World Population: Growth, Distribution, and Influencing Factors

Population

Population is the number of people who inhabit a particular place. Population is influenced by physical environment, settlement patterns, economic activities, and the history of an area.

Before the 19th Century

• Climate changes around 10,000 years ago led to the Neolithic Revolution. As agriculture developed and population became more sedentary, towns and cities were established. Population grew slowly because it was dependent on the resources available.
• Wars, epidemics, and large-scale migration also either limited or promoted population growth. In the first century A.D. the world population was about 256 million. It increased until the Black Death of 1342. By the mid-17th century, the world population surpassed 500 million, and in 1800 it reached 900 million.

World Population During the Modern Age

• At the beginning of this period, the world population grew more rapidly because of higher birth rates and lower death rates. The Industrial Revolution, which began in Great Britain during the 18th century, was the main reason. It led to a series of important demographic, economic, and social changes.
• Between 1800 and 1900, the world population almost doubled. In 1950, it reached 25,000 million, despite the deaths that resulted from the First and Second World Wars (70 million people) and the so-called Spanish flu pandemic (50-100 million people).
• Between 1950 and 1990, the world population doubled again, mostly due to growth in Africa, Asia, and South America.
• By the year 2000, it was more than 6,000 million, although its growth began to slow down to 70-80 million per year. In 2016, the world population exceeded 7,300 million.

World Population Distribution

The way in which people are spread across a given area is known as population distribution.

World population is very uneven. There are demographic deserts and super-populated areas.

High-Density Areas

Population density is the average number of people per square kilometer.

Population density = total population / total area in square kilometers

Population density around the globe depends on a range of factors:

• Favorable agricultural conditions: valleys, Mediterranean area...
• Large deposits of mineral resources: the Ruhr Valley in Germany and other important places during the Industrial Revolution.
• Industrial development and technological advances: the Blue Banana (Liverpool-Milan Axis).
• Favorable geographical location: most people of the world’s population live in areas with temperate climates, which encourage economic activity and urban development. Coastal areas, towns, and cities at the mouth of rivers and on straits facilitate communication and attract population.
• Areas with specialized services: trade and tourism, for instance.
• Administrative functions: national capitals such as Paris and London.