which are safer for the mother and baby.
• As population increases, consumption of basic need such as food and water will also increase. However Earth can produce a limited amount of water and food, which is lesser in comparison to consumption, leading to an increase in prices.
• Forests are depleting to cater the growth of urbanization that is affecting animals in the forest, causing pollution and imbalance in ecology. Natural resources are depleting very fast due to overuse of coal, oil and natural gas etc. It is creating serious effects on our environment.
• With the increase in population, number of vehicles and industries has increased significantly; badly affecting the quality of air. Rise in amount of release of greenhouse gases causing global warming, which causes melting of ice from iceberg and glaciers. Changing climate patterns, rise in sea level are few of the consequences that we might have to face due to environmental pollution.
• Overpopulation has increased the acts of violence and aggression as people are competing with each other for getting resources and achieving good lifestyle.

Solutions to Protect Population Growth

• Developed countries are not facing problem of overpopulation as people in develop countries are educated and they are aware of consequences of having more kids. While in developing countries, people are not well educated and have no proper idea about family planning. If the education improves then they will understand disadvantage of having more than one or two children.
• In slum areas government has continuously provided some awareness programs to make understand families about the hard life they will have to face with four or five or more children. They also guide them about family planning and efficient birth control.
• Government should impose some restrictions/hard method to control the number of children per couple. Government should also provide some incentives or tax exemption to curb overpopulation.

To live a better life every family need to have proper family planning in manner to provide their kids complete nutritious food, proper shelter, best education and other important resources. A country can only get success when its citizens are healthy and live a happy and content life. Thus controlled population is the key to the success for every Country in the World.

Related Information:

• Essay on Population
• Essay on Family Planning in India
• Essay on World Population Day
• Speech on World Population Day
• Paragraph on Population
• Essay on Overpopulation in World

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Essay on World Population Day for Students and Children

500+ words essay on world population day.

As a planet, there are abundant challenges we face about our future. Pollution, depleting natural resources, climate change crisis are all major difficulties we must try and resolve. However, our biggest challenge still remains the exponentially rising world population . Over the last 150 years, our planet has seen such a population explosion that it has rapidly become our biggest crises. To bring focus to this problem of overpopulation we celebrate World Population Day every year on July 11. Let us see more about the significance of this day in this essay on world population day.

The World Population Day is marked on July 11 and it is an annual event. The main purpose of marking such a day is to bring awareness about the rising global population and the issues and problems that arise with such overpopulation. The event was first suggested by Dr. Zacharia in his capacity as a demographer at the World Bank. It was during his term, the population crossed the five billion mark.

So in 1989, the governing council of UNDP (United Nations Developing Program) decided to mark every July 11 as the World Population Day. So this day is being marked for over three decades in various ways by all the participating nations of the United Nations.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Significance of World Population Day

In this essay on world population day, we saw the reason and motivation behind such an annual event. Let us now learn about its significance. The most obvious objective behind the world population day is to educate the whole population about the consequences of rampant population growth. It is necessary that people understand the effect it can have on the environment and the development of our world.

Overpopulation is leading to very quickly depleting natural resources in the world. Some of these resources like fossil fuel are non-renewable and are causing major problems already. Such depletions and scarcity are wreaking havoc on the livelihood and the daily lives of people.

Read 500 Words Essay on Population here.

Another important aspect of World Population Day is to teach the general public about sustainable development. It is an effective way for us to lessen the threat we face from the population explosion. It ensures that our future generations can also enjoy the same privileges and resources we are able to enjoy at the moment.

Countries also use the occasion of World Population Day to spread awareness and education about family planning, poverty, and human rights. The UN Population Development along with the UNDP closely work with various countries and other agencies to spread the message. They even plan and execute several programs to educate people and help curb global overpopulation. Every country celebrates the day in its own unique method. Students get involved, posters are made, events are held and hopefully, the message is passed on.

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Map Reveals World's 10 Fastest Growing Populations

Our global population continues to rise, hitting 8 billion in November 2022. However, the increase has been very uneven across the globe, with some countries showing explosive population growth while others have seen significant declines.

"Most countries with high rates of population growth...share a combination of young population structure (that also means many women are in their reproductive ages) and high fertility rates (i.e., high number of children per woman)," Tomas Sobotka, a senior researcher at the Wittgenstein Center for Demography and Global Human Capital and deputy director of the Vienna Institute of Demography, told Newsweek .

"Although fertility rates have been declining everywhere, countries with young population structure will continue experiencing high population growth in many decades to come," he said.

A country's overall growth rate is calculated by its birthrate compared to deaths, as well as its net immigration, and can be positive or negative.

As part of the United States government's World Factbook, the Central Intelligence Agency ( CIA ) publishes up-to-date figures on population growth rates for 236 countries and territories around the world, which can be visualized in the map below.

The top 10 countries in the CIA's list for population growth are as follows:

• South Sudan—4.65 percent growth rate
• Niger—3.66 percent
• Angola—3.33 percent
• Benin—3.29 percent
• Equatorial Guinea—3.23 percent
• Uganda—3.18 percent
• Democratic Republic of the Congo—3.11 percent
• Chad—3.01 percent
• Mali—2.9 percent
• Zambia—2.83 percent

The United States, by comparison, is number 131 on the list, with a population growth rate of 0.67 percent.

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Sobotka pointed out that several of the top 10 countries are in or near zones of conflict.

"In the CIA table, South Sudan shows the highest population growth because it is estimated to get some of the migrants fleeing Sudan during the ongoing hostilities/civil war there," he said.

Some of the table's results are counterintuitive, such as the fact that war-torn Ukraine is positioned as the fastest-growing country outside of Africa.

"Ukraine is expected to have its population growing despite the conflict because some of the refugees are coming back (and leave the countries where they stayed—that's why, for instance, Poland is projected to shrink by 1 percent)," Sobotka said.

However, he added that the war has also accelerated prewar trends of low fertility and out-migration in the country. "The situation is quite unprecedented," he said.

Going forward, another looming variable promises to shake up the structure of the global population.

"Over time, climate change will also increasingly contribute to both more conflict and more migration," Sobotka said. "But these movements are super difficult to predict."

While our growing population is a clear indicator of the success of public health measures around the world, it also poses a challenge to sustainability and social and economic growth, the extent of which varies on a number of factors, including the country's political and economic conditions, population density and economic growth.

"Overall, high rates of population growth are often challenging because they increase the pressure on available resources (especially water, land availability, food production and energy) and make it more difficult for the governments to improve infrastructure, improve health care, build better cities, build more schools, expand education system and protect available resources," Sobotka said.

"However, these challenges can be partly overcome by sound policymaking in countries that have competent governments. Eventually, better education, improved access to health and contraception, urbanization and economic growth will reduce fertility rates, and this will subsequently lead to lower population growth."

Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about population growth? Let us know via [email protected].

About the writer

Pandora Dewan is a Senior Science Reporter at Newsweek based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on science, health and technology. Pandora joined Newsweek in 2022 and previously worked as the Head of Content for the climate change education start-up, ClimateScience and as a Freelance writer for content creators such as Dr. Karan Rajan and Thoughty2. She is a graduate in Biological Sciences from the University of Oxford. Languages: English.

You can get in touch with Pandora by emailing [email protected] or on Twitter @dewanpandora.

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The duel threats to endangered elephants

This World Elephant Day, we revisit the elephant chapter of our Vanishing Icons report . It explores the main reasons African elephants are endangered: poaching and habitat fragmentation. It also examines how population growth contributes to both issues.

Elephants have long been admired for their gentle giant grace and deep familial bonds. They are a fixture of the African savanna, recognisable by only their silhouette. However, the largest land animal on our planet is in trouble.

The African savanna elephant is classified as endangered on the IUCN red list, and the African forest elephant critically endangered . Like every animal under threat, a constellation of factors contributes. Among those factors is population growth on the continent from which these animals take their names.

The main threats to elephant’s survival are poaching for the ivory trade and habitat fragmentation. Currently, two-thirds of the African continent still provides suitable habitat for elephants. Only 17% of that habitat is available to them due to the development of roads, farms and urban centres.

Population, poverty and poaching

External demand and a complex network of factors, including human population, drive elephant poaching. In countries where legitimate economic opportunities are scarce, some citizens turn to poaching to generate income.

A 2019 article published in Nature Communications drew a clear link between rates of elephant poaching and local poverty – poverty that is correlated with high population growth. A 2023 report issued by UNICEF emphasised population growth as a cause of increased rates of child poverty in Africa . The burden of large families can be significant, putting greater financial pressure on individuals. With limited economic opportunities and large family burdens, this can create a poverty trap that allows individuals to be exploited by the poaching industry.

Across sub-Saharan Africa, decreasing family sizes reflect the alleviation of pressures driving high fertility and improved access to contraception. However, progress is slow and, in some places, stalled, with the population expected to continue rising. In 2020, Africa’s population was around 1.34 billion, and forecasts predict it will reach nearly 2.5 billion by 2050 .

Poaching requires multilateral and swift action – action that must also respect the rights of individuals and communities. However, the contribution of population growth is a reminder that poverty, as well as affluence, is a driver of biodiversity loss, as seen in the context of chimpanzees.

Nowhere to go

What remains a critical threat to elephants is habitat fragmentation. Not simply loss of habitat area but loss of continuous areas of habitat in which animals can freely roam. This is worsened by continued human population growth driving development. The IUCN Red List elephant report states:

“Currently the most important perceived threat is the loss and fragmentation of habitat caused by ongoing human population expansion and rapid land conversion.”

Elephants have a life expectancy of 60 to 70 years . Their survival depends on regular migration over large distances to search for food, water and potential mates. As mega-herbivores, elephants consume 150kg of vegetation and 190 litres of water daily . Meeting these dietary needs requires a large foraging area. The development of roads, farms, and expanding cities shrinks elephant habitats, progressively forcing them into closer contact with people.

The most common form of human-elephant conflict is due to elephant crop raiding. Evidence suggests these raids peak during harvest, impacting vulnerable communities with food scarcity. Many of the areas worst affected by elephant and human conflict, are also home to the poorest communities, with 1.2 billion people who live on less than $1.25 per day residing in elephant range countries. These poor communities are less resilient to deal with the aftermath of elephant raids, which can lead to revenge killings that further undermine conservation efforts.

These low-income communities are increasingly having to compete with elephants, for space and resources. Subsistence farmers often live near forests and permanent water sources to secure water access for their crops and livestock, due to lacking irrigation infrastructure. This puts pressure on natural resources, driving deforestation and increasing water scarcity, and increases the likelihood of elephant and human conflicts. This region is also experiencing rapid population growth .

Research suggests that elephant populations will co-exist with human communities until a threshold of 15-20 people per km2 is reached. Currently, the average population density of Zimbabwe is 41 people per km2 , this gives a sense of the pressure put upon remaining elephant habitats due to high population density.

Protecting people

Nor are elephants the only victims of these stresses. Displacement and human rights abuses of people in the name of conservation are now finally starting to get the attention they need . Responsibility for ending these practices lies with the governments and institutions perpetrating or tacitly encouraging them. Conservation must address biodiversity loss drivers while benefiting indigenous and marginalised communities, both morally and practically.

Elephants and humans can coexist peacefully if space and resources are sufficient for both. Rapid population growth threatens this balance. Measures to reduce population growth benefit human communities, including family planning, poverty reduction, gender equality, and education.

Addressing all these factors in conservation efforts can help secure a future for both humans and elephants.

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Biodiversity

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'There is no law and order. And Hindus are being targeted again'

Hours after Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country on Monday following mass protests, a development professional in the capital, Dhaka, received a panicked phone call from his cousin.

Avirup Sarkar is a Bangladeshi Hindu, living in a country that is 90% Muslim. His widowed cousin lives in a sprawling joint family house in a mixed neighbourhood in Netrokona, a district crisscrossed by rivers, about 100km (62 miles) north from Dhaka.

“She sounded terrified. She said the house had been attacked and plundered by a mob," Mr Sarkar, a social protection specialist, told me on the phone from Dhaka.

His cousin said the mob of about 100 people, armed with sticks, stormed the house, smashing furniture, TV, bathroom fittings and doors. Before leaving, they took all the cash and jewellery. They didn’t assault any of the 18-odd residents, including half-a-dozen children belonging to seven families, that lived there.

“You people are descendants of the Awami League! This country is in a bad shape because of you. You should leave the country,” the mob shouted at the residents before leaving with the loot.

Mr Sarkar told me that he was shocked, but not entirely surprised by the incident. Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, he says, are largely viewed as supporters of Sheikh Hasina’s secular Awami League party and are often attacked by rivals in a country where Islam is the state religion.

After Ms Hasina fled the country, social media was flooded with reports of Hindu properties and temples being attacked. India's Foreign Minister S Jaishankar told parliament on Tuesday: "What was particularly worrying was that minorities, their businesses and temples also came under attack at multiple locations. The full extent of this is still not clear."

However, young Muslim groups were also protecting Hindu homes and shrines to prevent further vandalism.

“Bangladeshi Hindus are an easy target,” Mr Sarkar told me. “Every time the Awami League loses power, they are attacked.”

This was not the first time his cousin’s house was attacked, Mr Sarkar says. Minorities in Bangladesh were targeted in 1992 after a Hindu mob tore down the Babri mosque in the Indian city of Ayodhya. Mr Sarkar’s sister’s home was ransacked by a mob.

There have been many religious attacks on Hindus in the following decades. A Bangladeshi human rights group, Ain o Salish Kendra, reported at least 3,679 attacks on the Hindu community between January 2013 and September 2021, including vandalism, arson and targeted violence.

In 2021, following mob attacks on Hindu minority households and temples in Bangladesh during and after Durga Puja, the country’s biggest Hindu festival, rights group Amnesty International said: "Such repeated attacks against individuals, communal violence and destruction of the homes and places of worship of minorities in Bangladesh over the years show that the state has failed in its duty to protect minorities."

On Monday, other members of Mr Sarkar’s family also faced the prospect of violence. His parents' home in Kishoreganj, 120km from Dhaka, was spared because "we are a well-known family in the neighbourhood and knew everyone".

Mr Sarkar says his mother, who runs a local school, received a phone call from her business partner, saying that people were making lists of properties to attack.

The partner then said, "Your name is not on the list. But please be careful."

Later, Mr Sarkar’s father, who had locked in the family, saw a small crowd congregating outside their iron gate.

"My father heard someone coming up to the crowd and telling them, ‘Don’t do anything here, not here'. The mob dispersed."

But some distance away, in the Nogua area of Kishoreganj, reports emerged of Hindu households being looted.

“I heard 20-25 houses had been attacked there. My Hindu friend’s gold shop was broken into and the ornaments on display were looted. They could not break or take away the vault though,” Mr Sarkar said.

Some 200km north of Dhaka, Mr Sarkar’s wife’s home in a neighbourhood in Sherpur district was also on the edge. Although her house escaped attack, a mob looted a neighbouring Hindu home. The silver lining: as news of the violence spread, local Muslims rallied to form protective rings around Hindu homes and temples.

"This has also happened all over Bangladesh. Muslims have also protected Hindu properties,” says Mr Sarkar.

But this is not where things ended. As night fell on Monday, a mob began collecting outside Mr Sarkar’s 10-storey apartment building in Dhaka, where he lives with his wife and infant daughter. He reckoned they had come looking for a councillor from Awami League who lived in the same building.

"I came out on my sixth-floor balcony and saw the crowd throwing stones at the building and trying to break in. The gates were locked properly, so they couldn't enter. Some cars in the parking lot and window panes were damaged," Mr Sarkar says.

Back in Netrokona, Mr Sarkar’s cousin told him that the family feared more attacks. He called a friend in the army and requested that a military van patrol the neighbourhood regularly.

"This is a harrowing time. There is no law and order. And we are being targeted again," he says.

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Esther Bintliff reported from London, and Eve Sampson from New York.

Violent unrest has erupted in several towns and cities in Britain in recent days, and further disorder broke out on Saturday as far-right agitators gathered in demonstrations around the country.

The violence has been driven by online disinformation and extremist right-wing groups intent on creating disorder after a deadly knife attack on a children’s event in northwestern England, experts said.

A range of far-right factions and individuals, including neo-Nazis, violent soccer fans and anti-Muslim campaigners, have promoted and taken part in the unrest, which has also been stoked by online influencers .

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vowed to deploy additional police officers to crack down on the disorder. “This is not a protest that has got out of hand,” he said on Thursday. “It is a group of individuals who are absolutely bent on violence.”

Here is what we know about the unrest and some of those involved.

Where have riots taken place?

The first riot took place on Tuesday evening in Southport, a town in northwestern England, after a deadly stabbing attack the previous day at a children’s dance and yoga class. Three girls died of their injuries, and eight other children and two adults were wounded.

The suspect, Axel Rudakubana , was born in Britain, but in the hours after the attack, disinformation about his identity — including the false claim that he was an undocumented migrant — spread rapidly online . Far-right activists used messaging apps including Telegram and X to urge people to take to the streets.

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