Natural growth of population
Also called: Natural increase · Topic: World Population: Distribution, Density, Growth and Migration · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 2 "The World Population: Distribution, Density and Growth"; Class 12, Ch 1 "Population: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition"; Class 12, Ch 9 "Geographical Perspective on Selected Issues and Problems"
Meaning
Natural growth of population is the change in population caused only by births and deaths: births − deaths. Migration (people moving in or out) is ignored. As a rate, it equals the crude birth rate minus the crude death rate. Both rates are counted per 1,000 people, and dividing the result by 10 gives a percentage. A population grows naturally when deaths fall, and not only when births rise.
Example
Niger in West Africa has one of the highest total fertility rates in the world, above 5 children per woman (verify current). Births there are far higher than deaths, so the population grows fast, mainly through natural growth.
Don't confuse with
- Actual growth of population: this is births − deaths + in-migration − out-migration. It is very different from natural growth where many people move in or out, as in the Gulf states.
Related concepts
- Actual growth of population
- Positive growth of population
- Negative growth of population
- Population doubling time