Population Growth & Structure (Cambridge International A-Level Economics)
Population distribution
-
The characteristics of a population ( the distribution of age, sex, ethnicity, religion etc), is known as the population structure
-
The population structure is the result of changes in:
- the birth rate
- the death rate
- net migration
Causes of changes in birth rate
- The birth rate is defined as the number of live births per 1,000 of the population per year
| Factor | Explanation | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Income and development | - Rising income and female education reduce desired family size | - Decreases |
| Female labour force participation | - Opportunity cost of childrearing rises as women's earning potential increases | - Decreases |
| Access to contraception | - Greater availability and use of family planning reduces unintended births | - Decreases |
| Child mortality | - As infant survival improves, families need fewer births to achieve desired family size | - Decreases |
| Urbanisation | - Urban living raises the cost of children relative to rural settings | - Decreases |
| Cultural and religious norms | - Pro-natalist cultures or government incentives can sustain high birth rates | - Variable |
Causes of changes in death rate
- The death rate (crude death rate) is defined as the number of deaths per 1,000 of the population per year
| Factor | Explanation | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare quality and access | - Better medical treatment reduces mortality from disease and injury | - Decreases |
| Nutrition and food security | - Improved diet reduces deaths from malnutrition and related illness | - Decreases |
| Sanitation and clean water | - Reduces deaths from waterborne diseases | - Decreases |
| Income growth | - Higher incomes allow spending on healthcare, nutrition and safe housing | - Decreases |
| Ageing population | - As a population ages, the crude death rate can rise even as life expectancy increases | - Increases |
Causes of changes in infant mortality
-
Infant mortality rate is defined as the number of deaths of children under one year of age per 1,000 live births per year
- It is a particularly sensitive indicator of healthcare quality, nutrition and sanitation
-
Infant mortality is primarily driven by the same factors as the crude death rate but is more sensitive to:
- the quality of maternal healthcare
- access to clean water and sanitation
- rates of malnutrition
- prevalence of preventable diseases such as diarrhoea, pneumonia and malaria
-
Infant mortality is typically much higher in low-income economies
- Sub-Saharan Africa averages above 50 deaths per 1,000 live births compared to under 5 in high-income economies
Causes of changes in net migration
-
Net migration is defined as the difference between immigration (inflows) and emigration (outflows) over a given period
- Positive net migration adds to population, negative net migration reduces it
| Factor | Pull factors (immigration) | Push factors (emigration) |
|---|---|---|
| Economic | - Higher wages, employment opportunities | - Unemployment, low wages, poverty |
| Political | - Stability, rule of law | - Conflict, persecution, political instability |
| Social | - Family reunification, education access | - Lack of social services, discrimination |
| Environmental | - Favourable climate and resources | - Natural disasters, climate change, land degradation |
Exam Hint The most common error in this area is confusing the crude death rate with life expectancy - an ageing population can cause the crude death rate to rise even as life expectancy increases, because there are simply more elderly people.
Infant mortality is the single most sensitive indicator of healthcare quality and development level, and examiners reward students who use it as evidence rather than defaulting to GDP.
For net migration questions, always distinguish between economic, political and environmental push and pull factors rather than listing migration as a single undifferentiated cause of population change.
Was this revision note helpful?
Build on this topic