Information on developing countries
In developing countries like India death rates have also decreased but birth rates have remained extremely high.
Birth rates are high because:
- Children are needed to work and bring in an income for the family.
- Children are required to look after elderly parents because of a lack of pensionA sum of money paid to people upon their retirement..
- Lack of availability and knowledge of contraception and family planning.
- High infant mortality rates, so parents have more children in the hope that some survive.
- religious beliefsA strong belief in a supernatural power that controls human destiny.â certain religions encourage large families.
- In some developing countries, children can be viewed as a sign of virilityThe ability of a man to father many children can increase his status in certain cultures..
Death rates are fairly high because of:
- Lack of food caused by famineAn extreme lack of food that leads to large numbers of people starving to death..
- Malnutrition caused by poor diet.
- Poor sanitation and lack of clean drinking water.
- natural disastersThe threat of a naturally occurring event happening in a particular area, often without warning, which has negative impacts on people and the landscape e.g. tropical storms, earthquakes and volcanoes. destroying crops.
- High levels of disease, eg malaria.
- Lack of doctors, medicines and healthcare.
- War, eg Afghanistan.
As birth rates are higher than death rates there is rapid population growth in developing countries.