Rapid Population has social, Economic and Political Impacts-
Social
Services like healthcare and education can’t cope with the rapid increase in population.
Children have to work to support large families so they miss out on education.
There aren’t enough houses for everyone so overcrowded settlements -leads to health problems.
There will be food shortages
Low living standards and rising crimes
Pollution, traffic
Economic
There aren’t enough jobs for the number of people, so unemployment increases.
There’s increased poverty because more people are born into families that are already poor.
Huge international debts
Political
More focus on young people
Fewer old people so less focus on them
Unstable government
Strategies to Control Rapid Population Growth
Birth control programmes
Birth control programmes aim to reduce the birth rate. Some government do this by having laws about how many children couples are allowed to have. E.g. China. Government also help couples to plan how many children they want by offering free contraception and sex education.
Immigration laws
Immigration Laws aim to control immigration. Government can limit the number of people that are allowed to immigrate. They can also be selective about who the let in, e.g. letting in fewer people of child-bearing age.
Impacts of over population
Case Study- Sahel: A region of north-central Africa, south of the Sahara Desert
Desertification: Useful land turning into a desert Desertification
When there is a population increase there is a higher demand for food. Farmers respond by using the land more intensively by overgrazing, over-cultivation, irrigation and salinisation. This all results in