4. Population

Question 1

How did the 1st Agricultural Revolution (10000 BCE) affect the human population?

Answer 1

• Wide-scale transition of many human cultures from a lifestyle of hunting and gathering to agriculture and settlement.
• This made large populations possible

Question 2

What were the advantages of the 1st Agricultural Revolution?

Answer 2

• Produce food in greater quantities
• Increase the carrying capacity of the land

Question 3

What were the disadvantages of the 1st Agricultural Revolution?

Answer 3

• Farming methods can lead to environmental degradation
• Domestication of animals / living in high proximity to animals led to new diseases such as smallpox

Question 4

How did the Bubonic Plague from 1346-1353 affect the human population?

Answer 4

• The most fatal pandemic in recorded history
• Caused 25 million deaths in Europe alone

Question 5

How did the 2nd Agricultural Revolution between the mid-17th to mid-19th centuries affect the human population?

Answer 5

Unprecedented increase in agricultural production starting in Britain as a result of increased labour and land productivity, mechanisation and crop rotation.

Question 6

How did the Industrial Revolution affect the human population?

Answer 6

Industrialisation of western society further increased food production, as well as subsequent developments such as improved sanitation, energy use, medical discoveries and standardised education.

Question 7

How did the discovery of penicillin in 1928 affect the human population?

Answer 7

In 1928, Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, leading to the invention of antibiotics, which save millions of lives each year and has extended the extended the average human lifespan by 23 years.

Question 8

How did WW1 and WW2 affect the human population?

Answer 8

The most fatal conflicts in history, with 20 million deaths in WW1 and between 70-85 million deaths in WW2.

Question 9

How did the global population increase between 1960 and 1970?

Answer 9

Between 1960 and and 1970, the global population increased by an average 70 million a year - 8000 / hour!

Question 10

Was population growth between 1960 - 1990 even around the globe?

Answer 10

Nope!

• Population of Mexico increased by 118% between 1960 - 1990, from 38 milion to 83 million people!
• Meanwhile, the population of the UK only increased by 8%, from 53 to 57 million.

Question 11

How did COVID-19 affect the human population?

Answer 11

15 million deaths from COVID-19 worldwide, however this number is likely an underestimate due to limited testing.

Question 12

When is the peak human population expected?

Answer 12

The human population is expected to peak at 10.4 billion in 2086, decreasesing afterwards as low fertility rates cause population decline.

Question 13

How have world fertility rates fallen since 1950?

Answer 13

On average, fertility rates across the world have fallen from ~5 in 1950 to 2.3 in 2021.

Question 14

What is the replacement rate?

Answer 14

The replacement rate is the fertility rate at which a population exactly replaces itself from one generation to the next.

In HICs, this is a fertility rate of 2.1

Question 15

How is Europe’s share of the global population expected to decline between 1950 and 2050?

Answer 15

Europe’s share of the global population is currently falling from 22% in 1950 to a projected 7% in 2050

Question 16

How is Africa’s share of the global population expected to increase between 1950 and 2050?

Answer 16

Africa’s share of the global population is expected to rise from only 9% in 2050 to 20% by 1950.

Question 17

How large is the population of Asia expected to be by 2050?

Answer 17

By 2050, the population of Asia is expected to equal 5 billion people (equal to the global population in 1990!)

Question 18

Why are population predictions so varied?

Answer 18

• Difficulty collecting data in places such as slum settlements (Makoko, Lagos)
• Unforseen circumstances affect population e.g. disease, conflict, natural disasters, recession
• Specific migration patterns can affect population
• Difficulties in choosing variant of forecast - fertility rates changing and life expectancy not constant

Question 19

Why are fertility rates in HICs so low?

Answer 19

• Medical advances ensure that children survive - less need for large families
• Children become an economic liability - families become smaller
• Contraceptives and family planning more readily available
• Women have greater education and thus greater opportunity to pursue ambitions outside of parenting e.g. a career

Question 20

What are the 6 factors influencing the birth rate?

Answer 20

Birth Control and family planning
Illiteracy
Religion
Tying the knot (age of marriage)
Healthcare
Sending kids to work

Question 21

How does Birth Control and family planning infuence the birth rate?

Answer 21

Greater, more affordable access to contraceptives, family planning and education on family size allows women to better control and plan the size of their families

Question 22

How does Illiteracy influence the birth rate?

Answer 22

• Low levels of literacy reduce women’s aspirations solely to being a mother.
• Conversely, high levels of literacy reduce the fertility rate as women choose other aspirations e.g. a career.

Question 23

How does Religion influence the birth rate?

Answer 23

Certain religios groups ban the use of contraceptives, abortions and premaritial sex, e.g. Roman Catholics, increasing the fertility rate of these groups.

Question 24

How does “Tying the knot” (age of marriage) influence the birth rate?

Answer 24

A younger age of marriage results in a higher fertility rate as women are married for more of their reproductive years.

Question 25

How does “Sending kids to work” influence the birth rate?

Answer 25

The fertility rate increases if children are needed for manual labour in agriculture etc. and are therefore an economic asset.

In HICs, a high cost of living makes children an economic liability.

Question 26

What are the 6 factors influencing the death rate?

Answer 26

Drinking water
Eating well
Access to immunisations
Tropical diseases
Healthcare
Sanitation

Question 27

How does Drinking water influence the death rate?

Answer 27

Poor access to safe and sanitary drinking water leads to outbreaks of water-borne diseases such as cholera - increased mortality rate

Question 28

Give an example of the influence of Drinking water on the death rate:

Answer 28

• 1/10 people around the world don’t have access to clean water.
• WaterAid has reached 28.1 million people with clean water.

Question 29

How does Eating well influence the death rate?

Answer 29

• Famine and poverty causing starvation increase the mortality rate.
• Conversely, over-eating, such as in HICs, increases the risk of health issues from obesity

Question 30

Give an example of the influence of Eating well on the death rate:

Answer 30

As a result of many crises, Somalia has a percentage undernourishment of 59.5%.

Question 31

How does Access to immunisations influence the death rate?

Answer 31

Vaccinations for otherwise deadly diseases e.g. tetanus, polio, MMR, significantly reduces the mortality rate.

Question 32

Give an example of the influence of Access to immunisations on the death rate:

Answer 32

In the UK, MMR vaccination programmes eliminated measles in the UK from 2016 to 2019.

Question 33

How do Tropical diseases influence the death rate?

Answer 33

In hot climates, diseases such as malaria significantly increase the mortality rate.

Question 34

Give an example of how Tropical diseases influence the death rate:

Answer 34

Four African countries - Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania and Mozambique - account for over 1/2 of all malaria deaths.

Question 35

How does Healthcare influence the death rate?

Answer 35

• Treatments for diseases / illneses, or for prolonging life, significantly reduce the mortality rate.
• Conversely, a high life expectancy can lead to an ageing population, causing an increase in the death rate.

Question 36

Give an example of how Healthcare influences the death rate:

Answer 36

Japan has a life expectancy of 84.3, however its ageing population means that more people proportionally are dying.

Question 37

How does Sanitation influence the death rate?

Answer 37

Proper sewage treatment, waste disposal and surface cleaning reduce disease transmission.

Question 38

Give an example of how Sanitation influences the death rate:

Answer 38

Communal latrines in Makoko, Lagos, are shared between 15 households.