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Factors Involved in World Population Growth

The world's population is expected to reach 7 billion by the year 2011. This is a rapid increase from the recorded 6 billion in 1999, according to the Population Reference Bureau, a population research organization. Factors affected in world population growth involve fertility rates, women's changing status in a society and mortality rates.

  1. Population Change

    • The 20th century saw the largest increase in world population numbers ever. A large bulk of these increases is taking place in less developed countries, according to the Population Reference Bureau. On average, population numbers in less developed countries are adding 80 million more people per year. The remainder of the world accounts for about 1.6 million in growth. Economic developments, technology advances, family planning resources and health threats all contribute factors to population growth.

    Life Expectancy

    • Advances in health and medicine account for the ongoing increases in population numbers within the less developed countries, according to the Population Reference Bureau. These advances result in decreases in infant mortality rates coupled with increases in life expectancy rates. Examples of these trends can be seen in North Africa and the Middle East, where life expectancy went from 43 years old in the 1950s to 70 years in 2007. Life expectancy rates in women as a group show a significant increase from 69 years old in 1950 to 80 years old in 2007. For men, life expectancy rates only increased from 64 years old to 73 years old within the same time frames.

    Birth Rates

    • Factors influencing fertility rates include economic development, urbanization, family planning practices and sex education awareness, according to Population Reference Bureau. Developed countries where urbanization and economic development are the norms show the lowest fertility rates, while less developed countries have higher rates. Economic and urbanization factors may work to influence priorities within developed countries, along with more accessible educational and planning resources. As world populations become more developed, an overall decline in fertility rates is expected.

    Education Level

    • According to the Population Reference Bureau, the level of education a woman reaches may have an influence on the number of children she has. Statistics compiled from less developed countries show women who have at least a secondary-level education tend to have less children than those with no formal education background. An example of this appears within the 2007 population of Honduras women and the number of children born. On average, Honduras women with a post-secondary education had 2.5 children, while those with no formal education had an average of 4.9 children.

    Effects

    • The factors involved in world population growth can create specific challenges within both developed and less developed countries, according to the Population Reference Bureau. Poorer countries that suffer high birth rates and low life expectancies create a younger population base, whereas the low birth rates and high life expectancies in developed countries create older population bases. These contrasts in birth and death rates represent a demographic divide between the different countries. In effect, a country's population base may determine how it's able to perform as an economic, social and political presence within the global environment.

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