The World Population Distribution, Density and Growth — NCERT Solutions

The three components of population change are:

1. Births
2. Deaths
3. Migration

Birth rate is the number of live births in a year per thousand of population.

Death rate is the number of deaths in a year per thousand of population.

So, birth rate measures births, while death rate measures mortality in a population.

Push factors are the reasons that make a place of origin less attractive and force people to leave, such as unemployment, poor living conditions, political turmoil, unpleasant climate, natural disasters, epidemics, and socio-economic backwardness.

Pull factors are the reasons that attract people to a place of destination, such as better job opportunities, better living conditions, peace and stability, security of life and property, and pleasant climate.

The distribution and density of population in the world are influenced by geographical, economic, and social-cultural factors.

Geographical factors

• Availability of water: People prefer areas where fresh water is easily available.
• Landforms: Flat plains and gentle slopes are more populated than mountains and hills.
• Climate: Comfortable climates attract people; extreme heat, cold, heavy rainfall, or harsh climates discourage settlement.
• Soils: Fertile soils support agriculture and attract population.

Economic factors

• Minerals: Mineral-rich areas attract industries and workers.
• Urbanisation: Cities offer jobs, education, medical facilities, transport, and civic amenities.
• Industrialisation: Industrial belts create employment and attract many people.

Social and cultural factors

• Places with religious or cultural significance attract people.
• Areas with social and political unrest lose population.
• Governments may also give incentives to settle in sparsely populated areas.

Thus, population becomes dense where natural conditions and economic opportunities are favourable, and sparse where they are not.

The demographic transition has three stages:

First stage

• High fertility and high mortality.
• Population growth is slow.
• People have large families because many children die due to epidemics and uncertain food supply.
• Life expectancy is low, literacy is low, and technology is limited.

Second stage

• Fertility remains high at first but then declines slowly.
• Mortality falls rapidly because of improved sanitation and health conditions.
• The gap between births and deaths becomes large, so population grows rapidly.

Third stage

• Both fertility and mortality decline considerably.
• Population becomes stable or grows slowly.
• Society is more urbanised, literate, and technically advanced.
• People consciously control family size.

These stages show how population changes as a society develops from rural and agrarian to urban and industrial.