What Happens When The Birthrate And The Death Rate Of A Population Become Roughly Equal

How did the Indian population become so large?

Many factors are responsible for very high population in India.Cultural reasonsMarriage is compulsoryIt is difficult to stay unmarried in India. Everyone would constantly discover all silly reasons to get you married.Hinduism even considers marriage as sacred and indissoluble.Early MarriageChild marriages are still prevalent in India. Even the legal age is very low. Generally girls would be married off after their schooling or graduation and guys would be married after getting a decent job. Most of the people get married between 20 and 30, when their fertility is at it’s peak.Preference for male childDue to religious and other cultural practices, parents prefer male child to female child. Hence, many couples give birth to many children till they get male child.2. IgnoranceLack of awareness about contraceptivesPeople in remote and rural areas are least aware of contraceptives. It’s penetration is very low. People also feel shy to talk about and use contraceptives. Talking about sex is a taboo and parents are even opposed to introduction of sex education in schools. Children are considered as god’s gift and biology behind it is neglected.3. Poverty and Child labourMore number of children means more number of hands to earn. Poor people consider their children as their asset. In order to support the family financially, poor people usually have many children.4. Geographical FactorsGeography of a region plays a vital role in determining the distribution of population. The density of population is directly proportional to the amount of resources available. Regions with extreme climatic conditions such as cold and hot deserts have very low population. Similarly, the availability of all other essential resources also determines population of a place.India lies in moderate climatic region with abundance of natural resources. This naturally favours very high population.5. Decline in MMR and IMRMaternal Mortality Rate and Infant Mortality Rate have been declining continuously because of improvements in the efficiency of health sector. This has decreased the overall death rate. But the birth rate still remains higher than death rate. India has not yet attained the replacement rate ( Death rate = Birth rate ).6. Total Fertility Rate(TFR)Due to early and compulsory marriages, preference to male child and ignorance, the fertility rate of Indian women remains higher than in western countries.

Why is birth-rate higher in developing countries as compared to developed countries?

A high birthrate was the traditional fate of humanity for most of its existence. It had to be because of the sicking death rate, especially among young children. Most children failed to reach their first year. As a result women often had a dozen children and many died in childbirth.This was the fate of everybody as little as two centuries ago.Never mind birth control, parents had to have such large families so that some children made it to adulthood.It was only with improved hygiene, sanitation and potable water that the situation started improving. Even in the 1950s the typical western family had five or more children. Deadly childhood diseases like measles were only just coming under control.It is only now that these high rates of infant mortality are coming under control in Africa. Parents whose siblings and friends mostly died young still expect their own children to do the same. It is only when those children mostly survive, as is happening now, that the family size falls.The adjustment takes generations, which is why developing countries in Africa are still responding. The next generation should have two or three children per women. By the mid century Africa should have the same birthrate as countries like Bangladesh have now.