Reasons on Rapid Population Growth

Dynamic population is a biological feature. For the rise of human

population, the factors and conditions affecting population

fluctuations of living organisms are also responsible.

The three main factors for population growth are as follows:

• High birth Rate

• Low death rate

• Increase in life span

High birth rate (Natality)• When man took the agriculture and

domestication of animals, social life was different. Men-women had less time to stay together.

• But today great changes have been brought about in the society by the social and economic conditions. Some religious and unscientific beliefs are also responsible for high birth rate. These beliefs are as follows…

• Perpetuation of family line, performance of funeral rites by a son, boy and girl can never have similar status;– Children are born as per the desire of God etc. We can

also say that child marriages, ignorance and illiteracy have resulted in increase birth rate. Due to high death rate in economically underdeveloped countries parents feel insecurity. Guided by this mentality, the parents desire to have larger families.

– Biological potentiality to breed children is higher in Chinese and Indian women. This is also responsible for higher birth rate. But one can visualize that other capacities decrease with increased reproductive potentiality.

Low death rate (Morality)• The population shows growth if natality is higher

than mortality. If natality is equal to mortality, the population index remains steady.

• Due to modern scientific developments (research), mortality rate is low. Because of control over diseases, healthcare awareness, ability to face natural calamities, consciousness to avoid accidents, research to increase food supply etc. mortality is better controlled than in earlier days.

• Controlled mortality can be considered as one of the factors for population growth.

Increase in life span• From human history, it is evident that life span

in ancient period was on an average around 30 years. Whereas it is around 70 years in modern man.

• Due to varied environment conditions in different countries, variation is observed in average life span index.

• The life span was 38 years as per 1850 census but in 1977 it rose to 70 years. Thus, man in present time lives longer than before.

In the 1800s, there was approximately one billion people in

the world. As of 2009, the world population has reached nearly seven billion. This increase in

population growth is attributed to factors that increase fertility and

reduce death.

Food

• Improved agricultural practices have lead to fewer famines, allowing farmers to sustain much larger numbers of people. Machinery reduces manpower needed to farm while improved fertilizers and pesticides increase crop yields and reduce crops lost to pests.

Health Care

• Advances in health care technology and medicine allow fewer individuals to die from injuries and illnesses. Health care is so effective that euthanasia and the Hippocratic Oath are sometimes debated.

Sanitation

• Better sanitation has lead to fewer diseases being spread through water and contaminated surfaces.

Vaccines

• Vaccines have lead to the elimination of many diseases such as measles and tuberculosis. Measles and tuberculosis were once leading causes of death.

Standard of Living and Fertility

• Standard of living has a complicated effect on population growth. Areas with low standards of living have high birth rates, but also have high infant mortality rates. As the standard of living increases, better medical care leads to lower infant mortality rates and fertility medications increase a woman's chance for pregnancy. But statistically, societies with high standards of living tend to stabilize and eventually decline.

That is all