Demographics and Migration Notes

Unit 2: Demographics and Migration

  • Demographics: Study of population characteristics.

  • Key Terms:

    • Fertility: Birth rate in a population.
    • CBR (Crude Birth Rate)
    • TFR (Total Fertility Rate)
    • Replacement Fertility: Level at which population replaces itself without migration.
    • Mortality Rate: Measures of death rates in a population.
    • CDR (Crude Death Rate)
    • IMR (Infant Mortality Rate)
    • LE (Life Expectancy)
    • RNI (Rate of Natural Increase): Births - Deaths.
    • Dependency Ratio: Ratio of dependents (young and old) to working-age population.
    • Anti-Natalist/Pro-Natalist Policies: Strategies to control population growth.

  • Population Density:

    • Arithmetic Density: Total population/total land area.
    • Physiological Density: Total population/arable land area.
    • Agricultural Density: Farmers/arable land; high in LDCs due to reliance on farming.

  • Thomas Malthus:

    • Believed population grows exponentially while food grows linearly; famine/disease/checks on growth.

  • Neo-Malthusianism: Modern concerns about resource sustainability; advocacy for population control.

  • Population Pyramids:

    • Visual representation of age and gender in a population.
    • Shapes indicate growth trends: triangular for rapid growth, pyramid for stable, inverted pyramid for decline.

  • Demographic Transition Model (DTM):

    • Stages illustrating population growth and development: High birth/death rates (Stage 1) to low birth/death rates (Stage 4/5).

  • Population Distribution Consequences:

    • Social: Increased demand for housing and services.
    • Environmental: Strain on resources, carrying capacity, and potential degradation.

  • Population Policies:

    • China’s One Child Policy vs. India’s lack of formal control; consequences like gender imbalance in China.
    • Pro-natalist policies incentivizing families; anti-natalist strategies supporting family planning.

  • Migration:

    • Long-term relocation; influenced by push (negative) and pull (positive) factors.
    • Types:
    • Internal (within regions)
    • Refugees fleeing conflict.
    • Diaspora and brain drain phenomenon.

  • Types of Movement:

    • Cyclical: Daily routine movements (e.g., commuting).
    • Periodic: Longer returns (e.g., seasonal workers).
    • Transnational Migration: Maintains connections across countries; economic remittances.

  • Effects of Migration:

    • Remittances bolster economies.
    • Diaspora creates cultural communities.
    • Skills Gap and Brain Drain affect home countries.