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

• The characteristics of a population, the distribution of age, sex, ethnicity, religion etc, is known as the population structure
• It 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/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
• At the start of stage 2 of the demographic transition model
• This indicates:
  • High birth rate
  • Low life expectancy
  • High death rate but starting to decrease
  • High infant mortality rate
  • Young dependent population dominates

Population Pyramid - Nepal

• LEDCs/NICs that are a little further along the demographic transition such as Nepal has 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 - USA

• HIC 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 - Japan

• HIC 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
  • 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 HICs and MICs, the implications of this include:
  • 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 
• 29% of the population are males between the ages of 25 and 39 whereas only 10.5% of the population are women 25-39
• 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
  • Shortage of food
  • Lack of clean water

• Japan's population is decreasing, falling 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

• 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 in 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