Population Increase
- The world's population is increasing by approximately 80 million people a year
- In 1804 the world population was 1 billion
- Population growth was steady and low
- It then took just over 100 years for the population to double to 2 billion
Exam Tip
In the exam you may be asked to describe population change on a graph. Remember to consider the following points
- What is the main trend? Is it increasing, decreasing or staying about the same?
- Has the change been rapid or slow?
- Have changes occurred during specific times?
- Are there any anomalies?
- Don't forget to use figures from the graph
- The rate of increase after 1930 was then more rapid and led to a population explosion
- The fastest increase in population happened during the 1980s and 1990s
- Population growth rate is the average annual change of the population size during a set period of time, usually a year
- The population is still increasing but at a slower rate
- In 1970 the growth rate was 2%
- In 2022 the growth rate is under 1%
- It is predicted by the UN that the population will stabilise at around 11 billion in 2100
Exam Tip
Population increase is not the same as the population growth rate. The population can increase at different rates. The rate at which it is increasing is known as the population growth rate.