Historical Development of World Population Trends

Historical Development of the World's Population

Definition: A population is a group of people who live in a territory or a place at a particular moment in time.

World Population until the Industrial Revolution

From the Neolithic Revolution onwards, population growth has been determined by agricultural areas, the natural environment, and catastrophic events such as wars and epidemics. After the Black Death epidemic in the 14th century, the world population slowly recovered.

Historical estimates: 1650 — 516 million inhabitants. 1750 — 791 million.

World Population: 19th to 21st Centuries

The Industrial Revolution, which began in the 18th century and developed significantly during the middle of the 19th century, was a great force for change behind the growth and transformation of human society. As the birth rate increased and the mortality rate decreased, the world population started to grow.

Estimates: 1800 — 890 million people. 1900 — 1.2 billion.

Demographic Models

• Old demographic regime: This has high birth and mortality rates, and therefore limited natural growth. This regime is typical of preindustrial societies.
• Demographic transition regime: This has several stages. At first, it has large birth rates but high mortality rates. As mortality falls, population grows rapidly. At the end of the transition, birth rates decrease and growth is smaller. This was the regime that existed in Europe after the Industrial Revolution. Population pyramids of this model are progressive: they have a large base of young people and a small elderly population.
• Modern demographic regime: Mortality and birth rates stagnate at very low levels, leading to near-zero growth. This type of regime existed in Europe at the end of the 20th century.
• Regressive demographic stage: Nowadays, certain countries are undergoing natural negative growth. This means there are more deaths than births. Only the arrival of immigrants can slightly increase birth rates. This model is the kind found in more developed countries.

Migrations

Migrations are the movements of people from their native countries to other places. People who leave their countries are referred to as emigrants, and when they reach their new destinations they are called immigrants.

Types:

• Duration: These include seasonal migrations.
• Causes of migration: These are mostly economic causes.
• Destination: Destinations can be regional, continental, or intercontinental.

Countries of Emigration and Immigration

Areas that are less developed produce many continental and intercontinental emigrants. Africa, India, China (...) are the main emigration areas. Immigration countries are the developed ones, such as the USA, Canada (...). Spain has traditionally been a country of emigration.