6. Dynamics of Population

Possible reasons:

• Growth of population needs more houses, so farmland and green spaces are used for buildings.
• Migration of people from villages to towns and cities for jobs and education.
• More people can afford vehicles, so traffic increases.
• Land in cities is costly, so people live in smaller apartments; families are also becoming smaller (nuclear families).

Two children are needed to replace the two parents. The extra 0.1 is needed because some children die before they grow up and have children of their own. Also, slightly more boys than girls are born naturally.

The replacement rate can be higher where child deaths are high — due to poor healthcare, poor nutrition, diseases, wars or disasters — and where the sex ratio at birth is unbalanced.

Yes. States with a higher literacy rate among women have a lower fertility rate. For example, Delhi (83.7% literacy) has a fertility rate of 1.6, while Bihar (55% literacy) has 3.0.

Reasons: Educated women usually marry later, take up jobs, know about health and family planning, and prefer smaller families so they can give each child better education and care.

• Mostly elderly people, women and children are left behind.
• There is a shortage of workers on farms.
• Money sent home by migrants may improve living standards.
• Old people may feel lonely and lack care.
• Some houses and fields may be left empty or unused.

• Higher literacy, especially among women.
• Better healthcare and lower death rates of girls and women.
• Less discrimination against girls and a better status of women.
• Many men migrate to other states or countries for work, so fewer men are counted.

The base of the pyramid will become narrow and the top will become wide — it will look like an inverted or top-heavy shape. Yes, the number of children can become less than the number of aged people, as in Japan. Over time, the population of such a country will age and start shrinking.

• They look after grandchildren and tell them stories.
• They share knowledge, experience and advice.
• They guide rituals and keep traditions and festivals alive.
• They know traditional remedies, recipes and crafts.
• Many do social work, voluntary service or help in community activities.

Demography tells us the size, structure and changes in population. The government can use it to plan schools, hospitals, roads, housing, water and jobs. For example, more children need more schools; more elderly need more healthcare. Businesses also use it to make products for people’s needs.

With a low fertility rate, fewer children are born. In future there will be fewer young workers and more elderly people. Production may fall and the economy may slow down. There will be fewer taxpayers, but more spending on pensions and healthcare, as in Japan and China.

No. A very high birth rate puts pressure on food, water, housing, schools, hospitals and jobs. It can increase poverty and unemployment. A high birth rate helps only if the country can give its people good education, health and jobs.

Neither extreme is good. A balanced population with a healthy, educated workforce is best.

• Fast-growing population: Shortage of food, water and housing; overcrowded cities; unemployment; pressure on schools and hospitals; pollution.
• Shrinking population: Shortage of workers; more elderly to care for; higher pension and healthcare costs; slower economic growth.

• A country with many children needs more schools, teachers, paediatricians and vaccination programmes.
• A country with many young adults (like India) needs more jobs, colleges, skill training and housing.
• A country with many elderly people (like Japan) needs more hospitals, old-age homes, caregivers, pensions and easy transport.

Reasons: Education of women, more women working, later marriage, high cost of living in cities, and better child survival.

Having fewer children usually lets parents spend more on each child’s education and health, but it does not guarantee it by itself.

Effects: Children may have fewer siblings and relatives; elderly parents may have fewer people to care for them; in the long run society ages and the workforce shrinks.

Yes. It has increased from about 40 years around 1950 to over 70 years now. Reasons: better healthcare, vaccines and antibiotics, clean water and sanitation, better nutrition and fewer deaths of children.

Reading from the graph, in 2010 it was about 66–67 years for males and 69–70 years for females. Women had a higher life expectancy than men.

Demographic dividend is the economic growth potential of a country when it has a large young, working-age population and fewer dependents.

Benefits: More people work and earn, production increases, more taxes are collected and the country can grow faster.

What India needs to do:

• Provide good quality education and skill training.
• Improve healthcare and nutrition.
• Create more jobs and support entrepreneurship.
• Support women’s participation in work with childcare facilities and flexible hours.

Reasons: Japan developed earlier, has very good healthcare and a high cost of living, so people live longer but have fewer children. India is still in a transition stage with a large young population.

How Japan manages ageing: It has raised the retirement age and uses technology, automation, robots and AI assistants to care for older people.

What you will notice: The bars are widest for the 15–29 age groups, slightly narrower at the base (0–14), and become narrow towards the top. The shape is more like a bell than a triangle — showing falling birth rates and a large working-age population (demographic dividend).

• The base is narrow — very few children are being born.
• The bars are widest in the age groups around 50–55 and 70–75 — a large share of people are middle-aged and elderly.
• There are many people above 80, and more women than men at older ages — women live longer.
• Japan has an ageing and shrinking population. In future it will have fewer workers and more elderly people to support.