Joseph, Isaiah, Vaynu, Kasia
Over the last fifty years, the global fertility rate has declined significantly, and is expected to continue to drop. However, as the mortality rates increase, the population continues to grow. As education and technology spread throughout the world, birth control, participation of women in the workforce, and the cost of childcare and education have all increased. These cultural and societal influences cause the reduction of population growth.
Of course, there are differences in population growth and fertility rates between every country. According to the CIA Factbook, the countries with the highest rates of population growth are: Syria, South Sudan, Angola, Burundi, and Malawi, with growth rates over 3%. The countries with the lowest population growth rates are: Cook Islands, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and Lebanon, with growth rates less than -1%. The reason for these drastic differences in population growth is due to the differences in fertility rates, life expectancy, migration, and culture. The countries with the highest rates of population growth tend to be developing countries, in which the fertility rates and the young population are very high. Immigration and emigration are generally negligible, so migration does not affect the population too much. The countries with the lowest population tend to have very high rates of emigration, disease, war, and famine. A small population also magnifies the population changes, so even small amounts of disease, increase in death rates, or emigration, would affect the decreasing population. Developed countries tend to have relatively low population growth, as well. Due to the increase in childcare prices, birth control, and participation of women in the workforce in developed countries, the rate of population growth slows down.
There are conflicts that emerge due to population pressures. According to the Green War Hypothesis by Frances Stewart, the director of developmental studies at Oxford, the rise of population pressure and falling agricultural productivity cause land disputes between cultural groups, causing war. For example, in Sudan, there was a conflict between the north and south due to inequality in agricultural resources stemming from population growth.
On the other hand, there are also differences in cultural and social conflicts that challenge the policies that attempt to reduce population growth. For example, in China, the government issued the one-child policy in 1979 to strictly control its population. Although the population has already been slowing down before this change, this policy established a culture that would affect China’s population in the long run. However, after the policy was put in place, an issue emerged with China’s aging population. To mitigate this issue, China under the Communist Party issued the two-child policy. Also, because the country feared for the Uyghur separatists in Xinjiang, who are primarily Muslim, the ease of the one-child policy was made to counter the threat of the division of China. With the importance of unity in China’s culture and an emerging demographic issue, there were conflicts with the efforts to reduce population growth.
Of course, there are differences in population growth and fertility rates between every country. According to the CIA Factbook, the countries with the highest rates of population growth are: Syria, South Sudan, Angola, Burundi, and Malawi, with growth rates over 3%. The countries with the lowest population growth rates are: Cook Islands, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and Lebanon, with growth rates less than -1%. The reason for these drastic differences in population growth is due to the differences in fertility rates, life expectancy, migration, and culture. The countries with the highest rates of population growth tend to be developing countries, in which the fertility rates and the young population are very high. Immigration and emigration are generally negligible, so migration does not affect the population too much. The countries with the lowest population tend to have very high rates of emigration, disease, war, and famine. A small population also magnifies the population changes, so even small amounts of disease, increase in death rates, or emigration, would affect the decreasing population. Developed countries tend to have relatively low population growth, as well. Due to the increase in childcare prices, birth control, and participation of women in the workforce in developed countries, the rate of population growth slows down.
There are conflicts that emerge due to population pressures. According to the Green War Hypothesis by Frances Stewart, the director of developmental studies at Oxford, the rise of population pressure and falling agricultural productivity cause land disputes between cultural groups, causing war. For example, in Sudan, there was a conflict between the north and south due to inequality in agricultural resources stemming from population growth.
On the other hand, there are also differences in cultural and social conflicts that challenge the policies that attempt to reduce population growth. For example, in China, the government issued the one-child policy in 1979 to strictly control its population. Although the population has already been slowing down before this change, this policy established a culture that would affect China’s population in the long run. However, after the policy was put in place, an issue emerged with China’s aging population. To mitigate this issue, China under the Communist Party issued the two-child policy. Also, because the country feared for the Uyghur separatists in Xinjiang, who are primarily Muslim, the ease of the one-child policy was made to counter the threat of the division of China. With the importance of unity in China’s culture and an emerging demographic issue, there were conflicts with the efforts to reduce population growth.
Sources:
The ranking of population growth rates per country, updated in 2017:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2002rank.html
An overview of China’s one-child policy:
https://www.thoughtco.com/chinas-one-child-policy-1435466
The issue with the Uyghur separatists in Xinjiang, China:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-26414014
This source shows the reasons for the varying population rates in developing countries:
http://www.prb.org/Publications/Datasheets/2012/world-population-data-sheet/fact-sheet-world-population.aspx
Description of population growth causing cultural conflicts and war:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1122271/
The ranking of population growth rates per country, updated in 2017:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2002rank.html
An overview of China’s one-child policy:
https://www.thoughtco.com/chinas-one-child-policy-1435466
The issue with the Uyghur separatists in Xinjiang, China:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-26414014
This source shows the reasons for the varying population rates in developing countries:
http://www.prb.org/Publications/Datasheets/2012/world-population-data-sheet/fact-sheet-world-population.aspx
Description of population growth causing cultural conflicts and war:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1122271/