1. Population Patterns
6.2

2. Population Patterns
In 1798, Thomas Malthus wrote that the human population was growing too fast
His famous essay described problems the world was facing
But farmers learned to grow more on less land, new technologies and ideas came
The world’s population is now more than 6x larger

3. Overpopulation
When a population is too large to be supported by local resources
Many of Earth’s resources are finite
Parts of China and India do not have enough freshwater
Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Iran are running out of land for growing grains

4. Regional Trends People who study population are demographers
Demographers study changes in pop. over time, which are population trends
They predict how the pop. will change in the future
The also look at how pop. changes will affect a person’s quality of life

5. World Population
Demographers know that the world’s pop is growing very fast
There is a large difference in growth rates between countries
Demographers describe ways that growth is occurring in different countries

6. Stabilization
Some countries have populations that stay about the same size
This includes all of Europe, parts of Japan and Russia, although their population may soon start to increase

7. Reproductive Age
Some countries have lowered growth rates, but will continue to grow for many years
It’s because their population is already large and their pop will be of reproduction age
This is not too old/young to reproduce
This includes China and the U.S.

8. Fast Growing
The last group of countries is experiencing the fastest population growth
They have high birth rates and many people of reproductive age
They include Nigeria and Pakistan

9. Industrialized Nations
All the countries where pop is stabilizing
They have strong economies based on manufacturing and technology
Their people enjoy high standards of living
This is the quality of life that its people enojy

10. Developing Nations Most of the countries with fast growing pop
Their economies are not as strong
Health care, education, and sanitation are inadequate
They rely on subsistence agriculture, which is growing just enough to meet day-to-day needs (Africa, Latin Am., Caribbean)

11. Life Expectancy The total number of years someone is expected to live
Affected by a person’s birth year, country of birth, and gender
Usually have higher life expectancies in industrialized nations over developing countries

12. Problems Fast population growth causes other problems Jobs available
Safety issues
Education
Poverty level increases
Food production (starvation)
Not enough water
Crowded living conditions

13. Problems cont.
Rapid population growth affects human health and well-being
Also affects the natural environment
Biodiversity is a risk due to deforestation and more land needed for farming
Families have more children so they can help work and find food. Also to take care of their parents. Some will die of disease or starve, but few will survive

14. Solutions Family planning controls reproduction
Education also helps lower the birth rate
Women who have career choices usually have fewer children
Fertility Rate – The average number of births per woman

15. Solutions
Many countries are working to control pop through education and information
The decisions young people make will affect pop rates for years to come

16. Vocabulary Overpopulation Stabilize Reproductive Age
Standard of Living
Subsistence Agriculture
Life Expectancy
Fertility Rate