Population Change (AQA A Level Geography)

Revision Note

Robin Martin-Jenkins

Written by: Robin Martin-Jenkins

Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett

Natural Population Change

Natural Population Change

  • Natural population change occurs when birth and death rates differ in a place

    • If birth rates are higher than death rates then there will be a natural increase

    • If death rates are higher than birth rates there will be a natural decrease

  • Population also changes when people migrate into and out of an area

  • Population change is also influenced by the following key vital rates:

    • Fertility rate

    • Infant mortality rate 

    • Replacement level

    • Net production rate

Examiner Tips and Tricks

There are lots of key terms here that will be important to learn. You may not get asked directly to define them but if you can use them with confidence in your exam answers you will be credited with more marks for knowledge and understanding (AO1)

Factors in Natural Population Change

  1. Factors that affect death rates, birth rates and fertility rates, have a significant impact on population and rates of change

  2. The following all contribute to high death rates:

    • Poverty and low levels of socio-economic development

    • Poor medical infrastructure

    • Poor nutrition

    • Lack of clean water supply

    • Poor sanitation 

  3. The following cultural controls lead to higher rates of fertility and births:

    • Gender

      • Some societies, such as those in rural parts of LICs like Niger, prefer male children so that they can contribute more to family income

        • This leads to more births as parents will keep having children until they have more than one boy

        • Discrimination against women in some cultures leads to lack of education and less chance of a career

        • Therefore women are likely to have more children at younger ages

  • Marriage traditions

    • The younger a woman marries, the more children she is likely to have

    • In Niger 75% of girls marry before the age of 18

    • Fertility rates in Niger were 6.9 in 2020, one of the highest rates in the world

  1. The following cultural controls lead to lower rates of fertility and births:

    • Religion

      • Some faiths, such as Roman Catholicism, oppose contraception which can put a check on fertility and birth rates

    • Political policies

      • Governments concerned about overpopulation can introduce policies of population control

        • China operated a ‘one-child policy’ from 1979-2015

      • The Indian state of Kerala has invested in girls education since 1980s

        • This helped bring down the fertility rate in the state down from over 5 to 1.8 in 2021

Examiner Tips and Tricks

When writing about the factors affecting population change, consider that each factor might change population in different ways depending on where in the world it is. For e.g. population policies restricting birth rates operate in some parts of the world but in other countries, governments are trying to increase birth rates to stimulate growth in young populations. The more you can explain the changes over space the more marks you will achieve.

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Robin Martin-Jenkins

Author: Robin Martin-Jenkins

Expertise: Geography Content Creator

Robin has taught Geography at a number of UK secondary schools over the past 13 years, alongside various pastoral roles. He fell in love with Geography whilst at school and has been a passionate advocate of its importance and relevance ever since. He currently works in an independent secondary school where his teaching is combined with mentoring of younger teachers.

Bridgette Barrett

Author: Bridgette Barrett

Expertise: Geography Lead

After graduating with a degree in Geography, Bridgette completed a PGCE over 25 years ago. She later gained an MA Learning, Technology and Education from the University of Nottingham focussing on online learning. At a time when the study of geography has never been more important, Bridgette is passionate about creating content which supports students in achieving their potential in geography and builds their confidence.