high pop growth birth rates

• Factors leading to high birth rates in LDCs

  • Early marriages
  • Preference for sons
  • Need for farm labour
  • Protection against old age
  • Lack of family planning
• Early marriages


  Lead to longer child-bearing years and more frequent pregnancies

  customary for women to wed early in sime countries longer child-bearing years = higher BR
• Preference for sons


  Sons can carry on the family name and work on the family farm - they dont move away when they marry
• Need for farm labour


  most poeple depend of agricultural activities

  Most people in LDCs practice Subsistence farming- where produce is just enough for their families farming requires a lot of manual labour

  unable to afford machinery so rely on family members.
• Protection against old age

  More children can ensure aged parents will be cared for, as there is limited pension/retirement support

  perception as children as security
• Lack of family planning


  family planning is absent because Limited education, limited access to family planning advice eg: clinics, and due to traditional values and beliefs

  • family planning refers to making careful decisions about the number of children to have and planning + preparing for the expenses required
• Improvements in medical and healthcare


  Medical care refers to the availability to hospitals, clinics and doctors.

  Healthcare refers to immunisation, nutritional knowledge, and availability of other measures aimed at improving quality of life.

  This has enabled babies to survive past the 1st year, which increases the Infant mortality rate.

  For example, under the national Childhood IMmunisation programme in Singapore, vaccination fo measles and rubella was made compulsory in 1976.

  Elderly live longer, which increases life expectancy and how long they life.
• Better hygiene 


  Less prone to falling sick and contracting disesases.

  There is a lower death rate due to availability of supply of clean water and sanitation
• Consequence: Higher demand for resources

  Need for increased food supplies. Use technology to improve food production. For example, irrigation and improved seeds and High Yielding varieties.
• C: HIgher demand for housing

  competition leads to insufficient housing, particularly in cities due to migration in the country. There is insufficient land for buildings/houses, so squarter settlements are formed.

  Squatter settlements = informal; poor quality housing with no basic services. These are built on illegally available land. Materials are flimsy…
• Higher demand for education


  There is a need for sufficient schools and teachers when more babies are born. LDCs lack funds which cause them to not have enough money to build the schools. Not everyone gets a good education
• Higher demand for jobs

  A lot of people competing for a limited number of jobs.

  An estimated 30 million new jobs have to be created in the world every year if every new person reaching

  working age is to have a job.
• environmental problems


  Larger population creates more waste. Land and water pollution when waste is not properly disposed of
• Educating people about family planning


  Making careful decision about the encumber of children to have, and planning and preparing for the expenses needed. Lead people to carefully consider cost of raising children.
• Free sterilisation 


  Offer incentives by using medical procedures that will limit the number of births
• Improving healthcare

  Healthcare reduces DR especially among children. Less need for families to have more children
• Raise female literacy rates

  Think more about family sizes. Know and understand more about family planning. Creates job opportunities for females, which less time for family and children = delay child bearing.