2.2 The effects of population growth and change on the lives of  (Page 3/6)

But this is not always the case. Have a look at the following:

b) Which country’s population pyramid differs the most from Germany’s?

Activity 3:

To represent the differences in particular populations in pyramids

[lo 3.2]

• When births and deaths follow their natural course in any community, and if there is no marked increase or decrease in numbers due to migration, the population structure is reflected as a “normal” pyramid, as in Figure 1. By now you already know it.

Within these normal communities with their “normal” pyramids, it might happen that cultural, social and economic factors change the composition of the population regarding age groups and gender. In this event the shape of a pyramid representing a particular community will begin to deviate from the norm. If a few thousand Turks leave Turkey annually to go and work in the city of Munich, the population structure of the Turkish territory, as well as that of Munich, will also change in due course.

1. The pyramid for communities with a high birth rate , high death rate and a short life expectancy , will still be shaped like a “normal” pyramid, but the top will be lower and the pyramid will show marked indentations on the sides.

b) The pyramids for communities and populations with a low birth rate , an equally low death rate and a long life expectancy (an affluent society enjoying a good quality of life and medical care), will have a relatively narrow basis (narrower than the one above), gradually sloping towards the top.

1. Only primitive communities (those in an early stage of development) have a high birth rate as well as a high death rate (the birth rate being the highest). This results in a rather rapid growth in the population

1. The populations of developed countries (e.g. most of the Western European states) have a low birth and death rate . In some instances the birth rate is even lower than the death rate, resulting in a negative population growth. The life expectancy is high. In this case we refer to an “old” population.

Please note: The percentages on the horizontal lines are not the same for the four pyramids.

4. Why do changes in population occur?

In the long history of the world, most changes that took place related to growth only. Human beings simply continued to increase all over the earth. But this no longer holds true for all parts of the world. In some European countries the population is in fact shrinking (decreasing, becoming smaller).

And if you were under the impression that only (very) rapid growth in certain countries or areas cause problems, you’ll have to think again, for a decrease in the population can be equally problematic! In these instances people only have to cope with a different set of problems.

But before we pay attention to the effects and challenges of change, we have to establish why these changes occur in the first place.

Although it has already been said that some countries experience a decrease in their population, the major changes are mainly due to population increase. On the whole, the world population is actually growing .