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POPULATIONPeople are to be equipped to achieve

progress in social and economic fields. Forthis, all countries give special significance onhuman resource development. The quality andsize of population are two factors that areemphasised in the development of humanresource. Rapid growth in population willcreate many obstacles to economic progress.Also, it affects the quality of human resourceadversely. In this background, let us examinein detail the world population, the Indianpopulation, growth and its reasons, problems,population policy etc.

What is population?The significance of population in the

production-consumption sector of an



economy is very great. The demand for consumer goods depends mainly on the size

of population, sex ratio, population-density,age-structure of the people, income, preferences etc. Since there is day-to-dayvariation in the population of a country, it isdifficult to calculate the exact population.Population

Total number of people living in acountry at a given time is called itspopulation.

World Population and CountriesAs of 19 November 2009, the world populationis estimated by the United States Census

Bureau to be 6.798 billion

According to papers published by the United

States Census Bureau, the world population hit6.5 billion (6,500,000,000) on February 24,2006. The United Nations Population Fund



designated October 12, 1999 as theapproximate day on which world population

reached 6 billion. This was about 12 years afterworld population reached 5 billion in 1987, and

6 years after world population reached 5.5

billion in 1993. However, the population of some countries, such as Nigeria and China isnot even known to the nearest million, so thereis a considerable margin of error in such

estimates Population growth increasedsignificantly as the Industrial Revolution

gathered pace from 1700 onwards. The last 50years have seen a yet more rapid increase in

the rate of population growth due to medicaladvances and substantial increases inagricultural productivity, particularly in the

period 1960 to 1995 made by the GreenRevolution. In 2007 the United Nations

Population Division projected that the world's



population will likely surpass 10 billion in2055.In the future, world population has been

expected to reach a peak of growth, from thereit will decline due to economic reasons, health

concerns, land exhaustion and environmental

hazards. There is around an 85% chance thatthe world's population will stop growing beforethe end of the century. There is a 60%probability that the world's population will not

exceed 10 billion people before 2100, andaround a 15% probability that the world's

population at the end of the century will belower than it is today. For different regions, the

date and size of the peak population will vary

considerably

Significance of the Study of Population



We know that family includes parents andchildren. We need better food, clothing,

shelter, health, education and other facilities.Think how these are related to the number of members of the family. In addition to thenumber of members, age difference, number of males and females, their preferences andincome also play an important role in estimatingthe quantity of essential commodities andservices required for the family.Features of population in selected countriesThe study of population of a country can

be made use of for the following purposes. To assess the availability of human

resource needed for production. To estimate the required basic

infrastructure. To estimate the requirements of products

and services.

To understand the social and culturalstructure of a population.

To compare with the population of other countries.



To assess the quality of standard of living.For your information

World Population Day was observed forthe first time on 11 July, 1987 The year in which world population

reached 100 crores - 1804reached 600 crores - 12 October, 1999

Population of IndiaThe process of calculating population isknown as census. The first census in Indiawas conducted in 1881. Find out the intervalsat which census is taken and complete the tableof census for the post-independence periodof India.

Census is the collection, compilation,analysis and publication of differenttypes of information related to thepeople living in a country in a given

period.India has only 2.4% of the land area of the world. According to the census 2001, the

population of India (1,02,70,15,247) is



16.87% of world population. Of this, 51.73%(53,12,77,078) are males and 48.27%

(49,57,38,169) are females. Population of Kerala comes to 3.10% (3,18,38,619) of the population of India. Out of this, 48.58%(1,54,68,664) are males and 51.42%(1,63,69,955) are females. The population of India which was 23.83 crores in 1901increased by 78.87 crores within 100 years.Every Sixth PersonOne among every six persons of worldpopulation is an Indian.Look at the following table showing

population growth in India and Kerala from1951 to 2001.With the help of the table draw a multiplegraph representing the population growth inIndia and Kerala. Analyse the table accordingto the indicators given below and note down

the conclusions.Indicators

The period in which growth rate of population in Kerala stands above the



national growth rate. The period in which growth rate stands

below the national growth rate. The period in which growth rate of population in India and Kerala are equal.The present figures state that in India 29children are born in every one minute. Due tothe rapid increase of population, we have toexplore more resources for economicdevelopment. We have learned about thefactors such as birth rate, death rate andimmigration which influence the population. Letus see how the other factors of population arerelated to the economic scenario.

Sex RatioThe number of females per thousand(1000) males in a population is known as sex

ratio or female to male ratio. On the basis of Census 2001, in India there are 933 females

per 1000 males, while in Kerala it is 1058.Increase in the death rate of females (female



mortality) is the main reason for the low sexratio at all India level. The reasons for higher

sex ratio in Kerala are better health, literacy, better standard of living, economic security etc.More programmes are planned and carriedout in the economic sector to reduce the deathrate of females.

Age StructureOn the basis of age, population isclassified into three divisions. They are:

Children upto the age of 14. Those between the age of 15 and 59. Those who are above the age of 60.

Age Structure of population in IndiaBetween 15 and 59

58.70%0-14 age group34.33%above 60 years



6.97%It can be

understood that only 58.70% of the peoplecome under the employed sector. Theremaining 41.30% of people live dependingupon them. Increased rate of dependencyaffects economic activities adversely.

Dependency RateDependency rate is the percentage of people depending on those who areemployed (below 15 years and above60 years of age.)

Occupational Structure of PopulationIt is the distribution of population on the

basis of employment in sectors likeagriculture, industry and services. Indeveloped nations, most people work in theservice sector. But in developing countries like







State having highest populationdensity - West Bengal

Population density in India - 324Population density in Kerala - 819You have seen the importantcharacteristics of the population of India. Onthe basis of a discussion, prepare note on howthese affect the economic progress of acountry and present it in the class.Kerala - 2001

State having 12th place inpopulation in India

State having 3.1% of Indianpopulation

State having lowest populationgrowth rate.

State having third place inpopulation density.



The only state where femalesoutnumber males.

State having the longest lifeexpectancy.

State having the highest literacyrate.

Population growth - ReasonsWe have seen that the population of Indiais growing. It is estimated that the present

population will become double in 36 years.We shall examine the reasons for populationgrowth in developing countries like India.

Poverty

Superstitions Religious beliefs Illiteracy and ignorance Early marriage



High fertility Increased birth rate

Decreased death rate

Economic ProblemsRapid increase in population may give riseto many economic problems. We shall look into some important problems.

Poverty and UnemploymentIndia is an agricultural nation. As industrialand service sectors do not develop in

proportion to the growth of population, most people depend on agriculture. Due to theincrease in the cost of production, agricultureis becoming unprofitable. Besides, there is noincrease in the employment opportunities inother sectors and this creates moreunemployment problems.

Unemployment

Unemployment is a situation in whichemployment opportunity is not



available to an adult person who iswilling to work.

It is obvious that when there is decreasein employment and income, purchase of foodstuffs for maintaining health becomesimposssible. Such people naturally come

below poverty line. In India, those people whodo not get 2100 calories of food in rural areasand 2400 calories of food in urban areas areconsidered to be Below Poverty Line (BPL).As per the estimate of the year 2000, 26.1%of people are below poverty line in India.About 40 per cent of people are poor.Poverty encourages child labour.Today in India, unemployment continuesto be the most serious problem. The reasonsmight be

Collapse of agricultural sector Decline of indigenous/traditional

industries. Lack of industrial enterprises Inadequate development of service sector Lack of capital



Lack of entrepreneurship Mechanisation

Shelter / HousingAmong the basic needs of man, shelter isvery important. As population increasescorresponding increase in the housing facilitiesshould also be there. According to the figuresavailable, there are 103297 households inKerala that do not have shelters. Thegovernment extends subsidy relief, income taxrelief etc. through various institutions andagencies to promote construction of houses.Besides, the government gives housing financealso.Find out from news papers, the names of agencies and institutions which grant housingfinance and complete the table

Life Insurance Corporation of India.

(LIC). General Insurance Corporation of India.

(GIC).





growth has to be checked so as to face thechallenges raised by population explosion in

the economic field.We have seen many factors related to population and economic problems. You canvisit five houses in your ward and conduct asurvey regarding population and economic

problems. The format and questionnaire shall be prepared in the class with the help of your teacher.What particulars can be incorporated inthe format?

House name / House No. Head of the household Age Occupation Number of members Male/Female/Total Educational qualification

Discuss in the class the data collected andon the basis of it prepare a project on“Features of Population and economic





To solve unemployment problem.

National Population PolicyThis policy lays emphasis on health careof the people especially, that of women andchildren. Following are the aims of the new

population policy. To meet the basic needs in public health

sector. To ensure free and compulsory education

to all children upto the age of 14. To reduce infant mortality rate below 30

in every 1000 live births. Popularise preventive measures against thecommunicable diseases

To take steps for raising the age at marriageof women, above 20.Let us hope that by implementing the

policy, the declared objects can be attained by

the year 2010.There are commissions at the national andstate levels to monitor and evaluate theimplementation of the policies. You will collect



more details about National Population Policy2000 from magazines and various media, won't

you?

Population control

Population control is the practice of curtailing population increase, usually by reducing the

birth rate. Surviving records from AncientGreece document the first known examples of

population control. These include thecolonization movement, which saw Greek outposts being built across the Mediterraneanand Black Sea basins to accommodate theexcess population of individual states.Infanticide and abortion were encouraged insome Greek city states in order to keep

population down An important example of mandated population control is People'sRepublic of China's one-child policy, in whichhaving more than one child is made extremely



unattractive. This has led to allegations that practices like forced abortions, forced

sterilization, and infanticide are used as a resultof the policy. The country's sex ratio at birth of 114 boys to 100 girls may be evidence that thelatter is often sex-selective.

It is helpful to distinguish between fertilitycontrol as individual decision-making and

population control as a governmental or state-level policy of regulating population growth.

Fertility control may occur when individuals or couples or families take steps to decrease or toregulate the timing of their own child-bearing.In Ansley Coale's oft-cited formulation, three

preconditions for a sustained decline in fertility

are:



(1) acceptance of calculated choice (as opposedto fate or chance or divine will) as a valid

element in fertility,(2) perceived advantages from reduced fertility,and

(3) knowledge and mastery of effective

techniques of control.In contrast to a societywith natural fertility, a society that desires tolimit fertility and has the means to do so mayuse those means to delay childbearing, spacechildbearing, or stop childbearing. Delaying

sexual intercourse (or marriage), or the adoptionof natural or artificial means of contraceptionare most often an individual or family decision,not a matter of a state policy or societal-widesanctions. On the other hand, individuals who

assume some sense of control over their ownfertility can also accelerate the frequency or success of child-bearing through planning.



At the societal level, declining fertility is almostan inevitable result of growing secular educationof women. However, the exercise of moderateto high levels of fertility control does notnecessarily imply low fertility rates. Evenamong societies that exercise substantial fertilitycontrol, societies with an equal ability toexercise fertility control (to determine howmany children to have and when to bear them)may display widely different levels of fertility

(numbers of children borne) associated withindividual and cultural preferences for thenumber of children or size of families.

In contrast to fertility control, which is mainlyan individual-level decision, governments may

attempt to exercise population control byincreasing access to means of contraception or

by other population policies and programs. The



idea of "population control" as governmental or societal-level regulation of population growth

does not require "fertility control" in the sensethat it has been defined above, since a state canaffect the growth of a society's population evenif that society practices little fertility control. It'salso important to embrace policies favoring

population increase as an aspect of populationcontrol, and not to assume that states want tocontrol population only by limiting its growth.To stimulate population growth, governmentsmay support not only immigration but also

pronatalist policies such as tax benefits,financial awards, paid work leaves, andchildcare to encourage the bearing of additionalchildren.Such policies have been pursued inrecent years in France and Sweden, for example.With the same goal of increasing populationgrowth, on occasion governments have soughtto limit the use of abortion or modern means of



birth control. An example was Romania's 1966 ban on access to contraception and abortion on

demand.

In ecology, population control is on occasionsconsidered to be done solely by predators,

diseases, parasites, and environmental factors.In a constant environment, population control isregulated by the availability of food, water, andsafety. The maximum number of a species or individuals that can be supported in a certain

area is called the carrying capacity. At manytimes human effects on animal and plant

populations are also considered.Migrations of animals may be seen as a natural way of

population control, for the food on land is more

abundant on some seasons. The area of themigrations' start is left to reproduce the food



supply for large mass of animals next timearound. See also immigration.

India is another example where the governmenthas taken measures to reduce the country’s

population. Concerns that the rapidly growing

population would adversely affect economicgrowth and living standards caused India toimplement an official family planning programin the late 1950s and early 1960s; it was the firstcountry in the world to do so

SUMMARY

Population of a country is the total number of people living in that country at a given time period.



Demand of consumer items varies inaccordance with the size of the

population, sex ratio, population density, agestructure, income and preferences.

Study of population is essential to know theavailability of human resourcesrequired for production, to estimate the basicneeds, commodities andservices required, and to make a comparisonwith the population of other countries.

An estimate of population is known asCensus. In India, census isconducted in every ten years.

Poverty, unemployment, lack of shelter,environmental problems etc., arethe economic problems arising out of rapidincrease in population

Population policy 2000 emphasises the healthcare of women and childrenand the welfare of the nation.

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