1. Impacts of population change and
why sustainable development is
important

2. 1. Social, economic and political
impacts of population change
Developed Country (MEDC) Developing Country (LEDC)
Social
Economic
Political
LO: Impacts of population change and why sustainable development is important

3. A. Social
• In developing countries (LEDC’s) as the population
grows, there is a greater demand on resources (food,
clean water, housing, etc.) This means that some
people will miss out on the essentials of life.
• In developed countries (MEDC’s) life expectancy is
increasing and birth rates are falling. This means that;
1. More people require pensions
2. Fewer people are working and paying taxes
3. More care homes and staff (doctors, nurses, etc.) will be
needed.
LO: Impacts of population change and why sustainable development is important

4. B. Economic
• In developed counties (MEDC’s) the cost of
raising a child today is estimated to be £150,000.
This means that parents are put off having a lot of
children due to the costs.
• In developing countries (LEDC’s) children often
help with work (often on farms) or they can earn
money. Parents then use the money to help bring
up the children. They also suffer economically as
the most successful leave to go to an MEDC to do
the same job but to be paid a lot more, ‘Brian
Drain’
LO: Impacts of population change and why sustainable development is important

5. C. Political
• In developed countries (MEDC’s), governments
need to make sure that the population of their
country is not in decline (due to its impact
economically) so will often use migration to ‘top
up’ the population if needs be.
• In developing countries (LEDC’s) the birth rate is
high and this means that the government needs
to provide more schools and hospitals. This
means that governments need to plan for these
services and need to pay for them too.
LO: Impacts of population change and why sustainable development is important

6. 2. Need for sustainable
population development

7. 2. Need for sustainable population
development
• Sustainable population is when the population grows at a
rate that does not threaten past/future generations.
• This applies to countries that are in stage 3/4/5 of the
DTM.
• Stages 2 and 3 of the Butler Model/DTM are unsustainable
as the population is rising too quickly (problems of schools
and hospitals). Stage 5 will also mean further problems (too
few paying tax, more spending on Pensions and
healthcare).
• Having a sustainable population will mean that a country
will/will not avoid too many social, economic and political
problems.
LO: Impacts of population change and why sustainable development is important

8. Different birth control strategies for
developing countries
• Different countries can adopt different polices
that have an impact on the population;
LO: Impacts of population change and why sustainable development is important

9. CASE STUDY: ‘Non Birth Control’ in
Kerala, India
• Kerala is a state in southern India.
• In Kerala the local government has introduced
a non control method based on social change.
LO: Impacts of population change and why sustainable development is important

10. • Video here and here

11. Homework
• Use p184-5 and your notes to produce a
poster on how the birth rate in Kerala has
decreased.
• Remember to focus on social change.
LO: Impacts of population change and why sustainable development is important

12. Final question …
Imagine you are in charge of a small groups of
people on a tropical island, how would you try
to control the population of your island if it was
getting out of control?
LO: Impacts of population change and why sustainable development is important