Variations in Population Structure (Edexcel A Level Geography)

Variations in UK Population

• Populations vary over time and from place to place

• Populations can vary by:

  • Total numbers (rising and falling over time)

  • Population Structure

  • Increasing in some places, whilst decreasing or remaining stable in other places

What is ‘place’?

• Places (like areas and locations) are parts of geographical space, where physical and human elements of a given society coexist

• A place is shaped and constantly transformed by:

  • The physical nature of the place 

  • What its residents do for a living

  • Connections:

    • Internal - people, employment, housing, services

    • External - government policies, globalisation

• An important aspect of place is how individuals and groups of people perceive, engage with and form attachments to it

The UK’s uneven population growth

• Characteristics of the UK population:

  • A total population of 67.8 million (July 2023)

  • The population has grown by over 11 million people in the last 50 years

  • It has grown unevenly:

    • London and the south-east have seen a rapid population growth rate

    • Between 2004-14, the population of the UK increased by 4.3 million people, with eight out of the ten local authorities experiencing the most growth were located in London

    • The north-east of England has been growing at a much slower rate

  • The UK has an ageing population as life expectancy has increased and death rates have fallen due to better medical care

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The UK’s population growth

The Factors Driving Population Growth Within Areas of the UK

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The location of Liverpool and Lerwick

Rural-Urban Continuum & Population

• Places can be arranged along the rural-urban continuum, depending on how rural or urban a place is

• Population characteristics vary along the rural-urban continuum:

  • Population change   

    • In England, both rural and urban areas have seen an increase in overall population between 2011 and 2019

    • The rural population increased by 5.2% and urban by 6.2%

    • Within rural areas, the greatest rate of population increase was in rural towns and the rural areas which fringe urban areas (5.7%) 

    • Within urban areas, population increase was the highest in major urban conurbations (6.9%), such as Birmingham and London

  • Population density  

    • The population density Is lower in rural areas and higher in urban areas 

  • Population structure  

The Population Structure for Urban and Rural places

Population density

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Population densities within the rural-urban continuum model

• Other factors can also cause population density to vary, including:

  • Accessibility - places that are more accessible will have higher population densities

  • Physical factors (relief, extreme climates) - flatter, low-lying land will have higher population densities

  • Historical development - during the industrial revolution, workers will have lived in small houses close to their place of work, creating higher population densities (in the area which is now classed as the inner city)

  • Planning policies 

    • The UK’s Green Belt policy aims to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land around major urban areas open and undeveloped

      • Leading to inner city areas becoming more densely populated

    • Local authorities also built new suburbs outside the Green Belt (commuter villages), which have become more densely populated

Population structure

• Population structures (e.g. age, gender, ethnic diversity) vary from place to place and over time

  • Population pyramids can be used to highlight changes in age and gender

• The age of population varies between locations:

  • Remote rural areas have a higher proportion of older people, who wish to retire to quiet and beautiful surroundings

  • Rural areas have fewer young people as they leave to look for work elsewhere

    • This is due to the mechanisation of farming decreasing employment opportunities

  • Urban areas attract younger people as there are more job and educational opportunities 

Causes of Variations in Population

• Population dynamics and population structures are also a result of differences in:

  • Fertility rates, and birth and mortality rates 

  • International and internal migration

• Places with high fertility and birth rates, such as Niger, will have larger family sizes and a growing population with young dependents 

• Places with high mortality rates, such as Bulgaria, will face natural decrease and a declining population

• Population change is the outcome of two processes:

  • Natural change

  • Net migration

• If natural change and net migration are both positive, the rate of population growth will be dynamic

• If natural change and net migration are both negative, the rate of population decline will be dynamic

• If natural change and net migration are working in opposition, the rate of population growth will be less dynamic as the processes are cancelling each other out

• Population change within the UK (2019):

  • The UK’s population continues to grow, but at a slower rate than previous years

  • In 2019, the UK experienced a natural change of 109,973 with 712,680 live births and 604,707 deaths

    • The lowest level of natural change since 2003

  • The UK’s fertility rate has been declining since 2012

    • The average number of children per woman was 1.68

  • Migration to the UK has been the main reason of population growth since the 1990s

    • An estimated 313,000 more people moved to the UK than left