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World population. The total population of the earth. Summary: World population

Planet Earth is home to many living beings, the main of which is man.

How many people inhabit the planet

The world population today is almost seven and a half billion people. The peak value of its growth was noted in 1963. Currently, the governments of some countries are pursuing a restrictive demographic policy, while others are trying to stimulate an increase in the number of people within their borders. However, the general population of the Earth is aging. Young people do not seek to reproduce offspring. The population of planet Earth today has an unnatural bias towards the elderly. This feature makes it difficult material support pensioners.

According to scientists, by the end of the twenty-first century, the world's population will exchange the eleventh billion.

Where do most people live

In 2009, a wake-up call sounded. The population of the world living in cities has become equal in size to the number of people in villages and countryside. The reasons for this movement of labor are simple. The people of the world strive for convenience and wealth. Wages in cities are higher and life is easier. Everything will change when the urban population of the world experiences food shortages. Many will be forced to relocate to the provinces, closer to the land.

The world population table is presented as follows: in fifteen countries there are almost five billion people. In total, there are more than two hundred states on our planet.

Most populous countries

The world population can be presented in the form of a table. In this case, the most densely populated countries will be indicated.

Population

Indonesia

Brazil

Pakistan

Bangladesh

the Russian Federation

Philippines

Most populous cities

The world population map today already has three cities, the population of which has exceeded twenty million people. Shanghai is one of the largest cities in China, which stands on the Yangtze River. Karachi is a port city in Pakistan. Closes the top three of the Chinese capital - Beijing.

In terms of population density, the main city of the Philippines, Manila, holds the palm. The world population map reports that in some areas this figure reaches seventy thousand people per square kilometer! The infrastructure does not cope well with such an influx of residents. For example: in Moscow, this figure does not exceed five thousand people per square kilometer.

Also, the list of cities with a very high population density includes Indian Mumbai (this settlement was formerly called Bombay), the capital of France - Paris, the Chinese autonomy of Macau, the dwarf state of Monaco, the heart of Catalonia - Barcelona, ​​as well as Dhaka (Bangladesh), the city-state of Singapore , Tokyo (Japan), and the previously mentioned Shanghai.

Population growth statistics by period

Despite the fact that humanity appeared more than three hundred years ago, for a long time its development was extremely slow. Short life expectancy and extremely difficult conditions affected.

Mankind exchanged the first billion only at the beginning of the nineteenth century, in 1820. A little more than a hundred years passed, and in 1927 the newspapers trumpeted the good news about the second billion earthlings. Just 33 years later, in 1960, they talked about a third.

From this period, scientists began to seriously worry about the boom in the growth of the world's population. But this did not prevent the four billionth inhabitant of the planet from joyfully announcing his appearance in 1974. In 1987, the account went to five billion. The six billionth earthling was born closer to the millennium, at the end of 1999. In less than twelve years, we have become a billion more. At current birth rates, no later than the end of the first quarter of this century, the name of the eight billionth person will appear in the newspapers.

Such impressive successes have been achieved primarily due to a significant reduction in bloody wars that claim millions of lives. Many have been defeated dangerous diseases, medicine has learned to significantly prolong the life of people.

Consequences

Until the nineteenth century, people had little interest in the population of the world. The term "demography" was introduced only in 1855.

At the moment, the problem is becoming more and more threatening.

In the seventeenth century, it was believed that four billion people could live comfortably on our planet. As shows real life, this figure is significantly underestimated. The current seven and a half billion, with a reasonable distribution of resources, feel relatively comfortable.

Potential settlement opportunities are possible in Australia, Canada, in desert regions. This will require certain forces for improvement, but theoretically it is real.

If we take into account exclusively territorial possibilities, then up to one and a half quadrillion people can be settled on the planet! This is a huge number, which contains fifteen zeros!

But the use of resources and the rapid heating of the atmosphere will very quickly change the climate so much that the planet will become lifeless.

The maximum number of inhabitants on Earth (with moderate requests) should not exceed twelve billion. This figure is taken from food supply calculations. As the population grows, more resources need to be obtained. To do this, we should use more areas for sowing, increase the number of livestock, and save water resources.

But if nutritional problems can be solved relatively quickly, thanks to genetic technologies, then the organization of consumption of pure drinking water is a much more complex and costly undertaking.

In addition, humanity must move to the use of renewable energy sources - wind, sun, earth and water energy.

Forecasts

The Chinese authorities have been trying to solve the problem of overpopulation for decades. Long time there was a program allowing the appearance of no more than one child in the family. In addition, a powerful information campaign was carried out among the population.

Today we can say that the Chinese succeeded in everything. Population growth has stabilized and is projected to decrease. Not the last role was played by the growth factor in the well-being of the inhabitants of the PRC.

As for the poor in India, Indonesia, Nigeria, the prospects are far from rosy. In thirty years, China may lose the "palm" in the demographic issue. The population of India by 2050 may exceed one and a half billion people!

Population growth will only worsen the economic problems of poor nations.

Conducted programs

For a long time people had to have a large number of children. Housekeeping required huge forces, and it was impossible to cope alone.

Pension security can help solve the problem of overpopulation.

Also, thoughtful social politics and prudent family planning, as well as improving the economic and social status the beautiful half of humanity, an increase in the level of education in general.

Output

It is very important to love yourself and your loved ones. But do not forget that the planet on which we live is ours. common Home which must be treated with respect.

Already today it is worth moderating your needs and thinking about planning so that our descendants can live on the planet as comfortably as we do.


Plan

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………3

1. Geography of the world population………………………………………………..3

1.1 Population size and reproduction…………………………3

1.2. Population growth in countries of different socio-economic types……………………………………………………………………………….6

2. Composition and structure of the population…………………………………………....11

3. Placement and migration of the population………………………………………………………13

3.1. The role of migration in changing the number of countries and continents...15

4. Fertility……………………………………………………………………21

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………….22

References…………………………………………………………...23

Introduction

The geography of the population studies the size, structure and distribution of the population, considered in the process of social reproduction and interaction with the natural environment. Recently, two trends can be traced in the geography of the population. The first is geodemographic, which studies the size and structure of the population, the main demographic indicators (mortality, birth rate, life expectancy) and population reproduction, the demographic situation and demographic policy in the world, individual regions and countries. The second is actually geographical, which studies the general geographical picture of the distribution of the population in the world, individual regions and countries, and in particular the geography of settlement and populated areas. Geourban studies have received the greatest development in this direction.

1. Geography of the world population

1.1. Population size and reproduction

Throughout human history, population growth has been very slow. The acceleration of population growth occurred in the period of modern history, especially in the 20th century. Currently, the annual population growth is about 90 million people. At the end of the 90s. the world population was 6 billion people. But in different regions of the world, population growth is uneven. This is due to the different nature of the reproduction of the population.

Under the reproduction of the population is understood the totality of the processes of fertility, mortality and natural increase, which ensure the continuous renewal and change of human generations. Reproduction is influenced by the socio-economic conditions of people's lives, relationships between people and relationships in the family.

Currently, there are two types of reproduction. The first type is characterized by relatively low rates of fertility, mortality and natural increase. This type is typical for economically developed countries, where natural growth is either very low, or natural population decline prevails. Demographers call this phenomenon depopulation (demographic crisis). The second type of reproduction is characterized by high birth rates and natural population growth. This type is typical for developing countries, where the gain of independence led to a sharp reduction in mortality, while the birth rate remained at the same level.

At the end of the XX century. The highest birth rate and natural increase was observed in Kenya, where the birth rate was 54 people per thousand, and the natural increase was 44 people. This phenomenon of rapid population growth in countries of the second type of reproduction is called a population explosion. Currently, such countries account for more than 3/4 of the world's population. The absolute annual increase is 85 million people, i.e. developing countries already have and will continue to have a decisive influence on the size and reproduction of the world's population. Under these conditions, most countries seek to manage the reproduction of the population by pursuing a demographic policy. Demographic policy is a system of administrative, economic, propaganda and other measures, with the help of which the state influences the natural movement of the population in the directions desired for itself.

In countries of the first type of reproduction, demographic policy is aimed at increasing the birth rate and natural increase (countries of Western Europe, Russia, etc.); in countries of the second type of reproduction - to reduce the birth rate and natural increase (India, China, etc.).

An important scientific basis for carrying out demographic policy is the theory of demographic transition, which explains the sequence of changes in demographic processes. The scheme of such a transition includes four successive stages. The first stage covered almost the entire history of mankind. It is characterized by high birth and death rates and, accordingly, a very low natural increase. The second stage is characterized by a sharp reduction in mortality while maintaining the traditionally high birth rate. The third stage is characterized by the persistence of low mortality rates, and the birth rate begins to decline, but slightly exceeds the death rate, ensuring a moderate expanded reproduction and population growth. In the transition to the fourth stage, the birth and death rates coincide. This means a transition to population stabilization.

Recently, in science and practice, everything greater value acquire indicators characterizing the quality of the population. This is a complex concept that takes into account economic (employment, income, calorie intake), social (level of health care, security of citizens, development of democratic institutions), cultural (literacy level, provision of cultural institutions, printed products), environmental (environmental state) and other conditions. people's lives.

One of the main generalizing indicators of the state of health of a nation is the indicator of average life expectancy. At the end of the XX century. this indicator for the whole world was 66 years (63 years for men and 68 years for women). Another important indicator of the quality of life of the population is the level of literacy.

1.2. Population growth in countries of different socio-economic types.

Figure 1. Population by continent, million people, mid-2009, 2025 and 2050

The world's population continues to grow, reaching 6.8 billion by mid-2009. The increase for the year amounted to 83 million people. According to forecast calculations, in the second half of 2011 it will cross another milestone - 7 billion people. At the same time, the bulk of the growth will be provided by the less developed countries of the world.

Already in the 20th century, these countries accounted for about 90% of the world's population growth, which was the result of an unprecedented decline in mortality in developing countries due to the spread of sanitary, therapeutic, and preventive measures to prevent infectious diseases, especially after the end of World War II. If in developed countries the system of such measures was formed over the centuries, then developing countries were able to take advantage of them already in ready-made mastering them in a shorter time.

The geographic imbalance in population growth, which became so obvious already in the second half of the last century, will only intensify in the coming years. Between 2009 and 2050, almost all of the world's population growth - about 97% - will occur in developing countries. The projected small increase in the population of developed countries will be concentrated, for the most part, in the United States and Canada. In many developed countries, population growth will be associated mainly with immigration from less developed countries. However, in the US natural increase will be more than 50% of the total annual population growth. While the population of developing countries is projected to increase from 5.6 billion in 2009 to 8.1 billion in 2050, the population of developed countries is only from 1.2 to 1.3 billion.

The fastest growing population will be in Africa, which maintains the highest fertility rates. If now the population of the continent is about 1 billion people, then by 2050 it will almost double (Fig. 1). Even after a noticeable decline, the birth rate here remains quite high, and the population is very young - for example, in sub-Saharan Africa, 43% of the population are children under the age of 15 years.

Population growth in most Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa slowed down significantly as a result of significant changes in marriage and fertility that have occurred over recent decades. And although the young age structure carries a significant potential for population growth, its pace is slowing down due to a decrease in the birth rate in the large countries of the region. Initially, the birth rate began to decline in Lebanon, then - in Egypt, Iran and Tunisia. These three countries were among the first to adopt declining birth rates as a way to reduce population growth. Delayed marriage and the widespread use and availability of family planning have accelerated the decline in fertility. At the same time, the level of education of girls and young women is steadily increasing. In Iran, for example, average age women at marriage was 18 years in 1966, and by 2006 it had risen to 23 years.

Population growth Latin America, is expected to be more moderate compared to Africa. About 580 million people currently live on the continent, and by 2050 this number will increase to 724 million, or 25%. The value of the total fertility rate for the region as a whole is 2.3, and in the region's largest country in terms of population - Brazil - 2.0. In other most populous countries of the continent, the value of this coefficient is slightly higher: 2.3 in Mexico, 2.4 each in Colombia and Argentina. However, in countries such as Cuba, Chile, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, the total fertility rate has already fallen below the level of simple generational replacement (2.1). That is, in the coming years, the value of this coefficient in the region as a whole may also fall below the level of simple reproduction.

According to the forecast, the largest increase in population by the middle of this century - by 1.3 billion people - will occur in Asia, the number of inhabitants of which in mid-2009 is estimated at 4.1 billion people. Population growth is expected despite a significant decline in the birth rate in many Asian countries. Today, the population of China and India is about 2/3 of the population of Asia and by 2050 their combined share in the Asian population will decrease only slightly. But population growth will continue until 2050 only in India, and in China the population will begin to decline long before that. The picture may change if China stops adhering to the one-child policy.

There are other countries in Asia with extremely low TFRs: Taiwan has the lowest TFR of 1.0 children per woman, South Korea it is 1.2. These countries are seriously concerned about the forthcoming decline in the population and its rapid aging. According to Japan's official forecast, by 2050, 40% of the country's population will be people aged 40 and over.
Extremely low birth rates in most European countries are also causing serious concern about the declining population, which is projected to fall from 738 million in 2009 to 702 million in 2050, despite continued migration gains. First of all, population decline is expected of Eastern Europe- from 295 to 243 million people. The population of Southern Europe will also decrease - from 155 to 151 million people. The lowest values ​​of the total fertility rate are observed in the countries of Eastern Europe, where its average value is 1.4. Such low birth rates are of great concern to politicians in the region, as they lead to population aging and long-term population decline, even despite fairly significant immigration. Over the next quarter century, the population of Europe, which hosts 9 of the 10 oldest populations on the planet, will continue to rapidly age to unprecedented levels. peace, which is now over 6 billion ... growth population the share of regions in population peace. Change in the share of regions in population peace led...

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    • ~rim/lekcicon/020/Gloss.htm

    The geography of the origin of man. Sources of population data: censuses. Population of regions and countries of the world.

    Demographic indicators: absolute and relative. demographic policy.

    Population dynamics. Hypothesis of Malthus. The theory of demographic transition.

    Patterns of population distribution. The impact of human economic activity on natural landscapes.

    Geography of human origin

    The question of when and where the first people appeared on Earth is still the subject of heated scientific discussions. To date, most scientists believe that the species Homo Sapiens - "reasonable man" stood out from the ancient hominids about 50 thousand years ago in the Great Rift Faults in East Africa.

    Recent excavations and discoveries in East Africa confirm that this area is the most likely place of human origin. In the 70s. 20th century Lewis and Mary Leakey in the Oldowai Gorge in northern Tanzania in the rift fault zone found the remains of an ancient humanoid creature - a zinjatrop - a “handy man” - the ancestor of a “reasonable man”, whose age is 1.7 million years.
    Subsequent archaeological excavations and finds of the remains of ancient hominids in east coast lake Rudolph, in the valley of the Omo and Awash rivers, they proved an even more ancient age of the appearance of human ancestors - 2.5, 3.7 and even 5 million years.

    It is believed that at the end of the Paleolithic, ancient people from Africa could have settled on other continents - in Europe and Asia. From Asia through the Bering Strait, mankind began to populate America, from South-East Asia- Australia and Oceania.

    According to modern estimates, about 15 thousand years BC, no more than 3 million people lived on earth. Since then, the human population on Earth has grown rapidly, surpassing the 5 billion mark in 1987, with almost half of the people born in the last 25 years.

    Sources of population data: censuses

    The first estimate of the population of the world was made in 1682 by the founder of classical political economy, the Englishman Sir William Petty. He believed that by the end of the 17th century, the number of people living on Earth amounted to 320 million people. (according to modern demographic estimates, the number was at that time almost 2 times greater).

    Accurate data on the population of the country is given by the CENSUS - the simultaneous collection of statistical information about all residents. To ensure the quality of the census, it is necessary to train "counters" who must fill out questionnaires for all citizens of the country on the same day with information on age, gender, number of children in the family, education, nationality, etc. The results of the censuses serve as the basis for the state social economic policy, economic growth planning, income and expenditure items of the budget.

    Population censuses are an extremely expensive undertaking, and therefore they can be carried out regularly - once every 10 years, as recommended by the UN, only states that have sufficient financial resources can.

    Until the middle of the 19th century, when statistical records of the population were not established in most states, it was practically impossible to answer the question of how many people live in a given country, and even more so on the whole Earth.

    The impetus for the first censuses was the streamlining of taxation. By the middle of the 18th century, censuses were held in the Scandinavian countries, in Austria-Hungary, in 1790 - in the USA.

    During the 19th century in most European countries (including in 1801 in Britain, in 1897 in Russian Empire) and in some Latin American countries official population figures were available for the first time.

    In Asian countries, the first censuses were carried out only after the 2nd World War (with the exception of India (1867-1872) and Japan - 1920).

    The problem of accounting for the population is especially acute in developing countries, where there is a shortage of financial resources, poor accessibility in the hinterland and illiteracy of the population do not allow to obtain high-quality results. In addition, two opposing tendencies are clearly observed during the conduct of censuses - OVERAGE OF POPULATION - due to considerations of prestige (both at the family level - the prestige of having many children, and at the tribal level - gaining advantages in elections and the distribution of state funding), and UNDER NUMBER POPULATION - mainly to reduce the amount of per capita taxes per family.

    In most African states, censuses were carried out with funds international organizations in the late 1950s - before gaining independence on funds international community. In some countries - Chad, CAR, Angola, these censuses were the first and last. In Ethiopia, the first census was conducted in 1982, but its official results have not yet been published.

    POPULATION OF REGIONS AND COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD

    The countries of the world vary considerably in terms of population. By the end of the 1990s. in 25 states with a population of more than 50 million people. lived more than 3/4 of the world's population.

    The composition of the top ten countries with the largest population is constantly changing. If at the beginning of our century they included 9 economically developed countries, incl. 7 European countries, then by the year 2000 only the USA and Japan will remain, and not a single European country. States with a population of less than 1 million people. (there were 56 of them in 1998, including 47 with a population of less than 500,000). They tend to be located on small islands or in harsh climates - high latitudes or highlands.

    Demographic indicators: absolute and relative

    DEMOGRAPHIC INDICATORS are used to quantify demographic processes.

    Absolute indicators.

    The population of any territory is the result of the simultaneous action of two factors - NATURAL GROWTH (the difference between the number of births and deaths) and MECHANICAL GROWTH (the difference between the number of immigrant people entering the country and emigrants - people leaving the country). Accordingly, the birth rate and immigration increase the population of the country, while the death rate and emigration decrease.

    Migrations.

    Migration of the population is currently associated mainly with economic and political reasons. "Economic" refugees migrate from poor countries to rich ones, from depressed areas to rapidly developing ones. The largest number of economic migrants is sent to the United States (illegal migration from Latin America), Western Europe, especially to Germany from Yugoslavia and Turkey, to Hong Kong from Vietnam, to the oil fields of the Persian Gulf from South Asia and North Africa. Indigenous people host countries have a very negative view of the growth of immigrants and refugees, who tend to be employed in the lowest paid jobs, among them the highest rates of crime.

    The problem of refugees (they, as a rule, cross the border of their state because of a well-founded fear of religious, racial and national persecution or political convictions) in the modern world has become one of the global problems of mankind. At the end of the 1990s, according to UN experts, the total number of refugees in the world reached 15 million people, with most of them (9/10) in developing countries. The rise in the number of refugees is accompanied by major interstate and intrastate conflicts.

    In connection with the aggravation of the political situation in the countries of the near abroad of Russia, the problem of refugees has become aggravated in it. Their number had already reached 400,000 by the end of 1992; it is expected that the total number of Russians leaving former republics former USSR will reach 700 thousand people.

    The emergence of "environmental refugees" is facilitated by life-threatening environmental pollution in areas of former residence (for example, refugees from the area adjacent to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant) and natural disasters - volcanic eruptions, floods, desertification.

    Relative demographic indicators.

    It is hardly possible to compare countries by absolute indicators - in populous countries they will obviously be larger. Therefore, to assess the dynamics of the population, as well as for cross-country comparisons, RELATIVE INDICATORS are used - GENERAL COEFFICIENTS calculated per 1000 people. excluding gender and age (measured in ppm -%.).

    The birth and death of a person are largely random phenomena, however, relative indicators - the birth rate, mortality rate and natural increase are stable, they slowly change over time in a certain area. Demographic indicators are in close connection and interdependence with the level of socio-economic development.

    The most commonly used and easy to calculate indicators include the following indicators:

    FERTILITY RATE - Ratio total number births in the country per year to the population;

    MORTALITY RATE - the ratio of the total number of deaths in the country for the year to the population;

    COEFFICIENT OF NATURAL GROWTH - the difference - between the number of births and the number of deaths in a country in a year, divided by the population;

    POPULATION DOUBLE TIME - the time it takes for a population to double.

    To study the dynamics of population growth, the following indicators are used:

    POPULATION GROWTH RATIO (Cr) - the ratio of the population in a given year to the population in the previous year;

    POPULATION GROWTH RATE (Kpr): Kpr = Kr - 1;

    POPULATION GROWTH RATE (Tr): Tr=Kr*100;

    POPULATION GROWTH RATE (Tpr): Tpr \u003d Tr - 100.

    In the 1990s the gap between the developed and developing regions of the world continued to widen in terms of demographic and socio-economic indicators. Regions with the world's highest rates of population growth, fertility, and mortality (Africa, the Near and Middle East, Central America) have the lowest rates of life expectancy, literacy, and standard of living in the world. High birth rates, typical of most developing countries, are a natural response of the population to high mortality and low life expectancy. This demographic structure of the population leads to a decrease in the share of the economically active population (of working age from 15 to 64 years) in the total population and thus a reduction in the number of employees relative to the number of dependents; lower living standards and food shortages. Vicious circle socio - economic problems begins and ends with demographics.

    The mortality rate is especially high in African countries - 13 per 1000 people die every year, and in some countries Chad, Western Sahara, Guinea, Afghanistan, Mali, Angola - exceeds 23. The infant mortality rate (the proportion of deaths in the 1st year of life) is even higher reflects the gap between regions and groups of countries.

    Demographic projections for 2000 show a further widening of the gap between regions and groups of countries in terms of demographic and socio-economic indicators - countries and regions with little or no population growth and high level life and countries with high population growth and declining living standards.

    In demographic studies, SPECIAL AGE COEFFICIENTS are used:

    Total fertility rate (from the Latin fertile fertility) - the average number of children born to one woman;

    NET REPLACEMENT RATE - the number of girls from one mother surviving to the average age of the mother;

    GROSS REPLACEMENT RATE - the ratio of the number of girls to the number of women in reproductive age (from 15 to 45 years). These coefficients estimate the extent to which the population ensures the restoration of its numbers. If the coefficient is less than 1, then the number of new generations will be less than the previous ones, if more than 1, then more than the previous ones.

    To analyze the age and sex composition of the population, visual graphical methods are used. The LIFETIME CURVE graph shows the proportion of the population that survives to a certain age (i.e., the number of survivors per 1,000 births).

    According to the shape of the curve, one can judge the overall picture of life expectancy and the level of socio-economic development of the country. If there were no deaths from accidents and diseases, and all people would have the same physiological capabilities and would live up to 100 years, then the IDEAL survival curve would have the shape of a rectangle. Life curves for economically developed countries in much more are similar in shape to an ideal curve than the curves for countries at a low level of socio-economic development.

    AGE DEMOGRAPHIC PYRAMIDS show the distribution of the population by sex and age.

    The three types of age structure of the population correspond to different forms age pyramid: with a "young" population right pyramid, with "aging" - the pyramid has the shape of a bell, with "old" - the shape of an urn.

    Demographic policy

    The need for a DEMOGRAPHIC POLICY - the impact of the state on the processes of fertility - is recognized by almost all countries of the world, regardless of the demographic situation and population growth rates. The purpose of population policy is to change or support existing given period timing of demographic trends.

    Depending on the demographic situation, there are 2 main types of policies: aimed at increasing the birth rate (typical for economically developed countries) and reducing the birth rate (necessary for developing countries). Often, the practical implementation of demographic policy is fraught with difficulties of both a moral and ethical nature and a lack of financial resources.

    Demographic policy in economically developed countries is carried out exclusively by ECONOMIC MEASURES and is aimed at stimulating the birth rate. The arsenal of economic measures includes monetary subsidies - monthly allowances for families with children, benefits for single parents, promotion of increasing the prestige of motherhood, paid parental leave. In some countries where the positions are strong catholic church(for example, in Ireland, the USA, Poland), according to its requirements, laws have recently been discussed in parliaments that provide for criminal liability for a woman who terminates a pregnancy and a doctor who performs an abortion.

    Carrying out a demographic policy in developing countries with high population growth rates is especially important. However, its implementation is hampered by the lack of financial resources and is often limited to declarative statements only. Often this policy is generally not accepted by citizens because of the traditions of having many children, the high social status of motherhood and, especially, fatherhood. The governments of most Muslim countries generally reject state intervention in family planning.

    Simple population reproduction, or “zero growth”, the goal of population policy in developing regions is theoretically possible if each family has an average of 2.3 children (because there are people who do not marry, families without children, death in early age due to accidents). But the achievement of such a position does not automatically mean an immediate stabilization of the population, since population growth is characterized by inertia that is difficult to reverse - people who were born with a high birth rate enter childbearing age. In addition, if, as a result of demographic policy, a sharp decrease in the birth rate occurs, the age and sex structure of the population will be characterized by periods of sharp fluctuations in the population, which are very “inconvenient” for the stable development of the economy.

    Population dynamics

    By the end of the 90s. 63% of the world's population lived in Asia, 12% in Africa, 10.7% in Europe, 5.6% in North America, 8.6% in Latin America, 0.5% in Australia and Oceania.

    In the past centuries of our era, Asia was the most populous region, about 2/3 of the world's population was concentrated here. The progressive growth of the population of Europe and the increase in its share in the population of the world was often interrupted by wars, plagues, famines. By 1500, the share of Europeans in the total population of the world reached 17%, but in subsequent centuries, when, as a result of the Great geographical discoveries resettlement began New World, Europe has lost about 2 million people. In the 18-19 centuries. rapid economic development contributed to the growth of the population of the continent, which by the beginning of the 20th century. accounted for almost 18% of the world population. In the 20th century, due to a sharp decline in the birth rate and natural increase, two world wars, which claimed a total of about 50 million people. Europe's share began to decline steadily. It is expected that by the year 2000 it will not exceed 7%.

    The dynamics of the population of Africa, America and Australia have many similarities - progressive growth before the start of European penetration, then - a sharp decline both absolute and relative indicators and - subsequent rapid growth.

    The share of Africa in the world population was maximum (about 18%) at the beginning of the 17th century. The export of slaves, colonial wars, epidemics led to a drop in the share to 8% by 1900. The demographic development of Africa in the 20th century. occurred at the highest rates of fertility and natural increase in the world, which led to the rapid growth of the population of the continent. According to estimates, by the year 2000 its share in the world population will be 17%.

    According to one estimate, the number of the indigenous population of America - Indians by the middle of the 16th century was about 27 million people. (6% of the world population). Extermination of the Indians during the 16-17 centuries. led to a sharp reduction in the inhabitants of the continent, which was not replenished by immigration until the middle of the 19th century.

    At present, the absolute population of the industrially developed countries of America - the USA and Canada is increasing, mainly due to the influx of immigrants, and their share in the world population is declining (in the late 90s - up to 5%). The main factor in the growth of the population of Latin American countries is still a high birth rate; its share of the world population continues to grow.

    The number of inhabitants of Australia and Oceania since the end of the 18th century. increased mainly due to European settlers. The influence of this region on the dynamics of the world population is insignificant; by the beginning of the 21st century, no more than 0.5% of the world's population will live here.

    At the current rate of world population growth, it will double in 70 years, i.e. by 2050. The first doubling of the world population occurred by 1500, the second - after 300 years, the third - after 100 - by 1900, the fourth - by 1985. In just 25 years, the population of Africa and the Near and Middle East will double (absolute record holders are - Brunei -11 years, United United Arab Emirates and Qatar - 13 years), while Europe will need 282 years for this, and some European countries- Bulgaria, Ireland, Hungary - about 1000 years.

    Over the past 13 years, the world population has increased by 1 billion people. and by the end of 1992 it amounted to 5.6 billion. By 9/10, the growth of the world's population occurred due to natural increase in developing countries, with Asia (an increase of 748 million people) and Africa (194 million people) being the "leaders". .)

    Rapid population growth, especially in developing regions, has given rise to dire predictions of possible overpopulation and the destruction of the Earth.

    THE HYPOTHESIS OF T. MALTHUS

    The first attempt to assess the dynamics of population and answer the question of whether the Earth can feed all those living on it is associated with the name of Thomas Malthus, who saw destructive factors in the rapid growth of the population. environmental impact.

    Thomas Robert Malthus (1766 - 1834) - one of the most famous scientists of his time, who promoted the idea that rapid population growth is the natural and main cause of the poverty of the working people.

    Studying the works of philosophers and economists of previous eras, he came across the idea that people multiply faster than the means of subsistence grow, and that if population growth is not restrained by anything, then every 25-30 years the population will double. Developing these ideas, he came to the obvious, at first glance, the conclusion that the fertility of the poor is the main reason for their miserable position in society.

    He published his views anonymously in 1798 in his work "An Essay on the Law of Population in Connection with the Future Improvement of Society." In total, 6 editions of his book were published during his lifetime. In 1805 he received the professorship of modern history and political economy at the College of the East India Company.

    T. Malthus argued that the population increases in geometric progression, while the food resources needed to feed this population are in arithmetic. Thus, sooner or later, no matter how slowly the population grows, the line of its growth will intersect with the line of food resources - arithmetic progression(on the graph - point X). When the population reaches this point, only wars, poverty, diseases and vices can slow down its growth (it should be noted that he never called for these methods of dealing with an increasing population, which the interpreters of his theory quite often write about). In other editions of his book, Malthus suggested other ways of "slowing down" population growth: celibacy, widowhood, late marriages.

    Overpopulation in the concept of Malthus is not only a misfortune of mankind, but a certain blessing, which forces numerous and naturally lazy workers to work qualitatively for low wages due to competition.

    Since the publication of the book, Malthus's theory has become the subject of heated discussions - some criticized the author for the inhumanity of the idea, others became his adherents, seeing in it a law valid for any era.

    Followers of Malthus in the 20th century - MALTHUSIANS and NEO-MALTHUSIANS explain the poverty of the population not by the level of development productive forces, but a "natural law of nature", and the socio-economic backwardness of developing countries is not the economic situation in the country and the world, but exclusively by excessive population growth.

    In fact, the observed tendency that the growth of the means of subsistence causes an immediate increase in the birth rate, at some stage turns into the exact opposite - an increase in the standard of living leads to a decrease in the birth rate and not only to the stabilization of the population, but even to its absolute decrease.

    THE THEORY OF DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION

    Modern views population dynamics is reflected in the THEORY OF DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION, generally developed by Frank Notestein in 1945. The theory connects the characteristics of the demographic situation with economic growth and social progress, depending on the 4 STAGES OF DEMOGRAPHIC DEVELOPMENT that countries and regions of the world go through in different time.

    Societies with an appropriating economy (stage 1 of demographic development) are characterized by equally high birth and death rates and very little population growth. Fluctuations in the coefficients are associated with periods of increased mortality due to the lack of food supplies necessary for survival in extreme years, wars, and epidemics. High birth rates were a natural response to high death rates.

    In the second half of the twentieth century. a similar demographic situation is typical for tribes of hunters and gatherers living in the humid equatorial forests of the Amazon, the basin of the river. Congo.

    Stage 2 - the stage of initial population growth - is characterized by a persistently high birth rate, a decrease in the death rate, an increase in life expectancy and a slight increase in the total population.

    The decrease in mortality is associated with the transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture and cattle breeding, i.e. to a producing economy, which made it possible to create food stocks for extreme situations- droughts, floods. Improvement in food security created the conditions for population growth. Epidemics and numerous wars were the main factors of high mortality. Large families were encouraged by religions. The population by the beginning of our era was estimated at about 200 million people. Most of them lived in the area modern China and India, which still hold the lead in this indicator. The north and west of Europe were sparsely populated.

    The demographic indicators of the 2nd stage are typical today for a number of countries in Africa and Latin America, which have not yet been able to reach a level of economic development at which the birth rate begins to decline. The current high rates of population growth in some regions (particularly in Africa) under conditions of semi-subsistence farming threaten to undermine the resource base of countries and exacerbate their problems.

    Stage 3 - the stage of modern population growth - is characterized by the stabilization of the mortality rate at a low level and a slight decrease in the birth rate. The latter is associated with industrialization and urbanization, rising living standards, rising costs of raising children, the inclusion of women in social production, as well as the spread of medical means of birth control. However, during this period, the trend of population growth continues. It is associated with the entry into childbearing age of generations born with a high birth rate.

    At the end of the 20th century at the 3rd stage of the demographic transition are mainly the countries of Latin America, where there have already been significant changes in the structure of the economy and in the nature of employment associated with industrialization.

    Stage 4 - a low degree of stability - is characterized by a decrease and stabilization of the birth rate and death rate and the population.

    Europe was the first region to enter this stage of demographic transition. In the 1990s The demographic situation of the 4th stage, except for Europe, was typical for the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, as well as Argentina and Uruguay. Southeast Asian countries with successful demographic policies in the coming decades.

    In some countries, there is a decrease in the population, here the death rate exceeds the birth rate, and, accordingly, the population growth rate is negative.

    Patterns of population distribution

    Looking at the world population density map from school atlas, even a person who is little familiar with geography can make an unambiguous conclusion that The population is unevenly distributed.

    Despite the apparent randomness of population distribution, there are strict patterns due to how natural characteristics and the level of socio-economic development of the territory. Historically, the first areas with a high population density were located in areas with the most favorable agro-climatic conditions: a warm climate, a long growing season, fertile soils, sufficient moisture regime or opportunities for artificial irrigation. In the fertile valleys of the "great historical rivers» The Yangtze and Huang He, the Tigris and Euphrates interfluves, the lower reaches of the Nile (agriculture has been going on here for about 10 thousand years), developed human civilizations existed in the oases of the deserts of the hot belt and fertile intermountain valleys. Until now, these are areas of the highest population density. In addition, a high population density is noted in areas with rich agro-climatic resources and a predominantly agricultural specialization of the economy (Moldova, Java, the Argentine Pampa, the volcanic plateaus of East Africa, etc.).

    The geographical position and nature of the relief determined the concentration of the population in coastal and oceanic regions (for example, about 53% of the world's population is concentrated in a 200-km coastal strip, and about 30% in a 50-km coastal strip) and on plains and uplands up to 500 m above sea level. sea ​​(4/5 of the world's population lives here).

    The relatively high population density on the oceanic coasts of America and Africa is also associated with the peculiarities European colonization.

    In the 17th-20th centuries. the emergence of areas with a high population density is associated with the development of industry. People concentrated in areas where there was the most successful combination of natural resources - coal and iron ore that ensured the creation of new industries - ferrous metallurgy and mechanical engineering. Until now, in the now so-called "old" industrial regions of Europe (Ruhr, Alsace and Lorraine, Donbass, Urals), America (Pittsburgh Pennsylvania), there is a higher population density compared to neighboring regions.

    Low population density is typical, as a rule, for areas with extreme natural conditions. So, the main factor preventing the concentration of the population in arid regions is insufficient moisture, in the circumpolar regions and high mountains - low average annual temperatures, in the area of ​​constantly wet rainforest- the complexity of economic development due to high humidity, low natural fertility and rapidly spreading soil erosion. Existing in these areas traditional ways housekeeping require large territories(for example, one farm practicing slash-and-burn agriculture covers an area of ​​about 7 hectares). New economic development, accompanied by an increase in population density, leads to the disruption of fragile ecological systems and their rapid degradation.

    The high population density in already developed areas "pushes" the population to other natural areas, which often leads to negative consequences both environmental and political. Firstly, newly arrived migrants do not have the skills to “save” the use of resources in new areas, and secondly, the struggle for resources is intensifying, leading to local conflicts. Thus, the ever-increasing population density in agricultural areas in the highlands of East Africa leads to the introduction into agricultural circulation of marginal areas on the outskirts of the highlands, which are also used by pastoral nomads. This struggle for resources often results in bloody conflicts.

    Competition for limited resources, such as the flow of the Nile, has already flared up for interstate level. Upstream countries are planning to develop irrigated agriculture and are demanding that Egypt, by far the main consumer of Nile water, reduce water withdrawals.

    The largest reserve areas of human settlement are the desert regions, the North (the zone of taiga, tundra and forest tundra), mountainous areas with a variety of natural resources, river basins in the area of ​​permanently humid tropical forests.

    natural qualities territories at the initial stages of economic development predetermined the distribution of the population and the specialization of economic activity. But even now the influence of nature on the human population is great, as before. Natural disasters - volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, slow rise and fall of land, climate fluctuations, change the landscapes of the Earth, forcing a person to change his economic activity and adapt to new conditions.

    Human economic activity, along with natural disasters, also leads to changes not only at the local, but also at the planetary levels. Plowing of virgin landscapes and practices of slash-and-burn agriculture that led to deforestation and extinction natural areas on entire continents, anthropogenic (i.e., caused by human activities) desertification, land salinization caused by irrigation, drying up of inland seas - this is not a complete list of global environmental issues caused by human economic activity. The existence of mankind largely depends on their solution.

    List of references

    Herman van der Vee. History of the world economy: 1945 - 1990. - M.: Nauka, 1994.

    Capitalist and Developing Countries on the Threshold of the 1990s (Territorial and Structural Shifts in the Economy in the 70s–80s) / Ed. V.V. Volsky, L.I. Bonifatieva, L.V. Smirnyagin. - M.: Publishing House of Moscow State University, 1990.

    Mironenko N.S. Introduction to the geography of the world economy. - M.: Publishing house of the Univ. Dashkova, 1995.

    Models in geography / Ed. P. Hagget, J. Chorley.- M.: Progress, 1971.

    Naumov A.S., Kholina V.N. Geography of people: Tutorial(Educational series "Step by Step": Geography.) - M .: Publishing house of the gymnasium "Open World", 1995.

    Naumov A.S., Kholina V.N. Geography of the population and economy of the world: Textbook (Study series "Step by Step": Geography.) - M .: Publishing house of the gymnasium "Open World", 1997.

    Smirnyagin L.V. Geography of the world economy and socio-cultural context // Questions of economic and political geography of capitalist and developing countries. Issue. 13. - M.: ILA RAN, 1993.

    Hugget P. Geography: synthesis of modern knowledge. - M.: Progress, 1979.

    Hugget P. Spatial analysis in economic geography. - M.: Progress, 1968.

    Harvey D. Scientific explanation in geography (general methodology of science and methodology of geography). - M.: Progress, 1974.

    Kholina V.N. Geography of human activity: economics, culture, politics.: A textbook for grades 10–11 of schools with in-depth study of humanitarian subjects. – M.: Enlightenment, 1995.

    Economic geography of capitalist and developing countries / Ed. V.V. Volsky and others - M .: Publishing House of Moscow State University, 1986.

    In modern demography, the historically determined change in the types of population reproduction is explained demographic transition concept.

    There are four phases of the demographic transition:

    I phase

    High birth rate with a sharp reduction in mortality

    Very high natural growth

    II phase

    Further decrease in mortality with a greater decrease in the birth rate (due to the transition from a large family to a small family)

    Deceleration of natural growth

    III phase

    Some increase in mortality (due to the "aging" of the population) with a slow decline in the birth rate

    Weakly expanded reproduction

    IV phase

    Birth and death rates are leveling off

    Stopping Population Growth

    The demographic transition first began in Europe in the 18th century. Most of the countries in this region are currently in the third phase. In most developing countries in Africa, the demographic situation corresponds to the first phase of the transition, and in Asia and Latin America - the second. That is why developing countries have had and will continue to have a decisive influence on the dynamics of the world's population.

    In connection with the rapid growth of the population in developing countries, problems related to the need to provide people with work, housing, etc. are very acute. But main problem these countries has become a food problem, since the productivity of small-scale Agriculture characteristic of most developing countries is at a low level.

    In developed countries with low population growth, there are problems associated with the "aging of the nation". In countries such as Hungary, Sweden, Denmark, there is a constant decline in population (that is, the death rate exceeds the birth rate).

    Most states seek to manage the reproduction of the population in order to achieve the most optimal demographic situation, that is, they pursue a demographic policy.

    Demographic policy is a system of measures (administrative, economic, propaganda, etc.) aimed at regulating the process of population reproduction.

    In countries with the first type of population reproduction, demographic policy measures are aimed at increasing the birth rate. In countries of the second type - to reduce the birth rate.

    In order to stimulate the birth rate, such measures are taken as the payment of benefits, the provision of various benefits large families and newlyweds, expanding the network of preschool institutions, sex education youth, the ban on abortion, etc. The first country where measures were taken to stimulate the birth rate was France. Until the end of the 1980s, the countries of Eastern Europe pursued an active policy in this direction. At present, economic measures play an important role in the countries of Western Europe, including a system of various kinds of payments and benefits to families with two or more children.

    China and Japan have achieved the greatest results in reducing the birth rate. Here, in the demographic policy, the most radical both propaganda and economic measures were used (fine systems, obtaining permission to have a child, etc.). Currently, these countries have annual population growth below the global average. Their example was followed by India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and some other developing countries.

    There are particular difficulties in the implementation of demographic policy in the Arab-Muslim countries of South-West Asia and North Africa, as well as in the countries Tropical Africa where the national and religious traditions of a large family are preserved.

    When analyzing age composition of the population It is customary to distinguish three main age groups:

    children (0-14 years old);

    adults (15-64 years old);

    elderly (65 years and older).

    In the structure of the world's population, the share of children is on average 34%, adults - 58%, the elderly - 8%.

    In countries with the first type of reproduction, the proportion of children does not exceed 22-25%, while the proportion of the elderly is 15-20% and tends to increase due to the general "aging" of the population in these countries.

    In countries with the second type of population reproduction, the proportion of children is quite high. On average, it is 40-45%, and in individual countries already exceeds 50% (Kenya, Libya, Botswana). The share of the elderly population in these countries does not exceed 5-6%.

    The age structure of the population determines its productive component - labor resources, which are estimated differently in different countries. The degree of involvement of the working-age population in production is especially important, as evidenced by the indicator economically active population actually employed in material production and the non-productive sphere.

    In the world, about 45% of the total population is economically active, and in the countries of Foreign Europe, North America, Russia this figure is 48-50%, and in the countries of Asia, Africa, Latin America - 35-40%. This is due to the level of employment of women in social production and the proportion of children in the age structure of the population.

    The ratio between the able-bodied part of the population and the unemployed (children and the elderly) is called demographic load. The demographic load in the world is on average 70% (that is, 70 unemployed per 100 able-bodied), in developed countries - 45-50%, in developing countries - up to 100%.

    The sex composition of the world population characterized by male predominance. The number of men is 20-30 million more than the number of women. On average, 104-107 boys are born for every 100 girls. However, the differences across the countries of the world are quite significant.

    The predominance of men is characteristic of most Asian countries. The preponderance of men is especially large in South and Southeast Asia (China, India, Pakistan), as well as in the Arab-Muslim countries of Southwest Asia and North Africa.

    An approximately equal ratio of men and women is typical for most countries in Africa and Latin America.

    The predominance of women takes place in about half of all countries in the world. It is most pronounced in Europe, which is associated with the longer life expectancy of women in these countries, as well as the large losses of the male population during the world wars.

    The ratio of men and women in different age groups is different. Thus, the largest preponderance of the male population in all regions of the world is observed in the age group under 14 years. Women predominate among the elderly worldwide.

    For graphical analysis of the age and sex structure of the population, age-sex pyramids, which look like a bar chart. For each country, the pyramid has its own characteristics. In general, the pyramid of countries with the first type of population reproduction is characterized by a narrow base (low proportion of children) and a fairly wide top (high proportion of the elderly). On the contrary, the pyramid of developing countries is characterized by a very wide base and a narrow top. The ratio of men and women (left and right sides of the pyramid) does not have such significant differences, however, the predominance of the male population in early ages, and female in the elderly - noticeably.

    The sex and age pyramids also reflect large historical events that influenced the change in population (primarily wars).

    The population of the world ... What associations do everyone who hears this phrase have? Huge globe - how many of us are on it? What average earthling is born and dies per day? And in a year?

    We are all people living on this planet. Paying a little more attention to some questions, you can discover amazing information. Did you know that every 0.24 seconds another baby is born on our planet, and in an hour the world's population is replenished by more than 15 thousand newborns. And almost every minute (0.56 seconds) a person dies, and our world loses almost 6.5 thousand people per hour.

    Life expectancy is a separate issue. was considered a long-liver if he lived to 35 years. Thanks to rising living standards and advances in medicine, only in 1950 average began to equal 46 years, and by 1990 - already 62.

    In today's Japan, men live an average of 80 years, women - 75, but the population of the poorest and Asia is unlikely to ever boast of such an age: 47 years - this is their average life expectancy. And Sierra Leone, unfortunately, with a duration of 35 years, has completely remained at the level of centuries ago.

    The world population today is approximately 7.091 billion. Moreover, women and men are approximately equal: 3.576 billion males and 3.515 billion people are ladies of all ages. The male population predominates, but in Russia the opposite is true: for every 1,130 women there are 1,000 men, which is 53% and 47% respectively.

    People unevenly occupied the space. This is understandable, because on 149 million square meters. km. land accounts for about 16 million square meters. km. uninhabitable glaciers, uninhabited deserts and inaccessible highlands. And how did the population of the world act with the remaining 133 million square meters. km.? Some areas are populated with great density, and in some parts not a single human soul can be found.

    Half of the world's inhabitants live in cities. By the way, until recently, at the beginning of the 19th century, not a single locality could not boast of a population of 1 million. But by the middle of the 20th century, there were eight cities with a population of five million, and by 2000, almost two dozen cities had become megacities with a population of more than 10 (!) million.

    Most populated cities of the world, included in the top five, is Shanghai (Japan), Istanbul (Turkey), Mumbai (India), Tokyo (Japan), Huge "hives" in which they live, work, have fun, are born and die millions of representatives of humanity, this is Mexico City , Bombay, Buenos Aires, Dhaka. What to do, people tend to live in the capitals, because there are more opportunities for self-realization and earnings.

    Many people know that the Chinese government has set itself the goal of reducing the birth rate by reducing the "allowed" number of children to the minimum: one family - one child. Violators who had a second baby were fined, they were threatened with eviction to remote areas and other punishments. In overpopulated India, it is desirable to have no more than two children. And all because the population of the countries of the world, or rather, the number of people living in each of them, differs significantly from each other. And the leading positions in this list belong to the aforementioned China and India. The difference is significant: the inhabitants of China - 1.3 billion, India - almost 1.2 billion, in third place by a wide margin of the United States - 310 million. Huge Russia with its "modest" almost 142 million inhabitants is only in ninth place . Tuvalu closes the list - there are 10 thousand in it, and the Vatican - 800 (!) people.