Account for the high population growth rates in the developing countries of the world

Answer Details

Reasons for the high population growth rates in developing countries

Population growth depends on the balance between the birth rate and the death rate. In developing countries the birth rate stays high while the death rate has fallen sharply, giving rapid natural increase.

• High birth rate: Fertility is high because of early marriage, limited use of family planning, and the desire for large families.
• Falling death rate through better medicine: Improved health care, immunisation, drugs and control of diseases have greatly reduced deaths, especially infant mortality, so more children survive.
• Children seen as an economic asset: On farms children provide labour and are expected to care for parents in old age, encouraging couples to have many.
• Religious and cultural beliefs: Some beliefs and traditions favour large families and discourage birth control, and a man's status may be linked to the number of his children.
• Improved food supply, water and sanitation: Better nutrition and clean water have lowered deaths from hunger and disease, raising life expectancy.
• High illiteracy and low status of women: Where education, especially of women, is low, family-planning knowledge is limited and women marry young and bear more children.
• Young age structure: Because past growth was high, a large share of the population is young and entering child-bearing age, so births remain high (population momentum).

Together these keep births high while deaths fall, producing the rapid population growth typical of developing countries.