Population (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Economics)

Italy is home to the world’s oldest bank and some of the world’s oldest car producers. Internationally, both industries are facing a number of challenges. The wages of bank workers and car workers are increasing. Demand for bank loans and for cars is changing, in part, due to changes in population size. It is predicted that the price elasticity of demand (PED) for cars will also change in the future. 

Explain two reasons why emigration from a country may increase.

Explain two reasons for Istanbul’s increased population

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Russia’s birth rate fell by 11% in 2017 to its lowest level for a decade. Over the next 30 years, Russia’s population is forecast to fall from 144 million to 107 million. The government announced measures to reverse this decline in population. In 2017, it also announced privatisation plans and measures to reverse a decrease in investment which could lead to a fall in the quantity of capital goods. Privatisation can reduce monopoly power in a market.

Explain two causes of a fall in the birth rate.

In 2016, France had a trade in services deficit. France is a rich, developed country with a high standard of living. The country is, however, facing several challenges including population problems. Also, after elections in 2017, politicians and economists debated whether the country should try to move towards freer international trade. 

Explain two population problems a rich, developed country may experience.

Explain, using information from the extract, why the size of Japan’s population has fallen in recent years.

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Explain, using information from the extract, two reasons for Russia’s declining population.

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African countries are expected to experience growth in their output. It is also predicted that Africa’s population will increase from 1.1bn in 2017 to 4.2bn by 2100, when Nigeria will account for one in twelve of the world’s births. Nigeria and South Africa are expected to experience the greatest rise in investment (spending on capital goods) over this period, and a change in their gender distribution.

Analyse the disadvantages of a rapidly growing population

Australia’s economic growth rate has fallen in recent years. Its Human Development Index (HDI), however, is high and in 2016, Australia had the second highest HDI in the world. The Australian government hopes that the country’s birth rate will rise from a low of 12.1 in 2016. An increasing proportion of Australian children are going to private sector schools. Their parents have to pay a fee for them to attend these schools. 

Analyse the effects of a rise in a country’s birth rate.

Some economists have claimed that the 21st century will be the ‘African century’ because of the growth in their working-age population. Forecasts show that by 2030, Africa’s contribution to the increase in the global labour force will exceed that from the rest of the world. This will affect incomes, saving, and economic policies in African countries.

Analyse the reasons for countries having different population growth rates.

Analyse, using Fig. 1.1, what happened to India’s output and population over the period shown.

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In 2015, Spain experienced a higher death rate than birth rate for the first time since 1939. It is forecast that its population will fall by 5.6 million over the next 50 years. Such a decline would be likely to influence the number and size of the country’s firms and have an impact on the environment. There are a variety of ways of increasing a country’s population.

Analyse the impact a declining population could have on the environment.

Since 1990, the population of Lithuania has fallen by one fifth because of net emigration. People usually leave in search of better living standards. In 2015, there were signs of improved macroeconomic performance as real GDP per head rose and unemployment fell. People expected that the decline in unemployment would affect the country’s inflation rate and might also turn the government’s budget deficit into a budget surplus. 

Discuss whether or not a country will gain from the emigration of some of its people.

Discuss whether or not the immigration of workers would be likely to benefit the Indonesian economy. 

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It is predicted that the UK economy will avoid another recession in the next two decades and that its population will increase significantly by 2040. Most of this predicted increase will come from immigration. By 2040, it is also expected that one in twelve people will be aged over 80. A number of countries, including some low-income countries, may have a more rapid population growth rate than high-income countries.

Discuss whether or not low-income countries have a faster rate of population growth than high-income countries

Discuss whether or not Japan will benefit from employing more migrant workers.

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Some economists have claimed that the 21st century will be the ‘African century’ because of the growth in their working-age population. Forecasts show that by 2030, Africa’s contribution to the increase in the global labour force will exceed that from the rest of the world. This will affect incomes, saving, and economic policies in African countries.

Discuss whether or not a rise in the working-age population, as a percentage of the total population, will be beneficial to a country.

Discuss whether or not having a young population is a benefit to an economy.

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During a recent recession in Europe, Spain had an unemployment rate of over 25%. This led to high levels of emigration from Spain into higher-wage European economies such as Germany and the UK. This has created both opportunities and problems in countries where immigration was higher than emigration.

Discuss whether the economic advantages of immigration into countries such as the UK and Germany outweigh the economic disadvantages.

Discuss whether or not a high rate of unemployment would always cause emigration.

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In October 2015, the Chinese government switched from its one child policy to a two child policy partly because of the challenges caused by an ageing population. The birth rate was falling anyway due to rising female participation in the labour force, improvements in education, later marriages and the rapidly rising price of housing.

Discuss whether or not a rise in the birth rate will benefit an economy.