Our first Geography lesson was about the distribution of population in the world. First, we have located the main population centres and low populated areas in differents maps and cartograms. Then, to understand how population is distributed in the world, we have studied demography. And to finish we’ve alluded to its consequences on people’s living conditions.
The “demographic transition” shows us the different steps of the evolution of population in history. It goes from a high birth rate and a high death rate to a low birth rate and a low death rate. This evolution had been engendered by different elements such as : new scientific discoveries, improvement of medicine, hygiene and medical cares, wars, the drift from the land... But nowadays, all the countries in the world are not in the same step of the “demographic transition”. Indeed:
Ÿ Poor countries are still in step B or C. It means that their population increases fast: their natural increase in high, between 2 and 3% a year.
Ÿ Rich countries are in step D or E, so, their population increases slowly, stagnates or decreases even in some cases.
As a result, this shows a paradoxical situation because on the one hand poor countries shouldn’t have as many kids, to be taken out from poverty. On the other hand rich countries don’t have enough kids and that will be a real problem in the future.
To mesure development of a county, there is an index called the Human Development Index (or “I.D.H” in French”) which takes into account: the Gross Domestic Production (P.I.B) per inhabitant, life expectancy and literacy rate. When this index is close to 0, the country is developing, on the opposite when it’s close to 1 the country is developed (it means it can provide for the basic needs of its population: water, food, housing, education).
Examples: -the H.D.I of Niger is 0,292
-the H.D.I of France is 0,932
Thanks to this index and to the demographic transition, we can notice that there is a link between demography and development: it’s a BOTH-WAY-RELATIONSHIP.
Demography is a key element to understand people’s linving conditions in a country.
Indeed, a high birth rate is one of the reasons which can explain that a country isn’t developed. But in poor developing countries, kids work for their parents so, they are a source of income for the family. Therefore, people need to have a lot of kids. Besides, poor people have many children because they haven’t means of contraception.
On the opposite, in rich developed countries, parents have about one or two kids. That can be explained because in rich countries kids are not seen as a source of income but as a source of expense. Enven if people have high standard of living, it’s costly to raise a child and most of them are spoiled. What’s more, school is mandatory and parents must spend money in their kids’education. Now, women work and they can’t have as many children as before. They also have new means of contraception ( the pill, the morning after pill…)
To put it in a nutshell, it is extremely important to know that there is a link between demography and development. It’s a key element to take into account to take poor developing countries out from poverty. Birth control seems to be a reliable solution to poverty. Besides, rich developed countries have to take some measures to raise birth rates. There is some solutions, for example: to encourage immigration of young workers, to increase the financial support for parents...