Population Explosion
The human population is ever-changing. After almost a million years of existence as an
independent species, the human population hit the mark of a billion during the early 1800s. This
is a hint that there was a very slow rate of population growth between the time period when
humans first set foot on earth until the 19th century at approximately 0.04% per year. But from
the 1800s onward there has been a huge boom regarding the increment of population. Compared
to the first billion occupiers which almost took a million years of independent living, the human
population rose to 2 billion in only 120 years. And the third billion was added to the population
in only 33 years.
This sudden increment in the population in regard to a precise area is known as a population
explosion. This increment in population is linked to a lot of demographic, economic and
environmental issues. According to studies, long-term population growth should not deviate
significantly from 0% to be sustainable. For the majority of human existence, population growth
has always been in the vicinity of that desired zero per cent. But since the 1800s with
industrialization, advances in public health and medicine, as well as a more consistent food
supply, resulted in a sharp dip in the death rate but not a comparable drop in the birth rate, the net
human population experienced significant growth and by the early 1960s this growth in
population was at its highest at 2.2% per annum. Population explosion first arrived on the scene
between 1750 and 1950 on a small scale with moderate intensity in America and Europe. From
1950 onwards a more fundamental growth in population occurred in the countries of Asia, Africa
and Latin America as much so that the population in the collective Asian countries skyrocketed
from 1.4 billion inhabitants in 1950 to 4.2 billion in 2010, conveying an increment of around 60
per cent. The continent of Africa on the other hand with a population of around 1.4 billion
inhabitants, demonstrated growth of around 6%.
It stands to reason that rising populations will put more strain on available resources. There
will be increasing demand for food, water, housing, energy, healthcare, transportation, and other
resources as there are more people. Ecological degradation, increased conflicts, higher risk of
disaster and pandemics are some of the shortlisted issues which may arise in regard to a boom in
the population. At the same time, population explosion also has an adverse effect on the
economy of a nation.
, JAPAN
Population Trends in Japan
An article issued by IMF in 2020 accessed Japan’s population to be ‘aging and shrinking
fast’, its population will also be the world’s oldest. The current population of 127 million will
shrink down by over a quarter and this change in population trends in Japan will also affect
global population trends along with posing economic and other challenges for the country.
(International Monetary Fund,2020)
The percentage of older population 65 plus is about 29.8% the highest ever seen in history and
among countries worldwide. Population aging is a sign of good health facilities and economic
growth of a country and Japan has certainly been leading the felid but the repercussions have led
to a growing number of senior citizens. Another side of the same coin is the falling of the birth
rate below the death rate results in the decline of the population and reduction of the young
workforce. (Nakatani,2019)
Causes of the population decline in Japan
What makes Japan different from the rest of the countries are the following factors:-
1. Japan post war baby boom was short- The baby boom in Japan lasted for approximately
only three years as compared to other G7 nations where the period went on ranging from
9 to 20 years, now this was inevitable to change the demographic status of the country
when the post war boomer babies reached retirement age.
2. Japan’s healthcare system- In as early as 1978 surpassing all the economies of the G20
Japan extended life expectancy, this combined with low fertility rates lead to a steady
increase in the old- age dependency ratio.
3. Small immigration inflows- On the demographics that are rapidly decreasing and
dwindling, Japan stands out from other G7 nations as its inflow of foreign workers has
been far less as compared to an estimate 17.4 percent in the US and 17 percent in the UK,
foreign workers made up only approximately 2.2% of Japan's overall labour force in
2018. (Hong and Schneider,2020)
4. Social factors affecting fertility- The Japanese name for the trend of having fewer
children is called shoshika. This pattern during the last few decades is the outcome of
several connected factors. To start, people are getting married later in life and far less
frequently than in the past. To begin with marriages are happening at a later age and far
less frequently. The answer to the question as to why this is happening is the patterns of
marriage and birth-rates in Japan have been significantly impacted by the expansion of
women's educational and employment options. More women than ever before are
graduating from college, increasing their chances for employment. (Stewart,2007)
5. A significant obstacle to beginning a family or having more children is the absence of
equal male partner responsibility for child care. After having their first child, women
frequently leave the profession and are effectively shut out of high-skilled positions due
to Japan's conservative corporate culture, which favours hiring recent graduates. This
The human population is ever-changing. After almost a million years of existence as an
independent species, the human population hit the mark of a billion during the early 1800s. This
is a hint that there was a very slow rate of population growth between the time period when
humans first set foot on earth until the 19th century at approximately 0.04% per year. But from
the 1800s onward there has been a huge boom regarding the increment of population. Compared
to the first billion occupiers which almost took a million years of independent living, the human
population rose to 2 billion in only 120 years. And the third billion was added to the population
in only 33 years.
This sudden increment in the population in regard to a precise area is known as a population
explosion. This increment in population is linked to a lot of demographic, economic and
environmental issues. According to studies, long-term population growth should not deviate
significantly from 0% to be sustainable. For the majority of human existence, population growth
has always been in the vicinity of that desired zero per cent. But since the 1800s with
industrialization, advances in public health and medicine, as well as a more consistent food
supply, resulted in a sharp dip in the death rate but not a comparable drop in the birth rate, the net
human population experienced significant growth and by the early 1960s this growth in
population was at its highest at 2.2% per annum. Population explosion first arrived on the scene
between 1750 and 1950 on a small scale with moderate intensity in America and Europe. From
1950 onwards a more fundamental growth in population occurred in the countries of Asia, Africa
and Latin America as much so that the population in the collective Asian countries skyrocketed
from 1.4 billion inhabitants in 1950 to 4.2 billion in 2010, conveying an increment of around 60
per cent. The continent of Africa on the other hand with a population of around 1.4 billion
inhabitants, demonstrated growth of around 6%.
It stands to reason that rising populations will put more strain on available resources. There
will be increasing demand for food, water, housing, energy, healthcare, transportation, and other
resources as there are more people. Ecological degradation, increased conflicts, higher risk of
disaster and pandemics are some of the shortlisted issues which may arise in regard to a boom in
the population. At the same time, population explosion also has an adverse effect on the
economy of a nation.
, JAPAN
Population Trends in Japan
An article issued by IMF in 2020 accessed Japan’s population to be ‘aging and shrinking
fast’, its population will also be the world’s oldest. The current population of 127 million will
shrink down by over a quarter and this change in population trends in Japan will also affect
global population trends along with posing economic and other challenges for the country.
(International Monetary Fund,2020)
The percentage of older population 65 plus is about 29.8% the highest ever seen in history and
among countries worldwide. Population aging is a sign of good health facilities and economic
growth of a country and Japan has certainly been leading the felid but the repercussions have led
to a growing number of senior citizens. Another side of the same coin is the falling of the birth
rate below the death rate results in the decline of the population and reduction of the young
workforce. (Nakatani,2019)
Causes of the population decline in Japan
What makes Japan different from the rest of the countries are the following factors:-
1. Japan post war baby boom was short- The baby boom in Japan lasted for approximately
only three years as compared to other G7 nations where the period went on ranging from
9 to 20 years, now this was inevitable to change the demographic status of the country
when the post war boomer babies reached retirement age.
2. Japan’s healthcare system- In as early as 1978 surpassing all the economies of the G20
Japan extended life expectancy, this combined with low fertility rates lead to a steady
increase in the old- age dependency ratio.
3. Small immigration inflows- On the demographics that are rapidly decreasing and
dwindling, Japan stands out from other G7 nations as its inflow of foreign workers has
been far less as compared to an estimate 17.4 percent in the US and 17 percent in the UK,
foreign workers made up only approximately 2.2% of Japan's overall labour force in
2018. (Hong and Schneider,2020)
4. Social factors affecting fertility- The Japanese name for the trend of having fewer
children is called shoshika. This pattern during the last few decades is the outcome of
several connected factors. To start, people are getting married later in life and far less
frequently than in the past. To begin with marriages are happening at a later age and far
less frequently. The answer to the question as to why this is happening is the patterns of
marriage and birth-rates in Japan have been significantly impacted by the expansion of
women's educational and employment options. More women than ever before are
graduating from college, increasing their chances for employment. (Stewart,2007)
5. A significant obstacle to beginning a family or having more children is the absence of
equal male partner responsibility for child care. After having their first child, women
frequently leave the profession and are effectively shut out of high-skilled positions due
to Japan's conservative corporate culture, which favours hiring recent graduates. This
