POPULATION

• Population is the total number of people living in a specific area at a particular time.

• Demography: is the study of the population to determine its characteristics such as size, composition, structure, and distribution.

Why do policy makers needs demographic information?

• Policymakers need demographic information to help them make decisions about the allocation of natural resources and to predict and plan future needs such as:– Health– Education– Housing– Social services– Welfare needs– Infrastructural development– employment

From what sources can demographic data of a country be obtained?

• Data can be obtained from:

– A census

– Registration of births, deaths and marriages

What is a census?

• Demographic data of a country is obtained from a census which is an account or analysis of the population, and is usually done by a country every 10 years. Census takers go to each household with questionnaires to collect data from the householders. The analysis of the data provides information on:– Population size– Number of persons in the labour force– Number of persons employed and unemployed– Male:female ratio– Dependency ratio– Educational attainment of members of the population– Marital status of adults– Religion– Ethnic composition– Migration levels

Population Changes

• An increase is called Population Growth.

• The rate of growth is determined by NATURAL INCREASE and MIGRATION. Resultant changes in the structure of the population (age, sex etc) will affect the economic development of a country.

• Census taken over a period of time indicates changes in population size and periods of growth.

Jamaica’s Population 1911-1991

YEAR POPULATION SIZE (‘000s)

1911 831

1921 858

1943 1237

1960 1610

1970 1814

1982 2190

1991 2381

2001 2700

1. Between 1911 and 2001 the population of Jamaica increased by ________ thousands.

2. The period between ______ and _____ was the period of greatest increase.

3. The period between 1911 and 1921 showed an increase of _____ thousand.

4. The rate of increase for the period 1911 to 1921 was ______ percent.

5. The rate of increase for the period 1991 to 2001 was ______ percent.

• Population size varies from country to country and there is a direct relationship between the population size and the economic development of a country.

Area and population size - 1997COUNTRY AREA (KM SQ) POPULATION (000s)

Barbados 431 264

Belize 22960 217

Guyana 214799 800

Jamaica 11424 2500

Trinidad and Tobago

5128 1300

1. The country with the largest population is Jamaica. T/F2. The country with the smallest population is Belize. T/F3. The country with the largest area is Guyana. T/F4. The country with the largest land area has the smallest population. T/F

POPULATION DENSITY

POPULATION DENSITY• The number of persons per unit area of a country

or region

• Formula for calculating:-

TOTAL POPULATION

AREA

Population of Country X = 217000

Area of Country X = 22960 km2

Population Density = 217000

22960 = 9 persons per km2

Factors affecting density are:

1. Relief of the land (flat, mountainous, undulating, swampy)2. Climate: hospitable or inhospitable

1. Very heavy rainfall2. Very low temperatures3. Long periods of drought4. C’bean cities located on leeward side of the islands (less

rainfall and less forested)

3. Fertile areas4. Location of Mineral resources (industries – jobs)5. Availability of infrastructure (roads, electricity, water,

schools, health facilities, postal service, police station etc -Developed areas

6. Type of vegetation (heavily forested, desert areas)

Population Growth

• 1900: 1.2 billion 2000: over 5 billion

• Decrease in death rate (no. of deaths out of each 1000 persons in a country) and increase in birth rate (no. of live births each year per 1000 persons in the country)

• Growth rate is found by finding the difference between the birth rate and the death rate. Can be positive or negative

• Natural increase: term used when births exceed deaths

Calculating Natural Increase: Birth and Death rate for Some C’bean Countries (1996)

Country Birth rate

/1000

Death rate /1000

Natural increase

/1000

Trinidad and Tobago

18 6 12

Barbados 15 9

Belize 34 5

Dominica 15 7

Grenada 31 7

Factors affecting natural increase

What factors affect the birth rate?

Birth rates are affected by:

1. The number of women of child-bearing age

2. Norms within a society for family size

3. The economic conditions of a country

4. The educational level

5. Availability and acceptance of family planning methods

6. Government policy towards population control

What factors affect the death rate?

Factors influencing the death rate

1. Medical facilities/health care(proper health care lowers the death rate)

2. Nutritional levels(better nutrition, lower death rate)

3. Economic prosperity/ level of development(people in developed countries live longer)

4. Population structure (many elderly = high death rate)

What is the Infant Mortality Rate?

Infant Mortality: number of deaths each year per 1000 children under 1 year old

What is Life Expectancy?

Life Expectancy: the average number of years that persons in a given population are expected to live

Population Pyramids

• Show the composition of a country’s population based on sex, age, ethnic origin, religion etc

The Dependency Ratio• Dependents: those persons under 15 and over 65 years of age

• Economically productive: those between the ages of 15-65

• Dependency Ratio:

Number employed

Total Population MINUS Number employed

• Population = 1,100,000

• Employed = 100,000

• Dependency Ratio:

100,000

» 1,100,000 – 100,000

» 1:10

Ways a high dependency ratio can affect the economic development of a country

1. Insufficient funds from taxation so insufficient funds to provide employment

2. Malnutrition/ inadequate food supply

3. Inadequate health facilities

4. Lack of education for all

5. Inadequate housing

6. Poor sanitation

• When the resources of a country are not sufficient to provide for the needs of the population, that country is OVERPOPULATED.

• When the amounts of resources available in a country can support a larger population, it is considered to be UNDER POPULATED

• The OPTIMUM POPULATION is that in which the number of persons in a country will make efficient use of the available resources

Causes of Over-Population

• Fall in death rate as a result of improvement in environmental sanitation and new discoveries in medicine

• Lack of effective population education and population control methods

• Under-development

3 reasons why overpopulation is a problem in developing countries

• Low standard of living

• High crime rates (esp. in under 20 age group)

• High unemployment

• Pressure on education, health and housing

• Low per capita income

3 solutions to the problem of over-population

• Improve education on population control methods

• Greater use of technology in areas such as agriculture to ensure greater productivity

• Establishment of bilateral agreements with developed countries to encourage transfer of technology

Causes of Underpopulation

• Natural causes: volcanic eruptions, floods, earthquakes etc

• Isolation and poor communication with the outside world

• Inadequate social facilities and infrastructure

• Lack of educational opportunities

• Wars

• Difficult terrain and lack of resources

Depopulation• Exists when an area loses its population because of:

– Emigration due to famine caused by change in rainfall and poor soil quality

– Migration in search of new pastures for animals

– Decline in mining activity

– Increase in crime and violence (eg in inner city areas)

– Relocation of people because of increased mining activities

– Political unrest and wars

– Pollution associated with toxic wastes from manufacturing industries

Population Control and Ethnic Development

• Population growth must be controlled for economic development to take place

• Many Caribbean countries have formulated policies and population programs aimed at regularizing or controlling their country’s birth rate.

– Contraception / family planning

– Education / awareness campaigns on the consequences of increased population

– Family life education included in school curriculum

Ethnic Groups and Religion

• Most Caribbean countries are composed of a variety of ethnic groups although one race usually dominates:– African, European, Asians (Indians, Chinese, Middle

eastern people), indigenous people (Tainos and Kalinagos)

– These varied ethnic groups have led to a wide variety of religions in the Caribbean. Christianity is the dominant form because of the European influence but Islam, Hinduism and Judaism occur in areas with persons of Asian descent.

Ethnic Group Distribution in T&T: 1998

ETHNIC GROUP %

East Indian 43.3

African 39.6

Mixed Races 18.4

Other Races 0.7

White 0.6

Chinese 0.4

Population Movement: Migration

• The movement of people from one place to another: Migration

• The daily movement to and from work is called Commuting.

• Persons coming to a country are called immigrants.

• Persons leaving a country are called emigrants.

TYPES OF MIGRATION

• Migration can be internal or external, temporary or permanent.

• TEMPORARY MIGRATION:

– To work on special projects abroad eg farm workers harvesting apples in Canada or caribbeanteachers contracted to work in NY

– To study

• PERMANENT MIGRATION:

– For work reasons

– Rural – urban migration

– (1950s to UK; from 1970s to the US and Canada)

• INTERNAL MIGRATION:

– Push and pull factors

PUSH FACTORS

• High unemployment

• Poor infrastructure and lack of housing

• Limited educational opportunities

• Limited recreational and cultural facilities

• Crime and violence

• Low wages especially in the agricultural sector

• Religious persecution

• Political unrest

PULL FACTORS

• Availability of jobs

• Educational opportunities

• More cultural and social amenities

• Modern infrastructure – roads, telephones, electricity, housing

• More reliable source of food

RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION

• Caused by the decline in the demand for farm workers and the low farm wages which do not attract young people

RURAL-RURAL MIGRATION

• Not very common

– To establish a new farming community

–When original land is needed for mining etc

URBAN-RURAL MIGRATION

• For jobs

• To escape the polluted towns for health reasons

• To escape the crime and violence

Consequences of Internal Migration

• Most large towns grow more by migration than by natural increase. This growth has both positive and negative effects.

NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF INTERNAL MIGRATION

• Overcrowding in towns and cities• Development of unplanned settlements: shanty

towns or squatter settlements• Inadequate infrastructure (water supply,

sanitation, recreational facilities)• Unemployment• Social deterioration (crime and violence)• Insufficient education and health care facilities• Decline in production in the losing area (since

young adults migrate)

POSITIVE CONSEQUENCES OF INTERNAL MIGRATION

• New skills to benefit the receiving area

• Money earned helps persons remaining in the rural area

• Some persons return to rural areas and use funds earned in towns to develop the economy

INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION

• Occurs when a person leaves one country to reside in another

NET MIGRATION

• Refers to the difference between immigration and emigration

• Positive when immigration exceeds emigration (UK and Canada)

• Negative when emigration exceeds immigration (Cuba and Jamaica)

CONSEQUENCES OF MIGRATION TO THE HOST/RECEIVING COUNTRY

• Creation of a multicultural society

• New skills are introduced into the labour force

• Increase in the labour force

• Greater pressure on the country’s resources

• Greater pressure on the country’s social services

• Changes in the age/sex structure

• Growth in total population

CONSEQUENCES OF MIGRATION TO THE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN

• Money remittances – provide needed foreign exchange (used to pay for

imports and to service foreign debt)

– Provide for the basic needs of the recipient

• Migrants learn useful skills which will be of value when they return home

• Brain drain affects country’s economic development

• Factories may close down because the investors migrate

URBANIZATION

• Expansion of the boundaries of receiving settlements into the surrounding countryside

Strategies gov’t can use to cope with the consequences of urbanization:

1. Urban upgrading projects to replace slums with low income housing

2. Development of businesses to employ unskilled workers

3. Upgrading and expanding educational facilities and providing skills training

4. Development of rural areas to encourage people to remain in these areas (housing and economic activities)

5. Improvement of rural infrastructure6. Establishment of parks and green areas in cities and

towns7. Assist farmers to improve production by providing

loans, fertilizers, and planting materials