Population

Back to: ECONOMICS SS1

 

Welcome to class! 

In today’s class, we will be talking about population. Enjoy the class!

Population

Population- is defined as the total number of people living within a country or a geographical location at a particular time. Population, in other words, refers to the total number of children, youths (boys & girls), adults (men & women), living in a given geographical area, which may be a town, village or country, at a specific time

Determinants of population growth and size

The three main factors that determine the population size of a given country are

• Birth rate
• Death rate and
• Migration

Birth rate (Natality Rate):

The birth rate of a country refers to the rate at which children are being given birth to in that country. That is the number of live births per thousand of the population within a year.  It is also at the time called the crude Birth Rate. Mathematically, it is represented as Birth Rate = Number of births / Total population x 100.

Factors affecting the birth rate

1. Early marriage
2. The desire for a large family
3. Religious belief
4. Improved medical services
5. Improved standard of living
6. The ratio of male to female
7. Family planning
8. Infant mortality

Death rate (Mortality Rate):

The death rate of a country refers to the rate at which people (both adults and children), die in a country. That is the number of death per thousand of the population within a year. At times it is called the crude Death Rate. Generally, high death rate leads to population decrease, while a low death rate leads to population increase. Mathematically, it is expressed as:

Death Rate = Number of deaths / Total population x 100.

Factors affecting death rate are:

1. Poor medical and health facilities
2. The high cost of living
3. Natural disasters
4. Man-made disasters, e.g. war
5. High level of ignorance
6. Poverty High rate of infant mortality
7. Poor standard of living

Evaluation

1. Define population
2. List three determinants of population size

Migration:

It is the movement of people from one geographical area to another, involving permanent or temporary residence or settlement. That is, it is the movement of people in and out of a country. In migration, the region where people are leaving is called the Source Region, while the region where people are entering is called the Receiving Region or Destination. It is of two types:

1. Immigration: This is the inflow of people into the country from other countries. The person coming in is called an immigrant
2. Emigration: This is the movement of people out of a country. The person moving out is called an emigrant. Just as immigration increases the population size, emigration decreases it

The following factors affect migration

1. Natural disasters
2. Climatic conditions
3. Insecurity
4. The difference in economic opportunity
5. Changes in status, e.g. a high level of education and wealth
6. The difference in social amenities
7. Political instability
8. War

Evaluation

1. What is migration?
2. Mention three factors influencing the birth rate

Population formula

Net Migration = Immigration – Emigration

Natural Growth Rate = Birth Rate – Death Rate

Population Growth Rate = Birth Rate – Death Rate + Net Migration

Population growth

High/increasing/youthful population:

It is a population with an increasing percentage of young people, while the relative percentage of old people is decreasing. That is, there is an increase in the population growth rate in favour of the youths. It is a situation whereby the number of people in the country is increasing continuously with the dominance of the youths.

Advantages

1. It provides a large labour force
2. It provides a large market for the goods produced
3. It brings respect to a country from international bodies
4. It helps to attract foreign investors
5. It attracts foreign aids

Disadvantages

1. It leads to too many pressures on natural resources
2. The tendency for an increase in the crime wave
3. Insufficient food for people consumption
4. The problem of congestion at the urban centres
5. The problem of unemployment and under-employment

1. What is emigration?
2. State formula for calculating net migration

 Declining/ageing population:

It is a population with an increasing percentage of adult/old people, while the relative percentage of youths is decreasing. That is, there is a decrease in the population growth rate for both children and working-age people, while that of aged people is increasing.

Advantages

1. Reduction in government expenditures
2. Reduction in congestion
3. High standard of living
4. Increase in saving
5. Increase in investment and income
6. Increase in employment opportunity

Disadvantages

1. Reduction in the labour force
2. It leads to underpopulation
3. Fall in Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
4. It brings about lower rewards for factors of production
5. Increase in government expenditure

Evaluation

1. Briefly differentiate between youthful and ageing populations
2. State factors affecting declining population

Reading assignment

1. Amplified and Simplified Economics for SSS by Femi Longe pages 168-175.
2. Comprehensive Economics for SSS by J.U. Anyaele chapter 10 pages 86 – 90
3. New Approach Economics by K.U. Nnadi and A.B. Falodun chapter 6 pages 55 – 58

General evaluation

1. Highlight the economic problems associated with the dependency of West Africa countries on primary production.
2. Define the ageing population and explain the effects on an economy.
3. Explain five sources of finance available to a joint company.
4. What is meant by production?
5. Distinguish between economic goods and non-economic goods.
6. Differentiate between emigration and immigration
7. Briefly explain the determinants of population size and growth of a country

 

In our next class, we will be talking about the Population Census.  We hope you enjoyed the class.

Should you have any further question, feel free to ask in the comment section below and trust us to respond as soon as possible.

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