Patterns of Population Distribution in the World

The population distribution patterns in the world can be determined by the demographic characteristics of any area. Population distribution and density patterns help us understand the demographic characteristics of any area. The term population distribution refers to how people are distributed across the earth’s surface. Approximately 10% of the world’s land area is home to 90% of the world’s population.

The world’s ten most populous countries account for roughly 60% of the global population. Six of these ten countries are in Asia. The population growth or population change of a territory refers to the change in the number of inhabitants over a specific time period. This change could be both positive and negative. It can be expressed either in absolute numbers or as a percentage. Population change in a region is an important indicator of economic development, social upliftment, and the region’s historical and cultural background.

Population Distribution

• The term population distribution pertains to the pattern of distribution of people all over the earth’s surface. Approximately, 90  of the current world population lives in around 10 percent of the available land area. 
• Broadly, a vast majority of about 60 per cent of the current world’s population is covered by around 10 most populous counties in the world.                     

The density of Population:

• It is generally the ratio of the total number of people to that of the size of the land. Calculating the density of population is important to understand the pattern of population inflation
• The population density is calculated using the number of persons living in a square kilometre

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Factors influencing the Distribution of Population

Population distribution can be influenced by various factors. Out of which, some of the geographical factors and economic factors act more. Here are a few economic and geographic factors, to mention a few. They indirectly govern the population distribution and density of population

Geographic Factors

• Climate: Human habitation cannot handle extreme climates, which are very hot or cold deserts; hence, a very low population is found in such areas. People are more attracted to and prefer areas with a comfortable climate, with little seasonal variation, and a staple environment. For example, historians from early periods inhabited the Mediterranean regions because of their pleasant climate and supporting weather
• Soil: Fertile soil is a must for agricultural and allied activities. Fertile loamy soil is very important for agriculture as it supports intensive agriculture, and gradually, more population is found in these regions.

Economic Factors

• Minerals: Industries are largely found in the areas where large mineral deposits surround. This generates greater employability. The skilled and semi-skilled workers who are in search of employment move to these areas. This increases the density of population in such areas. Katanga Zambia copper belt in Africa is the classic example in this scenario due to its abundant mineral resources

• Urbanisation: Urbanisation happened because of migration from rural to urban areas. The creation of urban areas resulted in improved overall life quality in terms of employment, educational opportunities, transport, etc. Which are better than that of the rural areas. The rural to urban migration happens due to the attraction of city life and amenities availability, which results in the increase of the population size in the city or urban region.

• Industrialisation: Industrial belts have good job opportunities. which attracts a large group of people to the areas of industries. This not just includes the industry operators, but, jobs such as transport operators, shopkeepers, bank employees, doctors, and other such services also get attracted. A classic example of population density due to industrial development is the Kobe-Osaka region of Japan. It became thickly populated due to several industries. 

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Social and Cultural Factors

• Places with religious or cultural significance also attract a large number of people
• Places with social and political unrest don’t excite population density to increase 
• In recent times, schemes, where governments offer grants for people to live in sparsely populated areas and move away from overcrowded places, have arisen

Population Growth

• The term population growth or population change means the number of people inhabiting or entering a particular country or a region during a specific time. This can be either positive or negative
• The population density can be indicated in numbers or terms of percentage
• Economic development of a particular area, social upliftment, regional development, and background change, etc., can be estimated or evaluated with the measure of population change in a particular area

Migration:  

• Basic terminology to learn under migration is Place of origin and Place of destination. 

The place of origin is the location from which one has migrated, and the place of destination is the location to which one has arrived after migration. This clearly shows a decrease in population in the origin location and an increase in population in the destination location.

• Migration is also said to be an attempt to achieve population and resource balance.
• Migrants can be permanent, seasonal, or transitory.
• People may migrate from one location to another. They can occur from rural to rural, rural to urban, urban to urban, and urban to rural areas.
• Immigrants are migrant workers who move from their place of origin to another location.
• Emigrants are people who have left their home country.

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Factors that influence migration:

• The Push factors: Moving out of a place or shifting from a place of origin makes the place less attractive and results in unemployment, poor living conditions, unpleasant climate, etc.
• The Pull factors: Pull factors make the destination place more attractive than the place of origin. The new place may be better for job opportunities and living conditions, security of life and property, peace and stability, and a pleasant climate.

Basic Concepts of Population Geography

Growth of Population: The change in population in an area between two points of time is called population growth.

Growth Rate of Population: The population change expressed in terms of percentage is called the population growth rate.

Natural Growth of Population: Natural growth of population is the difference between births and deaths in a specific region between two points of time.

Natural Growth = Births in an area – Deaths in an area

Actual Growth of Population:  Births in an area – Deaths in an area + Migration into the area – Migration out of the area.

Positive Growth of Population:  Positive growth of population can be determined when a larger birth rate than the death rate is observed between two-time points. It can also be calculated when a huge number of people migrate to that place permanently, which increases the population density over the area. 

Negative Growth of Population: The negative growth of population can be determined when there is a fall in the birth rate below the death date at a particular place over a time. When people move out or migrate from a particular place to another, creating a dip in the population density in that particular place. 

In conclusion: 

Population geography relates spatial variations in population distribution, composition, migration, and growth to terrain. Population geography refers to demography in a geographical context. a] It focuses on population distribution characteristics that change in a spatial context. This frequently includes factors such as population density and how the size and composition of these populations are influenced by demographic processes such as fertility, mortality, and migration.