Developing countries tend to grow at a much faster rate than developed countries. Much effort has gone into reducing this growth rate, not always with much success. For this exercise, download the 2020 factsheet from the Population Reference Bureau. The population data tables begin on page 8 of the document. Locate the column labeled Rate of Natural Increase (%), which is the fourth from the left. Choose two nations from somewhere in these data tables: one with a rate of natural increase below 0.2% (a nation with little to no population growth, or possibly even population decline if the number is negative), and one with a rate of natural increase above 2% (a nation with rapid population growth). In your paper, consider the differences between the two nations. What might account for the dramatic discrepancy in their population growth rates? What might be the long-term impacts on the environment of continued rapid population growth in the developing nation? What policies or programs might that nation adopt to reduce population growth?
In your paper you should:
Provide basic demographic data on the two nations that you are comparing (current population, population growth rate in percent, net migration rate, and projected population by 2050).
Identify the major challenges facing the developing nation you selected by 2050 as a result of its continued rapid population growth.
Imagine that a population growth expert from the developed nation you have chosen visits the developing country you have selected. Based on the developed nation’s successful curbing of population growth, propose at least two policies or programs that the developing nation might implement to lower its growth rate.
