POPULATION DYNAMICS

Definition of terms

Population: the people living in a particular area or country.

Birth rate: the number of live babies born per thousand people per year.

Death rate: the number of people who die per thousand people per year.

Fertility rate: the average number of children born alive to a woman during her lifetime.

Population dynamics: the changes in the structure of population due to factors such as birth rate, death rate,
migration etc.

Population distribution: the way people are spread out across an area.

Population census: the process of counting the number of individuals living in a country.

Population growth: an increase in the size of the population over time.

Population growth rate: the speed at which population increases in an area.

De Facto population: means the total number of people who are in a country during a census. It includes all
foreigners but excludes citizens who are out of the country at a time when census is conducted.

De jure population: means the total number of people present in a country including all citizens outside the
country during a census.

Infant mortality rate: the number of children who die before the age of 12 months per 1000 live births.

Life expectancy: the average number of years a person can expect to live from the day he or she is born.

Migration: means a change of residence for a long period or permanently

Overpopulation: too many people living in an area and their needs cannot be met by the resources available.

POPULATION GROWTH

Population growth rate is a measure of how fast the population is growing. It is expressed as a percentage. For
example, Botswana’s population growth rate was 4.7% per anum between 1971 and 1981.

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE RAPID POPULATION GROWTH

Early marriages
Marrying at an early age influence the number of children a couple is to have because it increases the
child bearing period.

Religious beliefs
Some religions discourage the use of contraception in preventing unwanted pregnancies. So members of
such religions en up having many children as a result of lack of use of contraceptives.

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 Use of children as a source of labour
Children were traditionally used as a source of labour for agriculture. Hence many families decided to
have many children so that they could help them at the fields and cattle post. This resulted in a rapid
population increase.

Old-age security
Having more children so that they can take care of them when old.
Preference for a particular sex
If a couple prefers to have a certain gender they will keep on trying and this will lead to population
increase.

THE EFFECTS OF POPULATION GROWTH ON THE ENVIRONMENT

Below are some of the ways in which people can affect the environment:

Increased demand on natural resources

A rapidly increasing population puts pressure on natural resources. The results of overpopulation include
overcrowding, soil erosion, increased pollution and deforestation. A small population means less pressure
on natural resources.

lead to changes in the land use

When population increases, there will be a greater demand of land for settlements. Vegetation will
therefore be cleared to provide more land for food production, to build roads, and houses. Changes in
land use can have a negative impact on the environment, e.g. loss of animal habitats and biodiversity.

Production of more waste

An increasing population produces more waste. This waste may pollute the water, land, and air if it is not
disposed off properly. A polluted environment may lead to health problems such as diarrhoea and cholera
becoming more common.

Shortage of farmland
Inequalities in access to land can force poor people to farm ecologically marginal land (land that is
degraded and therefore not good for arable farming) because the best land would already be owned by
the rich.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS CAUSED BY POPULATION GROWTH ON THE ENVIRONMENT

Promotion of family planning and use of contraceptives

There should be enough education on the available family planning methods and their accessibility to
people in remote areas should be increased. Education will encourage people to make informed decisions
on family planning.

Legislation and strict government policies

The government can formulate some laws on maximum number of children that a couple should have.
Early marriages should be discouraged to prevent early childbearing which generally results in high
fertility rate.
Incentives for smaller families

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 Small families should be given rewards so as to discourage large families e.g. in china the government
supports all those couples that have only one child by offering free services such education and medical
aid to the child.

Provision of education
All people especially women should be educated about the dangers of a high population. Educated
women are likely to marry later and have fewer children through wise planning and proper use of
contraceptives.

Development of rural areas

To reduce population growth due to migration all regions should be developed equally. There is need to
provide basic amenities such as schools, hospitals, roads and telecommunication networks in rural areas
so as to reduce accelerated rural-urban migration.

THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL FACTORS INFLUENCING FERTILITY RATE

SOCIAL FACTORS

Health
Improved health services lead to more people surviving than those dying. Better health care leads to
lower infant mortality. Parents do not feel they need to have many children.

Education
Generally, the more educated a woman is, the lower the levels of infant mortality and the fewer the
number of children she has. Lower fertility rate leads to lower birth rate and may result in a decreased
population growth rate.

Family planning and the use of contraceptives

Availability and use of birth control results in lower fertility rates. The more people are aware of the
benefits of family planning and small families, the more likely they are to limit their family sizes. When
this happens, the birth rates decline. If the birth rates decline, the population decreases.

Cultural practices, beliefs and values

A woman who begins to have children at a very young age has a longer time to have many children than
one who starts later. Religious beliefs and teachings that ban followers from using contraception and
other family planning methods because these are not acceptable to the religion or faith group.

ECONOMIC FACTORS

Increased cost of living

The increasing cost of maintaining a high standard of living results in many people choosing to have fewer
children. Consequently the number of children desired by women in various countries usually reflects the
constraining economic and cultural roles of women in those societies.

Country’s level of development

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 Developed countries generally have low fertility rates because they can afford to provide their people
with enough contraceptives to prevent frequent and unwanted pregnancies. On the other hand,
underdeveloped countries cannot afford to provide their people with enough resources to curb fertility
and as a result they tend to have high fertility rates.

Desire for wealth

some families may decide to limit the numbers of their children for economic reasons e.g. when a family
want to buy expensive items such as cars, houses and other luxurious items they avoid having many
children so that they cannot disturb their budgets.

Economic returns
Some families regard children as economic investments rather than a liability. They want to have many
children so that when they retire or reach old age, such children can support and protect them.

THE IMPACT OF RAPID POPULATION GROWTH ON AVAILABLE RESOURCES

Shortage of land
Increase in population means people occupy more space and others will not have enough space for
settlement and agricultural activities.

Puts pressure on facilities

An increase in population puts pressure on social services such as health and educational facilities. If the
country is overpopulated there is going to be insufficient health facilities such as medicines, health care
and hospitals.

Increased demand for natural resources

A growing population increases the demand for natural resources such as land, water, and vegetation. As
a result, this can, put pressure on resources and lead to natural resources depletion and damage such as
soil erosion, increased pollution etc.

Lead to changes in land use

As population rapidly increases vegetation is cleared to provide more land for food production, to build
roads and houses. Changes in land use can have a negative impact on the environment, e.g. loss of animal
habitats and biodiversity.

Fewer education opportunities

Rapid population growth may lead to fewer education opportunities and a decline in the quality of
education because the government will not have enough money to build schools and employ teachers.
This may lead to a poor standard of living and unemployment.

Lack of employment
Increased population will result in reduced employment opportunities as there will be many people than
the jobs available. This might in turn result in increased crime rates especially in urban centres where
majority of people are concentrated.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO RAPID POPULATION GROWTH

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 Promotion of birth control methods
People need to be taught the importance of limiting the number of children they have. Contraceptives
Should be provided so that people can use them to prevent unwanted or unplanned pregnancies.

Empowerment of women
Empowering women through education can help control population growth. Educated women in paid
employment tend to have fewer children because they want to be free to pursue their careers.

Infusion of population and family life studies in the school curriculum

Population studies and family life education should be included in the school curriculum so that children,
who are the future adults, become aware at an early age of population and family life issues such as
importance of limiting family sizes, using birth control and avoiding teenage pregnancy.

Improving infant and child health services

Providing infant and child health care services helps to reduce infant mortality rates, and as a result
people to have fewer children. This lowers the birth rate and can slow down the population growth rate.

Family planning education

Family planning education should be provided at government health facilities. Teenagers should be
advised to avoid becoming parents at a young age.

THE IMPACT OF HIV/AIDS ON THE POPULATION

HIV/AIDS has caused a lot of harm to the population for Botswana in many ways:

Loss of active and working population

The disease mostly attacks people aged between 18 and 45. This age group forms the core of the working
population and this consequently leads to a decline in the workforce. The early and unexpected deaths
lead to reduced productivity and manpower at the workplace.

Increased death rate

The structure of the population and its growth rate continue to be altered as a result of HIV/AIDS
epidemic. Mortality across all age groups is on the rise and life expectancy has declined.
High deaths for middle-aged people also results in a high proportion of young and very old population.

Pressure on government budget

A lot of money is used by governments to buy preventative medication such as ARV drugs and this
consequently leads to reduced investment in other economic sectors and ignorance of other fatal
diseases such as malaria, cancer and hepatitis.

Loss of breadwinners
Some families may lose very important people leading to their collapse. Loss of breadwinners may result
in poverty and increased number of orphans who mainly end up as street children.

Stigma and discrimination

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 The family has to cope with stigma of the virus and victims might isolate themselves from major family
and community activities.

IMPORTANCE OF POPULATION CENSUS

It helps in planning budgets and allocations

The size of a population in a particular area will determine the planning process in terms of where
developments are needed the most.

Population census helps in economic development and planning

Population census informs development of social services in a country. Highly populated areas will require
more schools, hospitals, sewerage systems than sparsely populated areas. Where developments are
needed the most is usually determined the number of people.

To identify changes in a country’s population structure

Information on the number of males and females is recorded, age structure, population distribution etc is
recorded as well as causes for those changes.

Tracks the nations development

Through a population census, important information on developmental projects is also recorded, for
instance, literacy levels, educational qualification, forms of economic activities etc. this will help in
keeping track on how the country is doing in relation to other countries.

It helps in delimitation process

Delimitation of constituencies involves setting or establishing the boundaries of constituencies. Drawing
of boundaries relies on data from census. This prevents a situation whereby one electoral constituency
can have too many electorates whilst others have very few.

Census data is needed by the private sector for setting out business
Census data is also useful to the private sector, as it provides the information they need to set up new
business and how their products should be marketed.

POPULATION POLICY

A population policy: measures taken by a State to influence the way its population is changing.

IMPORTANCE OF A POPULATION POLICY

Helps in balancing population and available resources

A controlled population will ensure a balance between resources, infrastructural developments and the
population. This helps to manage resources.
Allows for future developmental planning
It would permit future population projections which are needed for development planning and thus helps
in prioritizing developmental funds/projects.

It regulates population

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 A population policy would lead to an increase /decrease in population as relevant measures such as family
planning, sterilisation, marriage age etc will be put in place.
It allows other stakeholders to have a say in the country’s development
It enables all stakeholders such as NGO’s, parastatal organisations and the government to work towards
achieving a common goal e.g. population increase or decrease.

POPULATION MIGRATION

Migration is one of the factors contributing to rapid population growth of certain areas.

International migration: this is the movement of people from one country to another e.g. from Botswana to South
Africa.

Pull factors:

Employment opportunities in urban areas

Urban areas are more developed than rural areas and offer better chances of employment. There is a
belief that there are better paying jobs in urban areas and therefore people look down upon jobs in rural
areas in favour of those in urban.

Better educational facilities in urban areas

Most of the secondary and tertiary schools are in urban areas and therefore people migrate to urban
areas in search of further education.

Better medical facilities in towns and cities

Many referral hospitals in the country are found in towns and cities e.g. Nyangabwe and Princess Marian
Hospitals in Francistown and Gaborone respectively.

Better recreational facilities in urban areas

Some people are attracted by the unique lifestyle of towns such as going to night clubs, parties and other
recreational activities. Some people associate town life with sophistication and therefore by moving to
towns they want to be seen as sophisticated.

Better infrastructure in towns and cities

Urban areas have good roads, telecommunication networks and a variety of shops.

PUSH FACTORS:

Poor infrastructure in rural areas

Rural areas are characterized by earth roads, limited and often too expensive shops, poor
telecommunication network etc. these factors often force people to migrate to urban areas for better
facilities and services.

High unemployment rates in rural areas

Rural areas offer the least employment opportunities as they are not as developed as urban areas. In
rural areas most people are engaged in small scale agriculture which is unreliable because of poor rainfall.
On the other hand, urban areas are more industrialized and offer better employment prospects.
Unreliable and inadequate rainfall

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 Subsistence farming is the backbone of many rural areas’ economies and therefore if rains are inadequate
there are poor harvests and finally starvation. The entire population suffers leading to involuntary
migration.

Poor medical and educational facilities

Rural areas usually have little health posts or clinics which may not offer all services leading to referral
may lead to permanent migration to urban areas. Frequent referral may lead to permanent migration to
urban areas. Tertiary schools may also be available in urban areas only; those who want to further their
studies would have to relocate to urban and major settlements.

EFFECTS OF RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION ON RURAL AREAS

Positive effects

Remittances
Migrants employed in urban areas send part of their earnings to elatives left behind in rural areas. This
gives families in rural areas a chance to buy basic needs such as food, clothes and other household items.

Transfer of skills, ideas and technology

Migrant workers bring in new skills and technology that they have acquired in urban areas. This
knowledge may be used to stimulate development of rural areas e.g. formation of youth clubs, cash loans
and business syndicates. Such developments may also deter other people from migrating to urban areas.

Reduced pressure on available resources

Those rural areas that are overpopulated may benefit from rural-urban migration as their populations
may be reduced leaving behind a smaller population which can be supplied adequately by the available
resources. This may contribute towards sustaining both the natural and manmade resources.

Investment of income in rural areas

Migrants may invest their income in rural areas e.g. by building shops, running public transports,
entertainment centres, opening salons and other businesses. Such business will also contribute a lot in
providing employment opportunities for other rural dwellers.
Reduced family sizes
The relocation of some family members leads to reduction in the size of the family which may mean fewer
mouths to feed. This reduction in size may also lead to reduction in family conflicts which are more
prevalent amongst large families.

NEGATIVE IMPACTS

Brain-drain
The most intelligent people migrate to towns leaving rural areas with people who are less educated or
intelligent enough to initiate and implement important development projects.

Unequal distribution of resources

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 Migration will increase population in urban areas and as a result, development and resources will be
channeled towards the urban areas at the expanse of rural areas. This will widen the inequality between
rural and urban areas in terms of basic facilities and infrastructure.

Family breakdown
Migration may lead to separation of marital partners for prolonged periods of time. One partner may
leave for urban areas and lose contact with his/her spouse and this may result in extra marital affairs and
finally divorce.

Decline in economic activities

As able-bodied men and women migrate to towns for greener pastures, much of the workload is left in
the hands of the young and very old. This reduces productivity especially agricultural production as it is
the backbone of rural economy.

Age and gender imbalance

Rural migration tends to leave rural areas with a population dominated by females as well as young and
old. This results in change in division of labour. The production of food from tilling to cooking is left
entirely in the hands of females.

Spread of diseases
Interaction between migrants and permanent rural dwellers may result in spread of contagious diseases
from urban areas to the rural areas. Urban areas are home to people from diverse cultural groups and
nationalities and hence prone to numerous contagious diseases which may be spread to rural areas by
migrants.

EFFECTS OF RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION ON URBAN AREAS

Positive effects

Increased market
As many people migrate to urban areas, urban population increases and this increases potential buyers
especially for local products such as fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meat, etc.

Increased labour force

An increased urban population will lead to plenty of labour force with a variety of skills. This may benefit
industries as they will have a large pool of labour to choose from. Competition for employment will
ensure that only the most skilled find employment and this will motivate the unskilled labour to upgrade
their educational qualification.

Exchange of skills and technology

Interaction of people from different cultural and ethnic grounds may facilitate exchange of skills and
technology. Such skills may be needed for production of various goods in urban areas.

Negatives effects

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 Shortage of amenities
A high population will exert pressure on basic amenities such schools, clinics and hospitals. More schools
and hospitals will have to be built to cater for the ever increasing urban population. Congestion in schools
and hospitals will also compromise the quality of services provided by teachers, nurses and doctors.

Depletion of natural resources

Increased urban population will lead to pressure and overuse of resources such as land, water and food.
Increased demand for fuel wood would result in degradation of the land due to deforestation and soil
erosion.

Rise in unemployment
Many of the urban people may not find employment or may be employed in unstable sources of
employment such as construction whereas others may be engaged in unprofitable petty trading. Failure to
find employment may lead to illegal and anti-social sources of income such as crime and prostitution.

Establishment of squatter settlements

Shortage of housing or unaffordable rent prices may force people to establish illegal squatter camps or
slums.

Pressure on government budget

Due to high population, government will be forced to provide basic services such as schools, hospitals,
roads, telecommunication networks etc to majority of people who live in urban areas. This reduces
investment on other economic sectors such as tourism and manufacturing.

Multiplication of diseases
High urban population may lead to various environmental problems such as pollution. Many of the most
serious diseases in urban areas are environmentally related as they are caused by disease causing agents.
Many diseases and disease vectors multiply when there is poor sanitation.

Land use conflicts

Rapid growth of urban areas may lead to loss of agricultural land to housing or establishment of more
industries. This will create conflicts between the affected farmers and the Town Council or Land Board.

INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION

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International migration is when people migrate from one country to another. This involves emigration (when
someone leaves a country to live and work elsewhere. Such a person is called an emigrant.), and immigration
(when someone enters another country to live and work there. Such a person is called an immigrant).

BELOW ARE EXAMPLES OF PUSH AND PULL FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE PEOPLE TO MIGRATE

Push factors Pull factors

Economic -lack of employment opportunities. -better/more employment available.

reasons -lack of business opportunities. -many business opportunities.
-low standard of living. -high standard of living
-Shortage of land for farming & building. -available land for farm land & building.

Social reasons -high crime -low crime

-lack of personal safety & security. -high levels of personal safety & security.
-lack of social services e.g. schools, hospitals, -availability of amenities.
tertiary education. -reliable food supplies.
-lack of amenities such as electricity, telephones,
safe drinking water, shops.
-famine.

Political -conflict or war. -peace & security.

reasons -lack of security due to political instability. -political stability.
-intolerance of different views. -tolerance for different views.
-high levels of corruption. -a society that is democratic & has the
-violations of human rights. rule of law.
-low levels of corruption.
-respect for human rights.
Environmental -high risk from natural hazards such as drought, -lowers/risk from natural hazards
reasons floods, earthquakes. -good climate.
-harsh climate, for instance, low & unreliable -adequate and reliable water supply.-
rainfall, very low or very high temperatures. environment in good condition.
-lack of water supply.
-environmental degradation.

EFFECTS OF INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION ON THE SOURCES COUNTRY

Positive

If a migrant was unemployed or had a low paying job in his or her home area, and gets a job or better
paying job, they will be better off because of the money they will earn.
The money migrants send back home can help improve quality of life of relatives they left behind.
They have a better quality of life and standard of living in the place where they have migrated to.
If the migrants are refugees escaping from violence and war, and they migrate to a place where there is
peace, they will leave in peace and feel safe.
Acquisition of skilled manpower such as engineers and doctors
Abundance of labour which is a benefit to local industries
Exchange of cultural knowledge which facilitates exchange of skills and technology.

Negative

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 Break up of families
If migration causes the separation of family members, it can lead to: break up of families, Juvenile
delinquency problems when children are separated from their parents, loneliness, weakening of family
ties and relationships.

Migrants, especially illegal migrants, may suffer from discrimination and abuse in the new place
Migrants may be blamed for rise in crime, spreading disease, taking away jobs from locals or driving down
wages of local works. As a result, they may be mistreated by the local people, for example, locals may
take advantage of them by paying them very low wages.

Competition for limited job opportunities with the local people

If local are outcompeted by migrants, problems such as xenophobia might arise. An influx of migrants
may also lead to loss of jobs by the locals.

Loss of skilled human resource

Countries where foreign immigrants come from lose qualified human resources who have training, skills
and knowledge to the host. This leaves their home countries with human resource that is semi-skilled and
unskilled. This impedes development in the home countries from which they originate.
Loss of culture by immigrants as they interact with other cultures.

CONSEQUENCES FOR THE AREA PEOPLE ARE LEAVING

Positive

A decrease in population means less demand and pressure on natural resources.

Remittances/earnings of migrants help earn foreign exchange for their country of origin.
It can reduce pressure to create employment for people within the country or an area where people leave
to find jobs elsewhere.

Negative

Decrease in labour supply.

Loss of skilled workers, ‘brain drain’, for example, doctors and nurses.
May encourage investments that will keep people in their original homes.

CONSEQUENCES FOR THE DESTINATION AREA

Positive

An increase in labour supply.

The increase in competition for jobs available allows employers to employ the best available workers at a
lower cost.
They may do jobs that locals do not want to do.
An increase in supply of skilled workers can lead to increased productivity competitiveness against other
countries.
Transfer of skills from immigrants to local workers can occur.
Encourages better understanding and tolerance of other cultures.

Negative

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 An increase in competition for jobs available can lead to decrease in wages and salaries offered by
employers.
Immigration can contribute to population increase in an area as a result place added pressure on the
environment, services and amenities. This can lead to environmental problems, and decline in quality of
services as resources are stretched to meet demand.
The spread of infectious diseases such as HIV and TB.
An increase in crime rate if many of the migrants earn a living from criminal activities.
Migrants may present a security threat if they come with the aim of causing harm to the society or
country.

THE TREND OF RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION

This refers to the general tendency or direction of rural-urban migration. A large volume of people migrate from
rural to urban areas and the migration is selective in the following ways:

Sex
Both men and women equally move to urban areas in search of employment and better lifestyles.
Age
Most of the people who migrate are aged between 15 and 45 (working age). Younger people within this
age group mostly migrate to seek senior secondary and tertiary education.

Destination
Most of the rural migrants target specific urban areas such as mining towns e.g. Selibe-Phikwe, Jwaneng,
Orapa, etc. in recent decades, Gaborone as the administrative capital has attracted the largest number of
both local and international migrants.
Volume (size)
Many people move to urban areas in large numbers. Only a few move to rural areas. These normally
include those who are retiring from their jobs.

THE ROLE PLAYED BY DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS IN ADDRESSING PROBLEMS RESULTING FROM RURAL-URBAN
MIGRATION

THE YOUTH

Self-employment
The youth can initiate their own businesses in rural areas such as bakeries, salons, poultry farming and
tourism related projects. This will bring income for the youth, create employment for other youths, speed
up development of rural areas and finally reduce the rate of rural urban migration.

Formation of sporting clubs

The youth can form different sporting clubs such as football teams and organize tournaments. Such
tournaments will help to address the boredom tat is normally associated with rural areas. The teams will
also act as a deterrent for bad behaviour among the youth.

Utilization of government schemes

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 The youth can take advantage of CEDA and Department of Culture and Youth to start their own
businesses in rural areas. Such businesses will also speed up development and generate employment for
other people who would otherwise migrate to towns and cities to seek employment.

Voluntary service
Unemployed youth can take part in voluntary services such as being members of Village Development
Committees and Drought Relief Projects. They can also volunteer to work for various NGO’s that provide
services to rural people such as Red Cross.

Active participation in decision making

The youth an actively take part in major decision making in their communities so that they can advocate
for the improvement of their lifestyles. They can also campaign for positions of responsibility such as
being members of parliament.

THE GOVERNMENT

Provision of clean water

A clean and reliable supply of water in rural areas will reduce migration and frequency of diseases
especially cholera, malaria and bilharzias.
Increase recreational facilities in rural areas
Lack of entertainment is one of the push factors of rural-urban migration and as such, provision of
entertainment facilities in rural areas will help make rural areas less boring e.g. establishment of stadiums
and youth centres in major villages.

Improvement of basic infrastructure

There is need to develop roads and telecommunication networks so as to improve linkage between rural
areas and urban areas.
Balancing of skilled manpower across all regions
Skilled manpower can be equally spread and rotated across the country so that all regions can benefit.
There is a tendency by some civil servants to refuse to work in remote and distant villages. Government
has introduced Remote Area Service Allowance (RASA) to those civil servants who work in remote areas.
The aim of this allowance is to encourage people to work in rural areas.

Provision of land for starting business

The government should ensure that land is readily available to rural communities. The youth for instance
need to be provided with serviced lad on which they could start businesses. Currently, land remains a
highly contentious issue in the country. There is no land available to start projects. Most of the land has
been taken over by the rich leaving the poor empty handed.

NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS/THE PRIVATE SECTOR

Provision of education
They can conduct kgotla meetings and seminars to educate people about the effects of migration.
Provide technical support to stakeholders
The private sector can provide support to various rural dwellers on sustainable use of the environment.

Creation of jobs

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 Some NGO’s have branches in rural areas and this helps in terms of development and creating
employment. The role of the private sector include job creation in rural areas through establishing chain
stores e.g. Pep Stores, Choppies, Spar etc which leads to the reduction in the influx of people to urban
areas from villages.
Represent the interest of rural dwellers
Some international and local NGO’s advocate for the rights of rural people so that they cannot be ill-
treated e.g. Survival International (SI) and Ditshwanelo.
Establishment of businesses
The private sector can also establish small businesses units such as cash loans and establish hotels which
do not only create jobs but also help in the development of rural areas. These would also help to attract
people from the urban to rural areas.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING

Rapid or uncontrolled population growth can lead to overpopulation which can affect development efforts in a
country negatively.

HOW OVERPOPULATION AFFECTS DEVELOPMENT

Leads to overcrowding
It leads to overcrowding in hospitals, clinics and schools and a decline in the quality of services these
facilities offer.
It creates a shortage of land
Farm land may be changed to residential use so as to accommodate the growing population. This in turn
reduces the amount of land available to food production resulting in less food being produced and a
country not being able to ensure that people have enough food to eat.
Increased labor force
A rapid population will result in an increased labour force. There will be a wide variety of people with skills
to choose from. This results in increased productivity levels.
Overpopulation
Rapid population can lead to overpopulation which can affect development efforts in a country negatively.
Puts pressure on limited financial resources
This will strain the government’s ability to achieve development goals such as raising income levels,
eradicating poverty, creating employment opportunities, providing good quality health care, access to
safe drinking water and sanitation services.

EFFECTS OF A BIG POPULATION ON THE ECONOMY

A larger pool of labour with different capabilities and expertise is available There would be greater
competition for jobs and this may mean that only the most qualified people would succeed in gaining
employment.
A big population creates a big market for local products
A big population means a larger market for goods and services. As a result, companies would be attracted
to start businesses there.

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