Reasons for & Implications of Different Population Structures (Cambridge International IGCSE Geography)

Population Pyramids

Spec point — 1.3.1 · Identify & give reasons for and implications of different types of population structure

• The characteristics of a population—the distribution of age, sex, ethnicity, religion, etc.—are known as the population structure

• The population structure is the result of changes in:

  • fertility
  • mortality
  • migration

• The two main components of age and sex can be shown on a population pyramid

Population pyramids

• Population pyramids (also known as an age structure graph) are used to display the gender and age structure of a given population

  • They illustrate the distribution of the population across age groups and between male and female

• They enable governments nationally and regionally to assess the needs of the population for services such as healthcare and education

  • This means the governments can estimate and plan for spending

• As countries develop and pass through the stages of demographic transition, the shape of the population pyramid changes

• The population pyramid can be used to identify the following groups:

  • Young dependents
  • Old dependents
  • Economically active(working population)
  • Dependency ratio

Population Pyramid - Niger

• LEDCs like Niger have a concave pyramid shape

• Stages 1 and 2 of the model and this indicates:

  • high birth rate
  • low life expectancy
  • high death rate but starting to decrease
  • high infant mortality rate
  • a young dependent population dominates

Population pyramid of Nepal

• LEDCs/NICs that are a little further along the demographic transition, such as Nepal, have a convex pyramid shape

• Stage 3 of the demographic transition model

• This indicates:

  • decreasing birth rate
  • increasing life expectancy
  • decreasing death rate
  • decreasing infant mortality
  • larger working-age population

Population pyramid of the USA

• MEDC countries such as the USA have a column-shape

• Stage 4 of the demographic transition model

• This indicates:

  • decreasing birth rate
  • increasing life expectancy
  • decreasing death rate
  • low infant mortality
  • larger working-age population

Population pyramid of Japan

• MEDC countries such as Japan have a pentagon shape with a narrowing base

• Stage 5 of the demographic transition model

• This indicates:

  • Decreasing birth rate
  • Increasing life expectancy
  • The death rate is higher than the birth rate due to the ageing population
  • Low infant mortality
  • Ageing population: older dependent population

Implications of population structure

• Population pyramids mean that population issues can be identified

• There are a range of issues, including:

  • ageing populations
  • falling birth rates
  • impacts of migration

Ageing populations

• Many HICs are experiencing ageing populations and an increase in the older dependent population; the implications of this include increased:

  • pension payments
  • need for care homes
  • pressure on the healthcare service and social care

• It also results in fewer workers, which means:

  • governments are not able to collect as much tax
  • some areas suffer worker shortages

Falling birth rates

• Countries experiencing falling birth rates include many MEDCs and NICs; the implications of this are:

  • school closures due to fewer children
  • future workforce shortages

Migration

• In some countries, migration can lead to an imbalance in the population structure

• The UAE has significantly more males than females

• Approximately 29% of the population are males between the ages of 25 and 39, whereas only 10.5% of the population are women between 25 and 39

  • This is the result of the migration of males to the UAE to work in the oil, gas and construction industries

• Rapid population growth in some areas as a result of migration can lead to:

  • increased pressure on services such as healthcare and schools
  • a shortage of housing
  • increased traffic congestion
  • increased water and air pollution
  • a shortage of food
  • a lack of clean water

Exam Hint When interpreting a population pyramid, you need to look at four key areas

• Young dependents: is the birth rate high or low?
• Working population: are there enough people of working age to support the young and old dependents?
• Old dependents: is it large or small? If it is large, then life expectancy is high
• Male-to-female split: are there any noticeable differences between the numbers of males and females?

To calculate the dependency ratio:

$dependency ratio=\frac{youngdependents+olddependents}{working population}\times100$

Case Study: Japan

Spec point — 1.3.1 · A country with a high dependent population

Case Study

• Japan's population is decreasing

• It has fallen from 128 million in 2007 to 125.8 million in 2020

• The fertility rate is 1.36 births per woman, which is well below the 2.1 fertility replacement rate

• The birth rate is 6.8 per 1000

• The death rate is 11.1 per 1000

  • The death rate has increased from 6 per 1000 in 1979
  • This is not because healthcare or diets are worse but because there are far more elderly people who are more likely to become ill and die

• Japan has the highest life expectancy in the world at 84.36 years

Japan's population pyaramid

• Increasing life expectancy in Japan has led to an ageing population with an increasing proportion of elderly dependents

• The issues that this has led to include:

  • increased pressure on health and social care
  • greater cost of providing pensions
  • more use of public transport as the elderly age group is less likely to drive
  • increased need for care homes
  • shortages of workers as more people retire and there are not enough economically active people to take their place

• These issues are further increased by the falling birth rate

• The future impact on Japan may include:

  • increased taxes to cover health, social care and pension costs
  • continued population decrease
  • reduced economic development due to a shortage of workers
  • reconsideration of the immigration policies, which are currently very strict
  • introduction of pro-natalist policies to increase the birth rate and encourage larger families

Worked Example Study Figure 1, which shows population pyramids of the structure of Mexico's population in 1980 and 2010.

Describe the changes in Mexico's population structure between 1980 and 2010

[3 Marks]

Answer

Remember, your answer needs to be a comparison so it needs to state 'more' or 'less'

• Any three of the following:

  • In 2010, there are:

    • More economically active/working 15-64-year-olds [1]
    • More elderly/old dependents/65+ [1]
    • More young dependents in total/bands up to 19 become more even [1]