THE WORLD BANK GROUP A World Free of Poverty
Home

 

  • Population growth rates are much higher in most low- and middle-income countries than in most high-income countries.
  • Population growth rates have declined in low- and middle-income countries over the past few decades but remain high because birth rates have not fallen as rapidly as death rates.
  • There will be more than 1 billion more people in the world in 2010 than there were in 1995 (as population grows from 5.5 billion to 6.9 billion), and six out of seven of these people will live in low- and middle-income countries.
  • Although the population growth rate for developing countries has been decreasing for several decades, the number of people added to the population each year has been increasing because the population base has become larger.
  • Countries that have a large proportion of their population in their childbearing years often experience population momentum. Even if couples have only enough children to replace themselves when they die, the population will continue to grow and will not stabilize until the younger group ages beyond their childbearing years.
  • Birth rates tend to fall when parents have access to family planning, health care, education and jobs.
  • Population growth can make it more difficult to raise standards of living in some countries and can put pressure on the environment.
  • Two of the most successful strategies for reducing fertility rates are providing greater access to primary health care and promoting education for girls and women.

Exploring the Text

1. Read and study the text and the definition of population growth rate and answer the following questions.

  1. What does population growth rate measure?
    2. Enter your answer in the space below: Suggested answer:

  2. If you wanted to get an accurate picture of population growth trends in a country, would you look at the average annual growth rate for a single year, or for a period of years? Explain why.
    3. Enter your answer in the space below: Suggested answer:

2. Answer each of the following questions briefly, referring back to the text if necessary.

  1. Why have death rates and birth rates declined?
    2. Enter your answer in the space below: Suggested answer:

  2. What causes population momentum? What are its consequences?
    3. Enter your answer in the space below: Suggested answer:

  3. How might increasing urbanization affect environmental conditions in a country?
    4. Enter your answer in the space below: Suggested answer:

  4. To what extent does migration between your country and others, or from rural to urban areas within your country affect your country’s economic, environmental, or social situation?
    5. Enter your answer in the space below: Suggested answer:

  5. What sorts of services and support can a government provide to its citizens that will help slow the population growth rate? Explain why you think these strategies may help.
    6. Enter your answer in the space below: Suggested answer:

  6. What might be some reasons why women with a basic education tend to have fewer children?
    7. Enter your answer in the space below: Suggested answer:

3. Calculate the annual population growth rate for countries A, B, and C using data provided in the table below and this formula:*

Population increase
in a year

 
÷

Population at
the start of
the year

 
x


100

 
=

Annual population
growth rate (%)

 

  Population
at the start
of the year		 Population
at the end
of the year		 Population
increase
during the
year		 Annual
population
Growth
rate (%)
Country A 22,000,000 22,400,000    
Country B 8,500,000 8,800,000    
Country C 400,000,000 410,000,000    

 

*(Average annual population growth rates for a period of years provide a better picture than annual rates. For this reason, they are used in the Data Table. Calculating any growth rate for a period longer than a year requires more complicated mathematical formulas than the one used to calculate an annual rate.) 

Enter your answer in the space below: Suggested answer:

4. Population growth rates are small numbers, but they have large effects on population. To see what this means, do the following:

  1. Assume the world population at the beginning of 1997 was about 5.8 billion. If the projected 1997 average annual population growth rate for the world was 1.3%, how many more people would be added to the world by 1998.
    2. Enter your answer in the space below: Suggested answer:

  2. If the 1997 world population grew at .2%, the same projected rate as the United Kingdom, how many more people would be added to the world by 1998.
    3. Enter your answer in the space below: Suggested answer:

  3. If the 1997 world population grew at 2.2%, the same projected rate as Kenya, how many more people would be added to the world by 1998.
    4. Enter your answer in the space below: Suggested answer:

  4. Use your answers to questions 3a,b, and c to make a general statement about the relationship between population growth rates and the change in the size of a population.
    5. Enter your answer in the space below: Suggested answer:

5. Use the calculations and data in the table below to calculate the birth rates, death rates, and population growth rates for three countries and fill in the missing information.

 Number of births
(%)

÷

Population

X

100

=

Birth rate

Number of deaths (%)

÷

Population

X

100

=

Death rate

Birth rate
(%)

–

Death rate
(%)

=

Population
growth rate
(%)

 

 

Births

Deaths

Population

Birth
rate

Death
rate

Population
growth rate
             

Country A

662,000

297,000

33,100,000

      

Country B

411,000

191,800

27,400,000

      

Country C

211,200

96,800

4,400,000

      
Enter your answer in the space below: Suggested answer:

 

6. If a population growth rate is low, population is growing slowly. If it is high, population is growing rapidly. To understand what "slow" and "rapid" mean, it helps to look at how long it will take different countries growing at different rates to double their population.

  1. The number of years it takes a population to double can be estimated by dividing the number 70 by that population's growth rate. Calculate the doubling time of populations growing at the rates shown in the key to the Population Growth Rate Map, 1980–1995.
    2. Enter your answer in the space below: Suggested answer:

  2. Is three percent a rapid growth rate? Explain. Is two percent a rapid growth rate? Explain. Is one percent a rapid growth rate? Explain
    3. Enter your answer in the space below: Suggested answer:

  3. Use the projected population data in column 4 of the Data Table for 1995–2010 to calculate the population doubling time for these countries: your country, Canada, Chile, Finland, India, Zambia.
    4. Enter your answer in the space below: Suggested answer:

  4. Assume that your country has an average annual population growth rate of 1.8%. It will take 39 years for your country’s population to double. What changes will your country need to make to deal with this growth in population? Consider such issues as housing, health care, food supplies, transportation, employment, education, and the environment. Do you think your country presently has the resources to handle this rate of population growth? Why or why not? 

7. What consequences might a declining population growth rate have on a country’s economy and environment?

Enter your answer in the space below: Suggested answer:

Answers

Home | Site Guide | Modules | What's SD? | SD Post | Resources | About DEP | Feedback

  Copyright © 1998 IBRD/The World Bank
 [email protected]

Footer2