Unit 2: Population and Migration Patterns and Processes

Birth Rate

Also known as natality; the crude birth rate (CBR) expressed as the number of live births per 1,000 people in a given year.

Demographic Equation

An equation that incorporates birth rates, death rates, immigration, and emigration statistics to calculate population growth.

Rate of Natural Increase (RNI)

The annual percentage of population growth calculated as Birth Rate - Death Rate.

Crude Death Rate (CDR)

The number of deaths per 1,000 people in a population calculated annually.

Doubling Time

The period of time required for a population to double in size, calculated using the formula: 70/RNI.

Net Migration Rate (NMR)

The difference between the number of immigrants and the number of emigrants per 1,000 people in the population.

Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

The estimated average number of children born to a woman of birthing age (15 to 45).

Dependency Ratio

A measure of the number of people too young or too old to work compared to those in the workforce.

Demographic Transition Model (DTM)

A theory that describes how population changes over time and how these changes relate to economic and social development.

Malthusian Theory

The prediction that population growth will eventually outpace food production, leading to widespread famine.

Push and Pull Factors

Push factors are conditions that drive people away from their homes, while pull factors attract people to urban areas.

Zero Population Growth (ZPG)

A condition in which the birth rate equals the death rate, resulting in no net population growth.

Neo-Malthusians

Advocates who warn that a Malthusian catastrophe could still occur due to resource depletion and ecological strain.

Migration

The movement of people from one place to another, which can be voluntary or forced.

Population Pyramids

Graphical representations that show the age and sex distribution of a population.

Arithmetic Density

The total population of a country divided by its total land area.

Physiologic Density

The total population divided by the amount of arable land, indicating how densely populated agricultural land is.

Step Migration

A process in which people move to more advantageous locations in a series of stages.

Chain Migration

When migrants follow relatives or others from their community to a new location.

Replacement Rate

A total fertility rate of 2.1, necessary for a population to replace itself without immigration.

Infant Mortality Rate

The number of infant deaths per 1,000 live births in a given year.