👫THE WORLD POPULATION 

Pattern of Population Distribution

Population distribution refers to the way people are spaced over the earth’s surface. Population is not evenly distributed as 90 percent of the world’s population lives in about 10 percent of its land area.

The 10 most populous countries of the world contribute about 60 percent of the world’s population. Out of these 10 countries, 6 are located in Asia.

Density of Population

• The ratio between the number of people to the size of the land is called density of population. It is usually measured in persons/sq km density of population/area. Some areas are densely populated like North-Eastern USA, North-Western Europe, South, South-West and East Asia.
• Some areas are sparsely populated like near the polar areas and high rainfall zones near the equator while some areas have medium density like Western China, Southern India, Norway, Sweden, etc.

Factors Influencing Population Distribution

The population distribution is influenced by three factors i.e. (i) geographical factors, (ii). economic factors and (iii). social and cultural factors.

(i). Geographical Factors

• Availability of water: It is the most important factor for life. So, people prefer to live in areas where freshwater easily available.
• Landforms: People prefer living on flat plains and gentle slopes. This is because such areas are favourable for the production of crops and to build roads and industries. 
• Climate: An extreme climate such as very hot or cold deserts is uncomfortable for human habitation. Areas with a comfortable climate, where there is not much seasonal variation attract more people. Areas with very heavy rainfall or extreme and harsh climates have low population. Mediterranean regions were inhabited from early periods in history due to their pleasant climate. 
• Soils: Fertile soils are important for agricultural and allied activities. Therefore, areas which have fertile loamy soils have more people living on them as these can support intensive agriculture.

(ii). Economic Factors

• Minerals: Areas with mineral deposits attract industries. Mining and industrial activities generate employment. So, skilled and semi–skilled workers move to these areas and make them densely populated. E.g., The Katanga Zambia copper belt in Africa.
• Urbanization: Cities offer better employment opportunities, educational and medical facilities, better means of transport and communication. Good civic amenities and the attraction of city life draw people to the cities. It leads to rural to urban migration and cities grow in size. Mega cities of the world continue to attract a large number of migrants every year.
• Industrialization: Industrial belts provide job opportunities and attract large numbers of people. These include not just factory workers but also transport operators, shopkeepers, bank employees, doctors, teachers and other service providers. The Kobe-Osaka region of Japan is thickly populated because of the presence of a number of industries.

(iii). Social And Cultural Factors

• Places having religious importance and cultural significance are also very densely populated areas. In the same way – people tend to move away from places where there is social and political unrest.

Population Growth

• The population growth or population change refers to the change in number of inhabitants of a territory during a specific period of time (This change may be positive as well as negative).
• It can be expressed either in terms of absolute numbers or in terms of percentage.
• Population change in an area is an important indicator of economic development, social upliftment and historical and cultural background of the region.
• Growth of Population: Change of population in particular area between two points of time is known as growth of population. 
• Growth Rate of Population : The change of population expressed in percentage. 
• Natural Growth of Population: The population increased by difference between births and deaths in a particular region between two points of time.
• Natural Growth = Births – Deaths.
• Actual Growth of Population : Births – Deaths + In Migration – Out Migration.
• Positive Growth of Population: 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: If the population decreases between two points of time it is known as negative growth of population. It occurs when the birth rate falls below the death rate or people migrate to other countries.

Components Of Population Change

There are three components of population change. They are: Births, deaths and migration.

• The crude birth rate (CBR) is expressed as the number of live births in a year per thousand of women.
• The Crude Death Rate(CDR) is expressed in terms of the number of deaths in a particular year per thousand of population in a particular region.
• By and large mortality rates are affected by the region’s demographic structure, social advancement and levels of its economic development.

1. Migration

• When people move from one place to another, 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 interpreted as a spontaneous effort to achieve a better balance between population and resources.
• Migration may be permanent, temporary or seasonal. It may take place from rural to rural areas, rural to urban areas, urban to urban areas and urban to rural areas.
• Immigration: Migrants who move into a new place are called Immigrants.
• Emigration: Migrants who move out of a place are called Emigrants. 
• People migrate for a better economic and social life. There are two sets of factors that influence migration.
• The Push factors make the place of origin seem less attractive for reasons like unemployment, poor living conditions, political turmoil, unpleasant climate, natural disasters, epidemics and socio-economic backwardness.
• The Pull factors make the place of destination seem more attractive than the place of origin for reasons like better job opportunities and living conditions, peace and stability, security of life and property and pleasant climate.

2. Trends In Population Growth

• Earth’s population is more than 7 billion
• After the evolution and introduction of agriculture about 8,000 to 12,000 years ago, the size of the population was 8 million.
• In the first century A.D. it was below 300 million.
• In the 16th and 17th century the population growth rate increased due to expanding world trade.
• Around 1750, at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, the world population was 550 million.
• In the 18th century, after the industrial revolution , world population exploded.

3. Doubling Time of World Population

• It took more than a million years for the human population to attain the one billion mark.
• But it took only 12 years for it to rise from 5 billion to 6 billion.
• Developed countries are taking more time to double their population as compared to developing countries. Population growth rate is taking place in developing countries. E.g., Yemen, Liberia, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Oman. 

4. Spatial Patterns of Population Change

• Annual population rate change i.e. 1.6% in 1990-95 to 1.4% in 2004-05. This is due to when a small annual rate is applied to a very large population, it will lead to a large population change. 
• Another main reason is due to the increase in infant mortality rate and increase in death rate during childbirth.

5. Impact Of Population Change

• A small increase in population is desirable in a growing economy.
• Depletion of resources is the most serious problem.
• Population decline indicates that resources that had supported a population earlier are now insufficient to maintain the population.
• The deadly HIV/AIDS epidemics in Africa and some parts of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Asia have pushed up death rates and reduced average life expectancy.
• This has slowed down population growth.

Demographic Transition

• The theory tells us that the population of any region changes from high births and high deaths to low births and low deaths as society progresses from rural agrarian and illiterate to urban industrial and literate society.
• These changes occur in stages which are collectively known as the demographic cycle.
• First Stage : 
• Has high fertility and high mortality because people reproduce more to compensate for the deaths due to epidemics and variable food supply.
• The population growth is slow and most of the people are engaged in agriculture where large families are an asset.
• Life expectancy is low; people are mostly illiterate and have low levels of technology. Two hundred years ago all the countries of the world were in this stage. 
• Second Stage: 
• Fertility remains high in the beginning of but it declines with time. This is accompanied by reduced mortality rate. 
• Improvements in sanitation and health conditions lead to decline in mortality. Because of this gap the net addition to population is high. 
• Third Stage :  
• Both fertility and mortality decline considerably.  
• The population is either stable or grows slowly.  
• The population becomes urbanised, literate and has high technical know- how and deliberately controls the family size.

Population Control Measures

• Family planning - Propaganda, free availability of contraceptives and tax disincentives for large families
• Thomas Malthus in his theory (1793) stated that the number of people would increase faster than the food supply. Any further increase would result in a population crash caused by famine, disease and war. The preventive checks are better than the physical checks.
• For the sustainability of our resources, the world will have to control the rapid population increase.  

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