Compare and contrast the terms natural increase and fertility rate.
Natural increase in population is based on life expectancy plus the number of births per woman.
The fertility rate is the number of children produced by each woman.
In other words, a society with a low life expectancy may still increase its population if the average woman has many children.
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To compare and contrast the terms "natural increase" and "fertility rate," we need to understand their meanings.
1. Natural Increase: Natural increase refers to the difference between the number of births and the number of deaths in a population over a specific period of time. It measures the rate at which a population is growing or declining due to these natural factors, excluding other factors like migration. This calculation can be expressed as a percentage or a raw number.
To calculate the natural increase, follow these steps:
- Determine the number of births during the given period.
- Determine the number of deaths during the same period.
- Subtract the number of deaths from the number of births.
For example, if there were 1,000 births and 500 deaths in a population during a year, the natural increase would be 500 (1,000 - 500).
2. Fertility Rate: Fertility rate measures the average number of children born per woman or per thousand women in a specific population. It helps understand the reproductive behavior of a population. The fertility rate is often calculated for a given time period or as a total fertility rate (TFR), which represents the number of children a woman is expected to have over her lifetime.
To calculate the fertility rate, follow these steps:
- Collect data on the number of live births during a specific period.
- Determine the number of women or couples of childbearing age during that time period.
- Divide the number of live births by the number of women or couples of childbearing age and multiply by the appropriate unit (usually 1,000).
For example, if there were 500 live births in a year and 10,000 women of childbearing age, the fertility rate would be 50 (500/10,000 x 1,000).
Comparison:
- Both natural increase and fertility rate are demographic measures used to understand population dynamics.
- Natural increase refers to the difference between births and deaths, while fertility rate measures the average number of children per woman.
- Natural increase focuses on the overall population growth or decline, while fertility rate examines the reproductive behavior of women in a population.
- Natural increase takes into account changes in population size due to births and deaths, while fertility rate does not consider deaths in its calculation.
Contrast:
- Natural increase considers both births and deaths, whereas fertility rate only focuses on births.
- Natural increase measures the net change in population size, while fertility rate explains the reproductive behavior of women.
- Natural increase can be expressed as a percentage or a raw number, while fertility rate is usually expressed as a ratio or a rate per unit (e.g., per thousand women).
By understanding these definitions and differences, you can now compare and contrast the terms "natural increase" and "fertility rate."