Since
eighteenth century the world has experienced a population explosion, and still
it is increasing faster than ever before. Demography is the study of
Population. The total number of people
living in a country is called the population. The main aim of study
of Economics is to satisfy the wants of the consumers using the available scarce resources. Every
production need input of labour and entrepreneur who is a human being. Every product is also consumed by human
being. This is the importance of study of population in Economics.
A census is a systematic collection of data regarding
the total number of people and other
information related to socio-economic aspects of them. Normally census is conducted periodically. In
The Maldives the last census is conducted in the year 2004, it is done in every
five years.
The earliest population census counts are those of
China, dates back 3000 years. Censuses
have been carried out regularly since 1801 in Britain.
According to Population and Housing Census of Maldives
2006, the total population of the country is 298,968 (151, 459 Male and 147,509
Female). At Male’ 103,693 (Male 51,992 and Female 51,701). At Atolls a total of 195,275 (Male 99,467 and
Female 95,808) The Sex ratio is 103 Male per 100 Female This population is
scattered over the 194 inhabited islands. The remaining islands are uninhabited
islands excluding the 88 islands developed as tourist resorts and 34 Industrial
islands.
Crude birth rate
is the ratio of total live births to total
population in a specified community or area over a specified period of time.
The birth-rate is often expressed as the number of live births per 1,000 of the
population per year. It is also called natality.
Crude death rate
is the ratio of deaths in an area to the population of
that area; The death rate is expressed per 1000 per year
Infant mortality rate is the number of deaths of
infants (below one year of age) per thousand live births in that year.
Fertility rate a measure of fertility in a specified population over a
specified period of time. [ The number
of live births in a geographic area in a year per 1000 women of childbearing
age (18 to 44)]
There are two main factors affecting population. They are 1) natural factor, 2) migration
factor.
Natural factors affecting the population are birth
rate and death rate. Birth rate is the
number of live birth per thousand of population in an year. Death rate is the number death per thousand of population in an year. When considering death rate infant mortality
rate is also to be considered.
The migration factor consists of immigration and
emigration. Immigration means people coming into the country. Emigration means people going out of the country.
There are three
ways in which a country’s population can increase) 1) Increase in birth rate. 2) Fall
in death rate. 3) More immigration
(people come to live in a country) than emigration (people leaving the country
to live abroad)
The rate of natural increase in population is the
difference between the birth rate and the death rate in the country. So when birth rate exceeds death rates, the
rate of natural increase in population has been positive. In the event of a fall in the death rate will
also cause a positive rate of natural increase.
The following are the reasons (factors) influencing the changes in the birth rate in a
country
1. Average age of the population, 2. Proportion of
women who work / enter higher education, 3. Age at which women marry (customs
of early or late marriage), 4. Social status of women (level of education and
willingness to work), 5. Cost of bringing up children (education & others),
6. Availability of family planning services, 7.
Infant mortality rates, 8.
Government encouragement or discouragement of large families ( attitude
towards contraception, abortion and family size), 9. Level of education and awareness of public
about family planning, 10. Existence or
absence of government support for sick and elderly, 11. Rate of unemployment.
The following are the causes of changes in death rate.
1) Medical advancement and health care improvement
reduced the death rates (smallpox, cholera, tuberculosis etc) . Poor health
care in less developed countries cause a low life expectancy.
2) A better living standard (better quality food,
clothing and shelter and a greater emphasis on cleanliness) has helped to
improve the health and life expectancy of the people in the developed
countries. [Rich food and smoking often causing cancer and heart disease in
developed counties, it occurs very little in less developed counties.]
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