Flex 10:
Population issues in South Asia:
name(s):
You should also read the population and settlement section in the South Asia
Chapter 12 (pages 513 – 515 in red textbook, pages 504-505 in blue textbook).
In addition read the following excerpts from an article concerning Islam and
Population planning in South Asia.
Excerpts from "Family Planning and Islam: A Review" in
by Khalid Farooq Akbar
Hamdard Islamicus Vol. XVII, No. 3
"In Pakistan, demographic matters have gained prime importance because of an
unprecedented large increase in her population. Pakistan is the ninth most
populous country in the world. According to an estimate, it's population was
112 million in 1990 and would increase to 163 million in 2003. [1] The
population of Pakistan is growing at a rate of 3.0% which is among the
highest in the world. [2]
This gigantic increase in population has emerged as a matter of great public
concern because it is undermining our efforts to raise living standards of
our people. It is true that due to mechanized agriculture, use of fertilizers
and cultivation of high yielding varieties of grains, agricultural output has
increased considerably. Industries are also expanding. But the country is not
showing sufficient signs of progress because progress made by Pakistan is
being nullified by her rapid population growth.
Every year, more than 3.37 million new individuals are added. [3] Due to this
population explosion, Pakistan is least able to provide large additions of
youngsters with food, clothing and education, and of young adults with jobs,
housing and other consumer essentials, while trying to break out of the
vicious circle of poverty.
The gravity of this crisis, as a cause of impending mass misery, as a threat
to social system, and as a major obstacle in the path of our efforts to raise
levels of living, had been acknowledged in the '50s. Pakistan is among those
countries who first of all started government sponsored population control
programmes. But in the last 30 years, after spending nearly five billion
rupees on population control campaigns, we have failed to restrain the rate
of population growth. [4] There is little evidence of any positive results of
these programmes except some slogans printed on postal envelopes and some
billboards with jingles.
The eighties brought a renewed recognition of the urgency of the population
and development question in Pakistan. We are entering or have already entered
a phase of net food deficit and can avert food shortages only if we embark
upon extensive programmes of modernizing our agriculture and, at the same
time, try to limit our population growth to manageable levels.
By analysing the cause of failure of family planning programmes in Pakistan-given the fact that hundreds of millions of rupees have been spent by
national and international agencies--it has been felt that ambiguity over the
way Islam views family planning has been a primary obstacle to the large
scale acceptance of family planning programmes. Many Muslims, including
religious scholars, have misperceptions about family planning within the
context of Islam. This article is an effort to clear these misconceptions
that many Muslims have about the lawfulness of birth control in Islam."
Conclusion
The early followers of Islam were few and weak in the midst of a vast
majority of aggressive and oppressive people. The good of the Muslims then
required that there should be a call for the multiplication of their numbers,
in order that they might be able at the time to fulfil their responsibilities
in defending the mission of Islam and protecting the true religion of Allah
against the power and multitudinous adversaries threatening it. But now we
find that conditions have changed. We find that the density of population in
the world threatens a serious reduction in the living standards of mankind to
the extent that many men of thought have been prompted to seek family
planning in every country so that the resources may not fall short of
ensuring a decent living for it's people to provide public service for them.
Islam, as the religion of pristine nature, has never been opposed to what is
good to man. Indeed it has always been ahead in the effort towards the
achievement of this good so long as it is not in conflict with the purposes
of Allah's law.
Family planning, understood by Islam, is not opposed to marriage or to the
begetting of children, nor does it's concept imply disbelief in the doctrine
of fate and Divine dispensation--for Allah Almighty has bestowed reason upon
man to enable him to distinguish between the useful and the harmful, and to
help him follow the path that would assure him happiness in this world as
well as in the world to come.
Use the demographic data for Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India to complete the
questions below:
Bangladesh
Demographic Indicators:
2000 and 2025
2000
Births per 1,000 population....................
29
Deaths per 1,000 population....................
9
Life expectancy at birth (years)............... 60.2
Infant deaths per 1,000 live births............
72
Total fertility rate (per woman)............... 3.2
2025
22
7
69.0
34
2.8
Midyear Population Estimates and Average Annual Period Growth Rates:
1950 to 2050
(Population in thousands, rate in percent)
Midyear Population, by Age and Sex:
(Population in thousands)
AGE
TOTAL
0-4
5-9
10-14
15-19
20-24
25-29
30-34
35-39
40-44
45-49
50-54
55-59
2000 and 2025
------------2000----------TOTAL
MALE
FEMALE
130,407
15,883
13,894
18,387
17,059
12,286
10,823
8,716
7,474
6,512
5,315
4,108
3,202
66,940
8,177
7,169
9,307
8,795
6,229
5,460
4,381
3,746
3,305
2,787
2,207
1,731
63,467
7,706
6,725
9,080
8,264
6,057
5,363
4,335
3,727
3,208
2,528
1,901
1,471
------------2025----------TOTAL
MALE
FEMALE
204,539
20,942
20,251
20,121
19,648
17,599
14,570
12,981
17,336
15,970
11,300
9,654
7,395
104,404
10,774
10,418
10,338
10,076
9,002
7,435
6,627
8,723
8,218
5,737
4,885
3,721
100,135
10,169
9,833
9,783
9,572
8,597
7,135
6,354
8,613
7,752
5,563
4,769
3,674
60-64
65-69
70-74
75-79
80+
2,444
1,744
1,206
710
644
1,303
933
652
396
362
Pakistan
Demographic Indicators:
1,141
811
555
314
282
5,880
4,572
3,116
1,817
1,385
2000 and 2025
Births per 1,000 population....................
32
Deaths per 1,000 population....................
10
Annual rate of growth (percent)................ 2.2
Life expectancy at birth (years)............... 61.1
Infant deaths per 1,000 live births............
82
Total fertility rate (per woman)............... 4.6
Midyear Population, by Age and Sex:
(Population in thousands)
AGE
TOTAL
0-4
5-9
10-14
15-19
20-24
25-29
30-34
35-39
40-44
45-49
50-54
55-59
60-64
65-69
70-74
75-79
80+
72,488
10,547
10,079
9,254
7,830
6,700
5,559
4,873
3,957
3,233
2,481
1,913
1,721
1,484
1,149
808
523
376
India
Demographic Indicators:
2000
2,952
2,297
1,531
877
663
19
6
1.2
69.8
40
2.3
2025
2000 and 2025
------------2000----------TOTAL
MALE
FEMALE
141,554
20,534
19,553
17,939
15,141
12,942
10,706
9,439
7,711
6,391
4,998
3,920
3,498
2,987
2,317
1,637
1,071
770
2,928
2,275
1,586
940
722
69,066
9,987
9,474
8,684
7,311
6,242
5,146
4,566
3,754
3,159
2,517
2,006
1,777
1,503
1,168
829
548
394
2000 and 2025
------------2025----------TOTAL
MALE
FEMALE
213,338
19,459
19,316
19,241
19,227
19,292
19,204
18,605
16,909
14,057
11,821
9,595
8,229
6,396
4,874
3,296
2,010
1,808
108,669
9,970
9,907
9,873
9,870
9,905
9,860
9,557
8,691
7,230
6,068
4,921
4,166
3,175
2,336
1,506
868
766
2000
Births per 1,000 population....................
25
Deaths per 1,000 population....................
9
Life expectancy at birth (years)............... 62.5
Infant deaths per 1,000 live births............
65
Total fertility rate (per woman)............... 3.1
104,669
9,488
9,408
9,369
9,357
9,387
9,344
9,048
8,218
6,827
5,753
4,674
4,063
3,220
2,538
1,790
1,141
1,041
2025
17
8
70.9
30
2.2
Midyear Population, by Age and Sex: 2000 and 2025
(Population in thousands)
------------2000----------------------2025----------AGE
TOTAL
MALE
FEMALE
TOTAL
MALE
FEMALE
TOTAL
1,002,708 518,379 484,329
1,361,625 695,346 666,279
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, International Data Base, October 2002 version
1. What are the crude population densities of Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India given the areas are
144,000 sq km, 804,000 sq km, and 3,300,000 sq km respectively. (show your work)
Bangladesh = 130,400,000/144,000 = 905 people/sq km
Pakistan = 141,000,000/804,000 = 175 people/sq km
India 1,003,000,000/3,300,000 = 303 people/sq km
2. Calculate the RNIs for Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India in 2000. (Show your work)
RNI = (Crude Births – Crude Deaths) per 1000 people
Bangladesh = (29-9) = 20 per 1000 people or 2%
Pakistan = (32-10) = 22 per 1000 people or 2.2%
India = (25-9) =16 per 1000 people or 1.6%
3. Use the graph paper to construct population pyramids based on 2000 data for Bangladesh, and
Pakistan. Graph each age cohort (y-axis) by numbers or percentages (x-axis). An example for
India is shown in figure 1:
Bangladesh
Pakistan
4. What are the total fertility rates for Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India?
Bangladesh = 3.2
Pakistan = 4.6
India = 3.1
5. Looking at crude population densities alone, which of the three nations is under the most
spatial pressure to use family planning methods to control population?
Bangladesh has the densest population at 905 people per sq km.
6. Use the population data and statistics you have calculated to draft a statement supporting
which nation appears to be the furthest in the demographic transition and include which stage of
the transition the nation likely is in currently.
Although India has a wide base or a large young population it does have relatively more people
living into the higher age cohorts. This is indicative of a better health care system and
development. India has the lowest TFR and RNI which indicate that a number of things could be
occurring to slow population growth such as economic development, improving the status of
women and men through education, ands/or the implementation of family planning programs.
Based on these data and comparative analysis India appears to be furthest along in the
demographic transition; most likely in the beginning transition of stage 3.
7. According to your textbook what are the family planning methods employed in each nation
draft statements about how family planning metods have these methods been or not been
successful in changing population growth rates and in particular influencing TFR's.
India: India has had areas that have been very successful at lowering population rates through
family planning and have seen the most dramatic increases where women's literacy rates have
increased. Sterilization is one method of family planning practiced in India. 27% of India's
married women are now sterilized and male sterilization is also common.
Pakistan
Pakistan appear to have an ambivalent attitude toward family planning and does not have an
effective coordinated effort towards lowering birth rates. As a result TFR remains the highest in
the region.
**side note. The 2000 data on this worksheet shows substantial improvement over the figures in
the textbook. Which data source is correct?
Bangladesh:
Due to the intense pressures of overpopulation the Bangladeshi government has aggressively
pursued family planning. It has seen the most significant decreases in TFR over the past 3
decades. The emphasis of family planning has revolved around oral contraception. In addition
the economic development strides associated with the Grameen Bank have probably played a
role in decreasing TFR as well.