Birth Rates Melissa Schreiber

Human Population Growth The world’s human population has risen steadily Exponential growth ▫Growth curve slope steeply upward Growth rate ▫Determined by considering the difference between the number of persons born per year (birthrate) and the number of persons who die per year (death rate) 2

4 Human Population Growth Biotic potential ▫Maximum growth rate under ideal conditions Environmental resistance ▫Includes limiting factors such as food and space Carrying capacity ▫Maximum population that the environment can support for an indefinite period ▫Some believe the Earth is capable of supporting 50 to 100 billion people ▫Others think we have too many people to support

5 Age-Structure Diagrams MDCs North America and Europe LDCs Asia, Africa, Latin America

Fig c Improved Women’s Rights and Increase Usage of Contraceptives Could Change the Scenario of LDCs Increase in Population