Maarg Manthan · Topic 9.6

Population Challenges in Developing and Developed Countries

Geography › Population and Demography · Topic 9.6

Population problems differ between developing and developed countries. Developing countries face rapid growth and a young population, poverty, unemployment, pressure on food, health and schooling, rapid unplanned urbanisation, and degradation of the environment. Developed countries face the opposite: low fertility, population ageing, shrinking workforces, high costs of pensions and health care, and a need for immigrants. Both groups face challenges from migration, inequality and climate change.

5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Geography · Population and Demography

At a Glance

Developing High growth, young, poor
Developed Low fertility, ageing
Youth issue Jobs and skills
Ageing issue Pensions and care
Shared Migration and climate
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Geography: Population and Demography

Where Does It Fit?

This topic follows the theories of population growth and shows their outcomes in different parts of the world. It also connects with the policies of the topics that follow, which are the attempts to deal with these problems. Previous topic: Theories of Population Growth: Malthusian Theory, Marxian Theory, Demographic Transition Theory. Next topic: Census of India: Literacy, Sex Ratio, Family Planning, Old Age Dependency, Age Structure, Density, Population Growth.

What Are the Challenges of Developing Countries?

Rapid growth and the youth bulge: a large share of children and young adults strains schools and health services and creates a need for millions of new jobs every year.
Poverty, hunger and malnutrition: large families in poor households, limited food security and high child mortality.
Unemployment and underemployment: too few formal jobs, so many work in low-paid informal jobs.
Health and education gaps: weak public services, high maternal and infant mortality, low literacy among girls.
Urbanisation without planning: migration to cities leads to slums and poor services, as in Urbanization Challenges: Rural-Urban Migration, Emergence of Slums, Informal Settlements.
Environmental pressure: deforestation, water stress and land degradation, as in Soil Degradation and Erosion in India and Conservation Measures.
Gender inequality: early marriage and unequal access to education and health.

What Are the Challenges of Developed Countries?

Low fertility: below the replacement level of about 2.1 children per woman. Japan, Italy, Germany and South Korea have very low rates, and South Korea’s fell below 1 in recent years.
Population ageing: a rising share of old people, a high old-age dependency ratio, and in some countries a fall in total population.
Pension and health burden: fewer workers support more retirees, which puts pressure on public budgets.
Labour shortage: shortages of workers in farming, care and services, filled by immigrants, which gives rise to political debates on migration.
Loneliness and care: more single-person households and demand for elderly care.
Response: pronatalist policies such as child allowances, later retirement, encouragement of immigration and use of automation.

Migration: people from poor and conflict-hit regions move to richer ones, causing a brain drain in the source and social tension in the destination.
Inequality: differences in income, health and schooling between regions, social groups and men and women.
Climate change: rising seas, heat and drought will force millions to move and will hit the poorest hardest, while ageing societies are vulnerable to heat waves.
Urbanisation: more than half of the world’s people now live in towns, which raises the need for housing, transport and services everywhere.
Health transitions: infectious diseases fade as lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and heart disease grow, as seen in India and China.

How Do the Two Groups Compare?

Feature	Developing countries	Developed countries
Growth rate	High to moderate	Very low or negative
Age structure	Young, broad base	Old, narrow base
Median age	Low (about 20 to 30)	High (about 40 to 48)
Main issue	Jobs, food, services	Pensions, care, labour shortage
Migration	Source of migrants	Destination of migrants
Policy	Family planning, education, health	Support for births, later retirement, immigration

As an analytical point, the divide is not fixed. Many middle-income countries, such as China, Thailand and Brazil, have fallen to low fertility and age before they have become rich, a pattern sometimes described as growing old before growing rich. India is in the middle, with a young population and falling fertility, as in Concept of Human Resources and Census of India: Literacy, Sex Ratio, Family Planning, Old Age Dependency, Age Structure, Density, Population Growth. Countries therefore need policies suited to their stage: expanding schools, health and jobs where the population is young, and reforming pensions, raising the retirement age and encouraging women’s work where it is old. Early planning matters, because age structure changes slowly and today’s birth rate fixes the size of the workforce twenty years later.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Contrast Two sets of problems
Policy Pronatalist and family planning
India Midway position

What Came Next?

The next topic describes the Census of India: literacy, sex ratio, age structure, density and growth. Next topic: Census of India: Literacy, Sex Ratio, Family Planning, Old Age Dependency, Age Structure, Density, Population Growth.

Key People and Terms

Youth bulge Large share of young adults
Replacement fertility About 2.1 children per woman
Ageing Rising share of old people
Pronatalist Policy to raise births
Old-age dependency Old people per 100 workers
Underemployment Working below capacity

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Replacement fertility is about 2.1.
Developing countries: young; developed: ageing.
Japan and Italy have declining populations.
Immigration fills labour gaps in rich countries.
Youth bulge needs jobs.

Do Not Confuse With

Unemployment and underemployment No work versus work below capacity
Youth bulge and ageing Large young share versus large old share
Pronatalist and anti-natalist policy Raise births versus lower births

Memory Hook

South: crowd, jobs and food; North: grey, care and pensions’ mood.

Mains Angle

Questions ask for a comparison of population problems. These points add depth.

South Growth and poverty
North Ageing and labour
Convergence Fertility is falling everywhere

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Compare the population-related challenges of developing and developed countries and suggest suitable policies for each.”

How to Answer

Developing Youth, poverty, jobs.
Developed Ageing, pensions.
Compare Table of features.
Policy Different mixes.

GS Relevance

Prelims: contrasting population issues. GS Paper 1: population and associated issues; GS Paper 2: social issues.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main population problems of developing countries?

Developing countries face rapid population growth, a large young population needing schools and jobs, poverty and malnutrition, unemployment, poor health care, unplanned urbanisation with slums, and pressure on land, water and forests. Gender inequality and early marriage add to the problem.

What are the main population problems of developed countries?

Developed countries face low fertility and an ageing population, which raises the old-age dependency ratio, shrinks the workforce, increases the cost of pensions and health care, and creates labour shortages. Many depend on immigration and are debating pronatalist policies and later retirement.

What is the replacement level of fertility?

The replacement level of fertility is the average number of children per woman that keeps the population steady from one generation to the next, without migration. It is about 2.1 children per woman in countries with low mortality, a little above two because of deaths before reproductive age.

What is meant by an ageing population?

An ageing population is one in which the share of old people, usually those above 60 or 65, is rising because of low fertility and longer life. It leads to a higher old-age dependency ratio, pressure on pensions and health care, and fewer workers. Japan has one of the oldest populations.

Why do developed countries encourage immigration?

Developed countries with low fertility and ageing populations face shortages of workers in farming, health care and services, and need taxpayers to support pensions. Immigrants of working age help to fill these gaps, although immigration also raises political and social debates in many countries.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 Developed countries generally have a younger population than developing countries.

False

They have an older population.

2 The replacement level of fertility is about 2.1.

True

It keeps the population steady.

3 A youth bulge needs large-scale job creation.