The Global Population: Distribution, Evolution, and Structure

Posted on Jan 11, 2024 in Geography

The Population of the planet

❑ Population refers to all the people who live in a certain geographic territory.

Population distribution

  • There are at least 7.7 billion inhabitants on the Earth.
  • They are distributed unevenly around the world.

❑ Population density measures how many inhabitants live in 1 square kilometre (km2). This measure is expressed as Inhabit/km2

Principal factors affecting population distribution

✓ The main factors that favor human settlement in some areas & not others are:

  • Physical. People tend to live in temperate climates, areas of low altitude & places near water.
  • Socioeconomic. People concentrate in areas with fertile soils & energy resources.
  • Historical. Areas inhabited since ancient times continue to be lived in.

The Census

✓We know population numbers because of censuses.
❖Censuses measure populations by counting the number of people in a country.

  • In most countries, a census happens every 10 years.

The evolution of the global population

✓In general, the world population grew slowly until the middle of the 17th century. After that, it began to grow quickly, especially from the 20th century onwards.

Evolution of population in more economically developed countries (MEDCs)

  • Demographic stability. Until the 17th century, the world’s population increased very little due to a high infant death rate, disease and war.
  • Population increase. In the middle of the 18th century, the death rate decreased and the population began to grow. Improvements in hygiene, the use of soap, also reduced death rates.
  • Decrease in birth rates. In the 20th century, the death rate continued to fall as a result of improved healthcare and advances in medicine, such as vaccinations.

Evolution of population in less economically developed countries (LEDCs)

✓There are two main phases in the evolution of the population in LEDCs:

  • Demographic stability. This phase continued into the 20th century, and was characterized by high birth rates and high death rates.
  • Decrease in death rates. At the end of the 20th century, the death rate began to fall as resources to combat illnesses became available (medical equipment and medicines).

Population structure

Population dynamics

The main factors that cause populations to change are the following:

  • Birth rate is the number of births in a population in a year.
  • Death rate is the number of deaths in a population in a year.
  • The rate of natural increase is the difference between the number of births and the number of deaths.
  • Total fertility rate measures the number of births in relation to the female population.
  • Migration is the movement of people from one place to another.

Populations in MEDCs

  • An increase in life expectancy (the number of years that people live). This is due to improvements in diet and medical advances.
  • A decrease in the birth rate. This depends on factors, such as the opportunity for stable employment.

Populations in LEDCs

✓Populations in LEDCs are young and have a high birth rate. Children represent security for parents in old age.

❖A population pyramid is a graph that shows the structure of a population by age and gender.

A population pyramid includes the following elements:

  • Age groups.
  • Gender: Females on the right and males on the left.
  • Years.
  • Population figures. These are expressed in percentages (%).

Population and work

The active and inactive population

  • The active population includes:
    • the working population,
    • unemployed people,
    • and those looking for their first job.
  • The inactive population includes:
    • Children under 16,
    • Students,
    • retirees

Economic sectors

✓There are three economic sectors:

  1. The primary sector, which includes arable and livestock farming, fishing and logging.
  2. The secondary sector, which includes energy production, industry, mining and construction.
  3. The tertiary (or service) sector, which includes education, healthcare, transport and trade.

Unemployment

  • When countries become developed, more jobs become automated and companies move their production to developing countries, where production costs are lower. As a result, people lose their jobs.
  • The incorporation of women into the workplace has increased the active population.

The population of SPAIN

Spain’s demographic model

✓Spain’s population has followed the same model as other western European countries.

  • From 1975, Spain’s population began to age, as life expectancy increased and people began to live longer.
  • Recent immigration has helped to compensate for the ageing population by causing a rise in the birth rate.

➢Spain has a population of almost 46.7 million.

Characteristics of the population

  • Life expectancy
    • At about 83 years, the life expectancy of Spain’s population is among the highest in the world.
  • Birth rate and fertility rate
    • The birth rate has decreased in recent years.
  • Death rate
    • Infant death rates have decreased a lot, but a large elderly population keeps the death rate high.

Women in the workplace

  • The incorporation of women into the labour force is a recent development in Spain and has radically changed family life.
  • The greatest increase of women workers is in the service sector. However, unemployment continues to affect women more than men.
  • For years, women have fought for equal rights at work, in society and in politics.