Global & Regional Trends (DP IB Geography)
Revision Note
Family Size
Family size is linked with economic development; larger families tend to be found in LICs
The global average household size has declined from 4.9 persons in 1960 to 3.45 in 2023 and is predicted to reach 2.5 by 2050
The country with the largest household size is Senegal, Africa, with an average of 10 family members
Pakistan, Nigeria and India also have large families with an average of between 5-9 persons
Smaller families are common across Europe with 2.3 persons and North America with 2.6 persons
The following factors influence household size:
Access to healthcare, and contraception
An increase in women's education and participation in the workforce
Increased life expectancy of children, reducing the need to have more children
Urbanisation and lack of space for large families
Cultural and societal norms, where family size is due to social expectations such as religious and cultural beliefs and children are seen as economic assets to contribute to family income and status
Government policy restricting or encouraging family size
Examiner Tip
When asked about global and regional trends, you do not need specific data about all the countries of the world. You need to be aware of general information on a global scale and how this varies from region to region. Knowing details about a couple of contrasting countries will allow you to support your claims on the global and regional trends.
Sex Ratios
The sex ratio is often referred to as the gender ratio
It is the ratio between the number of males and females in a given society
The ratio is dynamic and is affected by:
Biological factors - usually there are higher numbers of males born; however, male mortality is typically higher
Cultural and social factors - some societies have a preference for male offspring
This may lead to sex-selective abortions
Technological factors- improvements in fertility treatments and selective gender choices
Economic factors - lineage within a family continues with a son; dowries are an expense with the transfer of property or money from the bride to the groom's family
Differences in mortality rates and life expectancy
Women live longer than men
Genetically, males are susceptible to higher mortality rates. Studies found that during the Covid-19 pandemic, more males died than females from the virus
In turn, the sex ratio impacts society, demographics, and the economy of a country
Global differences
In 2021 the total share of women in the world stood at 49%
Although most births are male, many countries have a female dominant population between 49-51%
However, countries with the largest populations (China and India) have a male dominant society, thereby changing global gender ratio
Some countries do not register female births
Middle East countries have more males than females, mostly due to inward migration of male workers to the region
Oman has 3:1 ratio
UAE has almost 4:1
In Mexico, the percentage of the female population is 51.08% compared to 48.92% of the male population due to the outward migration of males to support their families
Also, the ratio varies from place to place
Employment opportunities may be more suitable to one gender or another, for example:
Alaska has numerous tough, physical jobs such as lumberjack, oil and gas drilling, and crab fishing. This is the reason the country has the highest male/female sex ratio
Gender inequality exposes females to poor health, and puts them at higher risk of death, including complications pre and post-pregnancy and childbirth
Despite this, as a country's population ages, it is more likely to have a female majority
Countries from the former Soviet Union have been predominantly female since World War II when millions of men died in battle
By 2021, these countries accounted for six of the 10 nations with the highest ratio of females to males
According to the UN:
Armenia is the most heavily distorted country toward females (82 males per 100 females), but there are still more newborn boys than girls. In fact, for every 100 girls born in Armenia, 110 are boys - the world's sixth highest sex ratio at birth in favour of boys. UN 2022
Global sex ratio
Importance of the sex ratio
Countries which lack males or females, have difficulty maintaining a birth rate which matches or exceeds its death rate
This creates a declining population with fewer male workers entering the workforce
This leads to a stagnant or shrinking economy and reduced GDP
An unbalanced sex ratio affects crime rates, marital stability, and a woman's decisions to either focus on a career or start a family
Issues with the sex ratio
Sex ratio varies with age and demographic group and this is not shown in the final ratio
Males outnumber females at birth but have a higher mortality rate
Therefore, by the age of 50+, women typically outnumber men
The ratio may or may not include children or non-permanent residents such as students and temporary workers
Ageing
Also known as a greying population, every country has seen a growth in size and percentage of older persons in their population
In 2020, the number of people aged 60+ years outnumbered children younger than 5 years
In 2022, almost 10% of the world’s population (771 million people) were aged 65+ years
Between 2015 and 2050, the world's population over 60 years will nearly double from 12% to 22%
By 2050, two-thirds of the world’s population over 60 years will live in low- and middle-income countries
Places with a high elderly population in Japan (30%), Italy (24%), and Finland (23%)
Countries such as Qatar, Uganda, and Afghanistan have just 2% of their population aged 65+ years
Reasons for an ageing/greying population
Globally, mortality and fertility rates have decreased steadily over the last 50 years
Immigration usually offsets the effects of a country’s ageing population as immigrants are usually younger
But this is a short-term view, as immigrants also get older
Immigrants from countries with traditionally high family numbers (India etc.) will, with each generation, reduce the number of children they have as they begin to integrate within their adopted country
2nd and 3rd generation Indian migrants to the UK now have an average of 2.4 children compared to 4.4 within India
Also, as population ageing and falling fertility rates are a global occurrence, future migrant profiles may change
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