ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE : HUMAN POPULATION AND ENVIRONMENT 227
Current Population Trends
Currently, the world population is over 5.5 billion. By the year 2010, this is expected
to increase to just over 7 billion people. In Africa, Asia, and Latin America, which already
have nearly 80 percent of the world population. The total population of Africa, Asia, and
Latin America will increase from the current 4.4 billion to over 7 billion by 20 I 0, when they
will contain 83 percent of the world’s people. These regions not only have the highest
population growth rates, but also have the lowest per capita gross national product (GNP).
The GNP is an index that measures the total goods and services generated within a country.
This large difference in economic well being is reflected in a dissimilarity in the standard
of living, an abstract measure of the degree to which necessities and comforts of daily life
are met.
Table 7.2: Population growth rates in selected countries (1993)S.No. Country Births Deaths Infant Rate of Time Needed
per 1,999 per 1,000 Mortality natural to double
Rate (deaths increase population
per 1,000) (annual %) (years)- Germany 10 11 6.7 0.1 -
- Belgium 13 11 8.4 0.2 330
- United Kingdom 14 11 7.1 0.3 267
- Japan 10 7 4.7 0.3 217
- Sweden 14 11 6.2 0.3 210
- USSR (Former) 16 11 2.8 0.6 123
- United States 16 9 8.6 0.8 82
- Canada 15 7 6.8 0.8 87
- Argentina 21 8 25.6 1.3 53
- Turkey 29 7 59.0 2.2 32
- Paraguay 34 6 48.0 2.7 26
- Afghanistan 49 22 168.0 2.8 25
- Ethiopia 47 20 127.0 2.8 25
- Zimbabwe 41 11 59.0 3.0 23
- Guatemala 39 7 59.0 3.1 22
- Syria 45 7 48.0 3.8 18
Source: Enger & Smith, 1995
Consequences of Continued Population Growth
As the human population continues to increase, the pressure for the necessities of life
will become greater. Differences in standard of living between developed and less-developed
countries will remain great because most population increases will occur in less-developed
countries. The supply of fuel and other resources is dwindling. The pressure for these
resources will intensify as the industrialized countries seek to maintain their current standard