Reproduction of the population briefly. Types and features of population reproduction in various groups of countries and regions of the world

The combination of birth and death rates determines the features of the process of constant renewal of generations of people. The main trend in the demographic development of society is a gradual decrease in the level of both fertility and mortality.. However, the dynamics of each of the indicators, their ratio and, as a result, the amount of natural growth vary significantly both in time and space. The evolution of fertility and mortality is well reflected in the concept of the so-called "demographic transition". The essence of this theory boils down to the fact that fertility and mortality are determined not so much by biological laws as by socio-economic conditions. According to this theory, the demographic situation in different countries and regions of the world has a similar development trend. Initially, it is characterized by high rates of both fertility and mortality. Then the death rate begins to gradually decrease due to the improvement of socio-economic conditions, while the birth rate remains at the same level or decreases at a much slower rate than the death rate. Further, both the birth rate and the death rate gradually stabilize at a low level.

In accordance with the evolution of society, different countries and regions of the Earth are today at different stages of demographic development, which predetermine the existence at the same time of several historical types of population reproduction , characterized by a set of demographic indicators.

First and the earliest of them, the so-called archetype reproduction of the population, which corresponds to the first phase of the "demographic transition". He dominated the primitive society, which was at the stage of the appropriating economy, and is now very rare, for example, among some tribes of the Indians of the Amazon. These peoples mortality so high that them number may be reduced .

In a significant part of the developing countries (Mexico, Brazil, the Philippines, etc.), the "traditional" type of population reproduction has changed over the past decades. The mortality rate has dropped significantly (to 6-10%) due to improved health care and medical advances in the fight against infectious diseases. But the traditionally high birth rate is largely preserved. As a result, the population growth here is very high - 2.5 - 3.0% per year. It is these countries with a "transitional" type of population reproduction that predetermine high rates world population growth in the second half of the 20th century.

The third, so-called " modern" or "rational" type reproduction of the population, is generated by the transition from an agrarian to an industrial economy, a decrease in human dependence on nature. The conditions for the reproduction of demographic relations are changing radically, becoming more flexible and allowing for broad freedom of individual choice. This type of population reproduction is characterized low birth rate , close to the global average mortality rate , low natural increase and high average duration life. It is typical for economically developed countries with more high level life and culture of the inhabitants. The low birth rate here is closely related to the conscious regulation of the size of families, and the high percentage of elderly people primarily affects the mortality rate. In Germany and Denmark, the death rate prevails over the birth rate, and their population is growing only due to migration.

In today's world, mortality rates in most countries do not differ much. Although it should be noted that the reasons for this situation are different. For example, in Western Europe, much more favorable socio-economic conditions for people's lives have been created than in developing countries, and the average life expectancy is higher here, but at the same time, mortality rates are comparable, and sometimes even higher, than in developing countries. This is due to the fact that in the countries of Western Europe there is a large proportion of the elderly (there is an "aging of the nation"). Therefore, one of the approaches separates the types of population reproduction mainly in terms of the birth rate. In accordance with this approach, two types of population reproduction are distinguished:

The first type of reproduction ("demographic winter") is characterized by low birth rates (up to 15%o) and low or medium mortality. As a result, the natural increase for countries with this type of reproduction is not high and does not exceed 10%. This type of reproduction is typical for economically developed countries. In countries with the 1st type of population reproduction, even demographic crises can be observed, i.e. natural population decline.

The second type of reproduction (“demographic spring”) is characterized by high birth rates and, as a result, high natural population growth. Mortality with this type of reproduction can be medium, and sometimes low. Developing countries belong to the second category.

It should be noted that the division of countries and territories according to the types of population reproduction is very conditional. There are many countries whose demographic development today does not have pronounced features of one or another type of population reproduction. Therefore, it is often used to characterize countries concrete indicators natural population growth. According to this indicator, countries and territories are divided into five groups (see table).

The types of population reproduction changed with the development of human civilization. Experts have identified three main stages through which society has passed: the stage of appropriating economy, agrarian and industrial. In this regard, the types of population reproduction are also classified.

The archetype is characteristic for several tens of thousands of years from the beginning of the development of human history. This first type arose even under the dominance of the appropriating (hunting, gathering, fishing) economy. characteristic feature was the high dependence of people on the environment around them.

That primitive period was characterized by a small number and low population. Gradually, the appropriating economy passed to the producing (agrarian) one - cattle breeding and agriculture began to develop. This period is called the Neolithic Revolution. Thus, the prerequisites for the development of the next type appeared.

There was a second type of population reproduction for several millennia. This period was characterized by the almost absolute dominance of the agrarian economy. The main indicators at this stage were the high birth and death rates. At the same time, which is typical, the latter overlapped the former at that time, which ultimately led to low growth among the population. According to demographers, the main regulator then was mortality, which in some way stimulated the birth rate. Other types of population reproduction are characterized by other growth mechanisms.

The era of the 18th and 19th centuries became a turning point in the development of the general economy of society. As you know, they started industrial revolutions in European countries, and by the 20th century they covered all states in the world. During this period, the modern type of population reproduction began to form.

The new stage in the development of society is characterized by a direction towards the formation of a completely different demographic situation, the use of completely different mechanisms.

Man has become less dependent on nature, health care has made significant progress, the general standard of living has risen - all this has led to a pronounced reduction in mortality, an increase in life expectancy (on average). These factors led to an increase in natural growth.

Significant flexibility and activity of demographic relations, which ensure the freedom of choice of the family, should be considered important features that other types of population reproduction did not possess at the new stage. At the same time, there is a significant increase in efficiency, controllability in this period. For this reason, experts call modern look reproduction by the rational type.

All processes of a demographic nature require in-depth study and then interpretation. In the course of their study, the concepts of and revolution appeared. In some sources, these definitions are considered as equivalent. In others, the demographic revolution is characterized as the completion of the transition. In such cases, they speak of three revolutions in human history: the Neolithic, the period of the 18th-19th centuries, and the era of the second half of the 20th century.

Each demographic revolution corresponds to a transition to a new type of population reproduction. Such a scientifically substantiated understanding of the change of stages created the prerequisites for the development of the theory of transition. The main task in this case is to explain the nature of changes and sequence in the structure of the process of mortality, fertility, natural population growth, as well as to assess long-term trends.

The first and second types of population reproduction. The first type of population reproduction. demographic crisis. For the first type of population reproduction (synonyms: emographic “winter”, modern or rational type reproduction) are characterized by low rates of fertility, mortality and, accordingly, natural increase.

It became widespread primarily in the economic developed countries, where the proportion of older people is growing all the time; this in itself lowers the birth rate and increases the death rate. The decline in the birth rate in industrialized countries is usually associated with the spread of an urban lifestyle, in which children for parents turn out to be a “burden”. IN industrial production The service sector requires highly qualified personnel.

The consequence of this is the need for long-term studies, lasting up to 21-23 years. A strong influence on the decision to have a second child has a woman's high involvement in the labor process, her desire to make a career, to be financially independent. But even among the countries of the first type of population reproduction, three subgroups can be distinguished. First, these are countries with an average annual population growth of 0.5-1% (or 5-10 people per 1000 inhabitants, or 5-10%o). In such countries (for example, the USA, Canada, Australia), a fairly significant increase in population is ensured. This requires that approximately one half of all families have their two children, and the other three.

Two children over time “replace” their parents, and the third one covers the loss from illnesses, accidents, etc. and “compensates” for the absence of offspring in the childless, and also provides a sufficient overall increase.

Secondly, these are countries with “zero” or close to it natural growth. Such an increase (for example, in Italy, Great Britain, Poland) no longer ensures an expanded reproduction of the population, which usually stabilizes at the achieved level. Thirdly, these are countries with negative natural growth, i.e. where the death rate exceeds the birth rate. As a result, the number of their inhabitants is not only growing, but even decreasing. Demographers call this phenomenon depopulation (or demographic crisis). It is most typical for Europe, where already a dozen and a half countries (Belarus, Hungary, Bulgaria, etc.) have a negative natural increase.

Recently, Russia has also become one of these countries (9 people per 1,000 inhabitants). So, in general, the economically developed countries of the world (the average natural increase is 0.4% o) are characterized by the so-called “rational” or “modern” type of population reproduction, which basically corresponds to the urban lifestyle of their population. But this does not exclude the possibility that a number of European countries are experiencing a demographic crisis that has a negative effect or may affect their development. 1.2. The second type of population reproduction. "Population explosion". The second type of population reproduction is characterized by high and very high birth rates and natural increase and relatively low mortality rates.

It is typical primarily for developing countries. Developing countries with the highest population growth in 1995-2000 Countries Natural increase, %o Countries Natural increase, %o Yemen 38 Benin 28 Somalia 34 Ghana 28 Niger 32 Liberia 28 Mali 31 Mauritania 28 DR Congo 31 Pakistan 28 Oman 31 3.

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>>Geography: Population size and reproduction

Population size and reproduction

1. World population: very fast growth!

Geographers and demographers make extensive use of population census data in their work. Ever since the beginning of the 19th century. there were more than 2,000 such censuses in the world, which today in most developed countries are carried out every five or ten years. .

According to estimates by demographic statisticians, more than 100 billion people have been born on Earth in the entire history of mankind. But throughout most of this history population growth was slow, and acceleration came only in the period of modern and especially modern times. So, over the past millennium, the first doubling of the population took 600 years, for the second 250, for the third about 100, and for the fourth a little more than 40 years. This means that never before has the world population increased as rapidly as in the middle and second half of the 20th century! In 1950, it reached 2.5 billion, in 1980, 4.4 billion, and in 2006, 6.5 billion people. .

Example. If at the beginning of the twentieth century the absolute annual increase in the population of the Earth was 10 - 15 million, and in the middle of the century 40-50 million, then in the 80-90s of the twentieth century. it reached 80-85 million people, which exceeds the number of inhabitants in any European state, except Russia.

1 Ethnology ( ethnography, from Greek. ethpos tribe, people) is the science of the origin of peoples (ethnic groups), their characteristic features and the relationship between them, which are determined by ethnic processes.

2 Demography(from the Greek detos people and ggapho I write) the science of the patterns of population reproduction, studying its size, natural increase, age and sex composition, etc.

However, in different regions of the world, the population today is growing differently: in some slowly, in others faster, and in others very quickly. This is due to the different nature of its reproduction. (Exercise 1.)

2. The concept of population reproduction.

The scientific theory of population considers the population involved in labor like g the main productive force of society, the basis of all social production. Constantly interacting with nature (the geographical environment), the population plays an active role in its transformation. At the same time, the population, and each of you feels it for yourself, also acts as the main consumer of all created wealth. That's why number population is one of the important factors in the development of each country, and of all mankind.

In turn, population growth depends on the nature of its reproduction.

Under the reproduction (natural movement) of the population is understood the totality of the processes of fertility, mortality and natural increase, which ensure the continuous renewal and change of human generations.

Fertility, mortality, natural population growth are basically biological processes. But nevertheless, the socio-economic conditions of people's lives, as well as the relationship between them in society and in the family, have a decisive influence on them. . The mortality rate depends primarily on the material conditions of people's lives: nutrition, sanitary and hygienic conditions of work and life, on the development health care. The birth rate also depends on the socio-economic structure of society, on the living conditions of people. But this dependence is much more complex and controversial, causing a lot of controversy in science. As a rule, as prosperity and culture grow, women become more and more involved in industrial and social activities, the duration of children's education increases, and the “price of a child” generally increases, the birth rate decreases. But the growth of incomes can also serve as an incentive to increase it.

A very large negative impact on the reproduction of the population is exerted by wars, primarily world wars, which lead to huge human losses both as a result of direct military operations, and as a result of the spread of hunger and disease, and the breaking of family ties.

In the most simplified, generalized form, we can talk about two types of population reproduction.

3. The first type of population reproduction: the demographic crisis.

The first type of population reproduction is characterized by low birth rates, death rates and, accordingly, natural growth. It has become widespread primarily in economically developed countries, where the proportion of elderly and old people is constantly growing; this in itself reduces the birth rate and increases the death rate of the population.

However, in addition to the demographic factor, socio-economic reasons also play an important role, causing increased mortality from diseases, disorder in life, military conflicts, an increase in crime, industrial injuries, various natural and man-made disasters, accidents, as well as from deterioration in the quality of environment. But even among the countries of the first type of reproduction, three subgroups can be distinguished. First, these are countries with an average annual natural population growth of approximately 0.5% (or 5 people per 1,000 inhabitants, or 5%0). In such countries, examples of which are the United States, Canada, Australia, a fairly significant increase in population is ensured.

This requires that approximately half of all families have two children, and half three. Two children over time "replace" their parents, and the third not only covers the loss from illnesses, accidents, etc., and compensates for the lack of offspring among the childless. but also provides a sufficient overall increase.

Secondly, these are countries with zero natural growth or close to it. Such an increase no longer ensures an expanded reproduction of the population, which usually stabilizes at the achieved level.
Example. All countries of the second subgroup are in Europe. These are Belgium, Denmark, Portugal, Poland. Sweden. The population in these countries is no longer growing.

Thirdly, these are countries with a negative natural increase, i.e., those where the death rate exceeds the birth rate.
As a result, the number of their inhabitants not only does not grow, but even decreases. Demographers call this phenomenon depopulation 1(or demographic crisis). It is most typical for Europe.

Example. At the beginning of the XXI century. In Europe, there were already 15 countries with negative natural population growth. Of the CIS countries, they include Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, in which the socio-economic crisis that occurred in the 90s affected the indicators of natural population growth. 20th century (see table 12 in "Appendices").

1 D e pop u l i qi i(from the French depopulatiop) a decrease in the population of a country, region as a result of narrowed reproduction, leading to its absolute loss.

The transition from a large family characteristic of old Russia to a small family took place in our country during the period of the existence of the Soviet Union. But in the 90s. 20th century First of all, with the emergence of a deep socio-economic crisis, a real “collapse)) of natural population growth began. The birth rate in Russia (10.4 people per 1000 inhabitants) and at the beginning of the XXI century. remains very low.

Until relatively recently, the type of population reproduction that has developed in economically developed countries was often called rational. However, in the first half of the 90s of the twentieth century. its indicator dropped to 2% 0, and at the beginning of the XXI century. actually became zero. At the same time, many European countries have already entered the demographic crisis which adversely affects or may affect their entire development in the future.

4. The second type of population reproduction: population explosion.

For in topogo type of reproduction The population is characterized by high and very high birth rates and natural increase and relatively low mortality rates. It is typical primarily for developing countries.

After gaining independence, these countries were able to make wider use of the achievements of modern medicine, sanitation and hygiene, primarily to combat epidemic diseases. This led to a rather sharp reduction in mortality. The birth rate, for the most part, remained at a high level.

Of course, this is largely due to the persistence of thousands of years of tradition of early marriage and large families. . The average family size is now 6 people; as a rule, this is a three-generation family (parents, their children and grandchildren). In addition, it remains the main means of preserving living wage and children still serve as the main support of parents in old age. Yes, and infant mortality in these countries is still significant. Factors such as the prevalence of rural population, insufficient level of education, weak involvement of women in production.

At the beginning of the XXI century. the average annual rate of natural growth in developing countries was 1.6%, that is, it was 16 times higher than in economically developed countries!

But even against this background, the least developed countries stand out, where 800 million people live, or more than 1/10 of the world's population. They are distinguished by the highest birth rates and natural growth (2.4%); that is why it is among them that one should look for “world record holders”.

You will find “record holders” in terms of average annual population growth among the countries of Tropical Africa and Southwest Asia. . (Task 2.)

Such a phenomenon of rapid population growth in countries of the second type of reproduction in the middle of the twentieth century. received a figurative name in the literature population explosion. Today, these countries (together with China) account for more than 4/5 of the total population of the planet and more than 95% of it. annual growth. This means that out of 130 million children born each year, 124 million are born in developing countries. Including the population of Asia increases annually by about 40 million people, Africa by almost 30 million, Latin America more than 9 million

If in 1900 of the 15 largest countries in the world by number of inhabitants seven were in Europe, five in Asia and three in America, then in 2005 only two remained in this list. European countries(Germany and Russia), but now there are eight Asian (China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Japan, Vietnam, Philippines), as well as three American (USA, Brazil, Mexico), two African (Nigeria, Egypt) (see .table 14 in the "Appendices").

Along with this, it is impossible not to pay attention to the fact that in some more "advanced" developing countries, a rather noticeable decrease in the rate of natural population growth has already begun. Examples of this kind are Brazil, India, Turkey, Morocco, Tunisia. And China, Argentina, Chile, Sri Lanka, Thailand have actually moved into the group of countries of the first type of reproduction.

Nevertheless, developing countries have and will continue to have a decisive impact on the size and reproduction of the population, primarily by determining demographic situation worldwide.(Creative task 3.)

5. Demographic policy management of population reproduction.

Nowadays, most countries of the world seek to manage the reproduction of the population by conducting a state demographic policy.

Demographic policy is a system of administrative, economic, propaganda and other measures by which the state influences the natural movement of the population (primarily the birth rate) in the desired direction. It is clear that the direction of demographic policy depends primarily on the demographic situation in a given country.

In countries of the first type of population reproduction, demographic policy is predominant, aimed at increasing the birth rate and natural population growth. It is carried out mainly through various economic stimulus measures, such as lump-sum loans to newlyweds, birth allowances for each child, monthly allowances for children, paid holidays, etc. France, Japan, and Russia can serve as examples of countries pursuing an active demographic policy.

Most of the countries of the second type of reproduction in recent decades began to implement a demographic policy aimed at reducing the birth rate and natural population growth. Perhaps the greatest efforts in this regard are made by the two most big countries world China and India.

Example 1 The Chinese Constitution states that spouses must carry out planned childbearing. A committee on planned childbearing has been created, and permission from local authorities must be obtained for the birth of a child. A later age for marriage has been established. During the period of study at the institute, marriages, as a rule, are not allowed. The main motto of the demographic policy of the People's Republic of China is: "One family - one child." The implementation of this policy has already yielded results.

Example 2 India was the first developing country to adopt a national family planning program as an official program back in 1951. public policy. The age of marriage was significantly raised, mass voluntary sterilization of the population is carried out, a family of four is promoted under the motto: "We are two - we are two." As a result of these measures, the birth rate and natural increase decreased somewhat, but nevertheless, almost 1/5 of all newborns in the world are children born in India.

However, many difficulties arise in the way of implementing demographic policy, not only financial and economic, but also moral and ethical. In the 90s of the twentieth century. Especially great discussions were caused by the question of the right of a woman to terminate a pregnancy, which the Catholic Church sharply opposed. . Many Muslim Arab countries, especially in Southwest Asia, for reasons of religious morality generally reject any "family planning" measures. No demographic policy is pursued by most of the least developed countries of Tropical Africa.

6. Theory of demographic transition.

An important scientific basis for conducting demographic policy is the theory demographic transition, which explains the sequence of changes in demographic processes. The scheme of such a transition itself includes four successive stages.

For first stage, which covered almost the entire history of mankind, were characterized by very high birth and death rates and, accordingly, very low natural increase; now it is almost never seen.

Second phase characterized by a sharp reduction in mortality (thanks primarily to the successes of medicine) while maintaining the traditional high birth rate. This "fork" between the first and second indicators became the initial cause of the population explosion.

The third stage is characterized by the persistence of low mortality rates (and sometimes even their slight increase associated with the “aging” of the population). The birth rate is also declining, but usually still slightly exceeds the death rate, ensuring a moderate expanded reproduction and population growth.

When moving to fourth stage birth and death rates are the same. This means a transition to population stabilization. (Task 4.)

7. The quality of the population as a new complex concept.

Recently, in science and practice, indicators that characterize not only the quantity but also the quality of the population have become increasingly important. This is a complex, complex concept that takes into account economic (employment, per capita income, caloric intake), social (level of health care, security of citizens, development of democratic institutions), cultural (level of literacy, provision of cultural institutions, printed products), environmental (state of the environment) and other living conditions.

Recently the UN and others international organizations in determining the quality of the population of the country, the main attention is paid to the state of his health, which, in turn, largely depends on the level of health care, the general standard of living. In the second half of the twentieth century. notable progress has been made in this respect, including in developing countries. However, many problems still remain unresolved.

Example. The world average infant mortality rate is 55 children per 1,000 live births. In economically developed countries, it is only 8 children, while in developing countries it is 60, and in the least developed 100. Moreover, in Africa and Asia there are still countries where this figure reaches 150-160 (Liberia, Niger, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan ).

Another important generalizing criterion for the state of health of a nation is the indicator life expectancy one . At the beginning of the XXI century. it averages 66 years for the whole world (64 years for men AND 68 years for women). The corresponding figures for economically developed countries are 72 and 80, for developing countries 62 and 66, including 51 and 53 for the least developed countries.

Example 1 The highest average life expectancy in the world in Japan is 82 years (men 79, women 86). Sweden, Iceland, Spain, Canada have almost the same figures (see Table 15 of the Appendix).

Example 2 The lowest average life expectancy in the world is in the African countries of Zambia and Sierra Leone (32-34 years). Similar indicators are slightly higher for some other countries of Tropical Africa (see table 15 of the "Appendices").

1 Average life expectancy - life expectancy of the population, which is determined using calculations based on the theory of probability. It depends both on biological, hereditary characteristics, and on the conditions of nutrition, work, life. Measured in years.

Average life expectancy in Russia in the 90s. decreased under the influence of the socio-economic crisis, amounting to about 65.3 years in 2005 (59 years for men and 72 years for women). By the way, there is no such a huge gap between the indicators of both sexes in any other country in the world.

Another important indicator of the quality of the population is the level of literacy. In economically developed countries, illiteracy has actually been completely or almost completely eliminated. But in the developing countries, in spite of the recent progress, the level of education in general is still quite low, especially among the rural inhabitants.

Example. In Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, more than 80% of all residents are illiterate, in Somalia more than 70%, in Senegal, Liberia, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Bangladesh more than 50%.

According to the UN, in 1990 about 960 million people could neither read nor write. Since then, with the ongoing population explosion, the total number of illiterates has fallen by 150 million. The absolute number of illiterate people is particularly high in South and East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. In South Asia, illiterates make up about half of the total population.

The totality of indicators such as mortality and fertility determines in a particular society the peculiarities of the renewal of generations. The main trend of demographic development is a gradual decrease in both the birth rate and the death rate. The dynamics of both of these indicators, their ratio, and, consequently, the natural increase are different both in space and in time.

In this article, we will consider various types of population reproduction, describe each of them in detail, and give examples.

The concept of "demographic transition"

The evolution of mortality and fertility is reflected in the concept of "demographic transition". This theory is that it is primarily due to socio-economic factors, not biological ones. According to this view, in different regions and countries of the world the demographic situation has a similar trend of its development. First, there are high rates of mortality and fertility, and then the mortality gradually begins to decrease due to the fact that economic and social conditions, while the birth rate remains at the same level or decreases much more slowly. After some time, both of these indicators stabilize gradually at a low level.

Different regions of the Earth and countries, in accordance with social evolution, are today at different stages of their demographic development, due to which there are several types of reproduction at the same time, which are characterized by a combination of relevant demographic indicators.

archetype

The earliest and first of these is called the archetype, corresponds to the phase of the so-called "demographic transition". The archetype dominated the primitive society that was at the level of the appropriating economy, and today it is very rare, for example, in some Indian tribes of the Amazon. In these peoples, the mortality rate is so high that the number of their inhabitants may be reduced. There are other types of population reproduction. We present you the next one.

"Traditional" type

The second type of population reproduction, called "patriarchal" or "traditional", exists when the material base is poorly developed, there is a strong dependence of people on the forces of nature. A similar type dominates in an agrarian or industrial society in its early stages. Its main distinguishing features are a very high birth rate, but at the same time mortality, low life expectancy of the population. People are guided by the maximum number of births. Cultural and social traditions encourage having many children, which contributes to the best functioning of the family in an agrarian society. High mortality is a consequence of the fact that the standard of living of these people is low, they are malnourished and engaged in hard work, receive insufficient medical care.

In many developing countries (Brazil, Mexico, Philippines, etc.) this "traditional" type of reproduction has changed over the past decades. The mortality rate has significantly decreased (up to 6-10%), as health care has improved, in particular, the successes of medicine in the fight against various infectious diseases have been noted. However, the traditionally high birth rate remains largely unchanged. The population growth as a result of this is very large, it is about 2.5-3% per year. These countries of the type called "transitional" predetermine high rates of population growth in the second half of the 20th century.

"Modern" type

We continue to tell you about the features of mortality and fertility in different states. Types of population reproduction are supplemented by one more. The next, third, so-called "rational" or "modern", takes place during the transition to an industrial economy from an agrarian one, a decrease in dependence on nature. The conditions of demographic relations are changing radically, they are becoming more flexible, and therefore allow for wide freedom of personal choice. The "modern" type of population reproduction is marked by a low birth rate, a mortality rate close to the average on the planet, a small natural increase, and a high life expectancy. It is present in the economic developed countries with a higher level of culture and life of the population. Low fertility is closely related here to the conscious choice of family size, there is a large percentage older people, which has an impact on the mortality rate. In Denmark and Germany, mortality prevails over it, so the number increases only due to migration.

These are the main types of population reproduction.

Two types in terms of fertility

Today, in most countries, mortality rates differ insignificantly. But it should be noted that the reasons for this situation are different in them. For example, in Western Europe there are conditions that are much more favorable in socio-economic terms than in developing countries. Life expectancy is correspondingly higher, but mortality rates are comparable, and sometimes even higher, than in some developing countries. This happens because in Western Europe there are a large number of elderly people (that is, there is a so-called "aging of the nation"). Consequently, according to one of the approaches, types are divided mainly according to the birth rate. Thus, the following types of population reproduction can be distinguished (there are only two of them).

"Population Winter"

The first of them is called "demographic winter", marked by a low birth rate (up to 15%), as well as an average or low mortality rate. Natural growth, as a result, for countries with a "demographic winter" is quite low - it does not exceed ten percent. The first type of reproduction of the country's population is characteristic of economically developed states. In countries with it, there may even be demographic crises, in other words, natural decline population.

"Demographic Spring"

The second type ("demographic spring") has a high birth rate, therefore, a large natural increase. With such reproduction, mortality can be medium, sometimes low. It includes developing countries.

It should be noted that the division of territories and countries into types of population reproduction is very conditional. There are many states whose demographic development does not have pronounced features of one type or another. Therefore, in order to characterize countries on a demographic basis, specific indicators of population growth are sometimes used. Thus, five groups can be distinguished. They are characterized by natural growth: very high, high, medium, low and negative.

One of the most important tasks facing the geographical sciences that study population is to identify the demographic situation (situation), understood as a state in a certain period of time of demographic processes, which is a certain stage of a long-term trend in which the population develops. In order to analyze it, it is necessary to determine the mode and type of reproduction of a separate social community or territory, for which the most important demographic indicators are used.

Type of reproduction of the population of China

China is a state that has recently experienced great changes in social sphere. At present, this country is characterized by the first type of population reproduction - low mortality and birth rates.

The policy of the state to limit the birth rate (one child per family) has recently borne fruit. In China today, its coefficient is approximately 1.7-1.8 (that is, this is the number of children per average mother), while for simple reproduction a factor of 2.1 is required.

The population of this country last years slowly increases due to the fact that life expectancy is growing, and not due to the birth rate. The proportion of older people is constantly increasing in China, which is also an indicator characteristic of countries that make up the first type of population reproduction.

The transition from the second to the first was also facilitated by economic development rapidly developing in recent decades. All this improves the demographic situation of the country. Today we can definitely say that the type of reproduction of the population of China is precisely the first.