BANGLADESH STUDIES: 9(A) POPULATION STRUCTURE

What is demography?

Demography is the branch of knowledge that deals with human population, especially the statistical analysis of births, deaths,
migrations, disease etc, in order to illustrate the conditions of life in communities

Birth rate :The birth rate is the average number of births during a year per 1000 people in the population estimated at mid-
year.

Death rate: The death rate is the average number of deaths per 1000 people in the population estimated at mid-year.

Infant mortality: Infant mortality is the number of infants dying between birth and the age of one year, expressed per 1000 live
births.

Life expectancy: Life expectancy is the number of years that an average person is expected to live as determined by the
mortality rate.

The natural increase in population: The natural increase in population is defined as the rate at which a population cohort is
increasing or decreasing in any given year. It is the difference between the birth rate and death rate, expressed as a percentage
of the base population.

The dependency ratio: The dependency ratio is the proportion of the economically dependent part of the population to the
productive part (aged 15 to 64 years). It gives an estimate of the share of dependents that the economically active population
has to support.

Total Fertility Rate: The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is the projected average number of children born to each woman over the
course of her life. It measures the total number of children a woman will bear in her lifetime on the assumption that the current
level of fertility continues.

Gender / Sex: The share of males and females in the total population is nearly equal, with the males slightly ahead. In 1990, the
total male population was 55.7 million whilst that of females was 52.6 million. This is projected to increase to 91 million males
and 88.6 females in 2025.

 The  current population of Bangladesh is 166,356,515 as of Friday, July 9, 2021, based on World meter elaboration of
the latest UN data.  Bangladesh 2020 population is estimated at 164,689,383 people at mid year according to UN
data.

Population Rank : 8
Growth Rate : 1.03% (110th)
World Percentage : 2.13%
Density :1278/km² (10th)

Population pyramids : show the structure of a population by comparing relative numbers of people in different age groups.

 Population structures differ markedly between Less Economically Developed Countries LEDCs and More Economically
Developed Countries MEDCs.
 The shape of a population pyramid can tell us a lot about an area's population.
 Usually pyramids are drawn with the % of male population on the left and % of female population on the right.
 It gives us information about birth and death rates as well as life expectancy.
 A population pyramid tells us how many dependents there are. There are two groups of dependents; young
dependents (aged below 15) and elderly dependents (aged over 65).
 Dependents rely upon the economically active for economic support.
 Many LEDCs have a high number of young dependents , this means that the pyramid will have a wide base and the
sides of the pyramid will decrease as fewer people will reach old age 
  However, many MEDCs have a growing number of elderly dependents , this will be shown by the pyramid having
straight sides or a barrel shape. The pyramid will also be much taller.

Population Structure :

Q. What are the reasons for increasing life expectancy in Bangladesh?

Ans. Life expectancy depends on many factors including nutrition , health care and income.Bangladesh had a great
development in general level which resulted in the increase of life expectancy.

Q. Why has the population growth rate recently fallen?

Ans. The population growth rate in Bangladesh recently fallen for the following reasons:

 Improved knowledge about the importance of a balanced diet and regular exercise.

 Success of family planning measures. Birth rates are falling as people choose to have smaller families later in life.
 Improvements in health care and medicine.
 Reduction in poverty.
 Improved living standards and quality of life.Gradually increased living conditions affected the population growth
rate.
 Governmental and non governmental health organisation created awareness among people about affects of having
more children.

Topic: 9(b) Population growth

Reasons of population growth in Bangladesh:

High fertility rates in the past, coupled with falling death rates (better access to medicine, better maternal and child care) have
meant that Bangladesh still has tremendous in built growth potential given the age structure of its population.

Higher rate of the female population is of reproductive age (15 to 49 years).

Why is the population now growing more slowly?

 Greater education and health awareness, particularly amongst the female population has increased. This has meant
that women are more willing and able to take advantage of the greater availability of family planning methods.
 Slow but steady improvement in economic prosperity also has an impact on the calculations of some parents who can
now look forward to educating their children for a better life rather than relying on a large family for economic
security.
 Success of family planning measures.

The problems caused by population growth:

 The immediate effect of this is felt in the educational sector.

 Population growth also has implications for the provision of healthcare.
 An increase in the population also has a direct impact on the rural economy by raising the number of landless
individuals.
 The growing population that has to find employment opportunities outside agriculture also creates pressure on the
non-agricultural sectors.

The problems caused by a growth in population:

Education – lack of facilities: The immediate effect of this is felt in the educational sector where the high enrolment rate caused
by increasing population puts pressure. It is worsening the teacher-student ratio which becomes ineffective.

Healthcare – lack of doctors and medical institutions: Population growth also has implications for the provision of healthcare.
The doctor-population ratio, the hospital bed-population ratio and the per capita health expenditure are not sufficient with the
growing demand.

Rural economy - lack of land: An increase in the population also has a direct impact on the rural economy by raising the number
of landless individuals. As small farms get subdivided amongst many children, many of them become economically unviable,
and the owners have to sell their tiny plots and become landless laborers. They are forced to go into non-agricultural activities
in the rural areas, or work for other farmers, or to migrate to the cities or abroad.

Employment - lack of jobs: The growing population that has to find employment opportunities outside agriculture also creates
pressure on the non-agricultural sectors. Much of this increase will have to find jobs outside the agricultural sector in
manufacturing, industry, and services.

Migration – Rural to urban: People migrate from rural to urban area to get various job facilities and supply of food which is
causing urban population growth.

Possible solutions:

Family planning

Education programs
Maternal health and post partum education

Employment opportunities for women

Changing attitude of people to birth control

Family planning is only likely to work if the availability of birth control methods is combined with education, employment
opportunities for women, and growing economic prosperity that induces parents to plan education and investment in children
rather than maximizing family size as an economic survival strategy.

Workbook: Page-181

Q.Write 3 differences between the two countries’ population structure.

Ans: *Bangladesh has more population than South Korea.

Birth rate and death rate high in Bangladesh.

Life expectancy less in Bangladesh. [Bangladesh- 72.32 (2018) South Korea- 82.63 (2018)]

Q. Which age group in Bangladesh makes up the largest number?

Ans. Age: 5-9

Q. Which age group in Bangladesh has the least number?

Ans: 80+ age group has least number of people in Bangladesh

Q. Does the Bangladesh pyramid show more women or more men in the population? Can you give three reasons for your
answer?

Ans: It shows more men than women because of –

Desire for a boy.

Women are not health conscious.

Men are given more importance than women.

Q. In Bangladesh pyramid there is a ‘dip’ in the 10-14 year age group. Can you suggest reasons for this?

Ans: High infant mortality rate

Topic : 9(c) Population movements

Human migration involves the movement of people from one place to another with intentions of settling, permanently or
temporarily, at a new location.

Causes of migration in Bangladesh:

 Inadequate housing
  Unemployment
 Insufficient family assets
 Earn money for family
 Close family outside Bangladesh
 Presence of Bangladeshi communities in destination countries
 Desire for travel
 Lack of opportunity for job
 Inadequate earning
 Lack of suitable employment

Reasons for Rural-Urban migration:

-Landless from villages ‘pushed’

out of their place of birth, Lure of better opportunities ‘pulled’ towards urban centres

Recently, women migrants are being offered opportunities in Bangladesh’s growing garment industry

Consequences of Rural-Urban Migration:

-Strain on urban resources

Pressure on urban infrastructure: housing education, sewage, other

Rise in crime rate

Solutions of migration problem:

What can be done?

Rural-urban migration is a historical phenomenon and cannot be reversed. However, migration matched by infrastructure
investment (in schools, housing, sanitation etc.) can help alleviate the problems.

International migration:

 International migration is the movement of people from one country to another .

 Most international migrants are moving for economic or social reasons.
 They are seeking better standard of living, or wish to be with relatives.

Consequences of International Migration:

Positive Consequences:

Brings in foreign exchange that helps with balance of trade

Takes pressure off the unemployment problems

Enhances investment locally

Negative Consequences:

‘Brain Drain’; Loss of professionals/semi-professionals : doctors, engineers, teachers, accountants, computer experts

Loss of skilled, semi-skilled workers: carpenters, masons

Loss of unskilled workers: construction workers, day laborers, cleaners

Reasons for rural-urban migration:

 natural hazards, land scarcity, an unequal distribution of land and a high proportion of landless labour.
 more diversified livelihood opportunities
 higher probability of finding work, higher wages
 the existence of a network of friends and relatives in the target destination greater educational possibilities
 the greater availability of informal sector activities

Reasons for International migration:

 unemployment and underemployment at own country , including the difficulties of finding jobs or better job
opportunities in the urban areas.
 higher incomes offered by the international labour market, even for unskilled jobs.
 a pro-active governmental attempt to enhance migration to the Middle East and other areas to bring in much needed
foreign exchange.

Glossary

demographic transition model :This is a model which shows how population has changed over time. It shows how birth rate
and death rate have influenced the total population of a place and changed over the years. 

Dependency: This shows us the balance between the working population (aged 16 – 64) with the non-working population. 

LEDC: Less Economically Developed Country – usually a poorer country found in South America, Africa or Asia.

MEDC :More Economically Developed Country – usually a rich country found in Western Europe or North America.

natural increase: A rise in the number of people due to a higher birth rate than death rate.

population change: The population of an area is never static. It is dynamic and is always changing – a population can change
naturally due to births and deaths or artificially by migration.

population pyramid: A population pyramid is a special graph that can be used to show the specific age breakdown of a
population.

population structure: The number of males and females in each age group that are found within a specific place.