Population Growth and Demography Overview

Study Notes

Human Population Growth

The human population grew very slowly for a long time due to high infant mortality rates and limited medical technology.
It was only about two centuries ago that the population growth pattern changed, with new discoveries in medical science leading to a dramatic decrease in the death rate.

Factors Affecting Population Growth

The birth-rate and death-rate are the two most basic factors in demography.
The birth-rate expresses the number of children born per 1000 people per year.
The death-rate indicates the number of people who die per 1000 per year.
Population growth or decline is caused by the difference between the number of births and deaths over a given period.

Historical Context

For thousands of years, humans lived in a primitive way, with life being difficult due to limited agricultural, medical, and industrial technologies.
Before modern farming methods, making a living from the soil was hard, and bad crops could lead to famine and death.
Illnesses like influenza could be fatal, and childbirth was a hazardous process.

Population Growth in the 20th Century

The human population grew dramatically in the 20th century, with the number of people on Earth increasing from 1.6 billion in 1900 to 2.7 billion in 1950.
Demographers estimate that the Earth's population will be over 6.1 billion by the end of the century.

Challenges in Controlling Population Growth

Reducing the birth-rate is not as easy as it seems, due to religious, social, and economic reasons why some parents do not want to control the number of children they have.
In some less developed parts of the world, many children are needed to help work the land or earn wages that supplement the family income.
To halt population growth in such areas, it will first be necessary to raise the standard of living, so that parents do not need a large family.

Description

Learn about the dramatic growth of the human population over the years and the basics of demography, such as the birth-rate and death-rate. Explore how the Earth's population has increased from 1.6 billion in 1900 to over 6.1 billion by the end of the century.