Population Explosion

The 20th Century Population Explosion

At the start of the 20th century, the population of the planet was 1.6 billion people. By the time the 21st century had arrived, that number had jumped to six billion. Several key reasons contributed to the increase in population over the last one hundred years. The ability to produce more food in regions like North America and Asia, increased medical treatments to prolong life, and a lower infant mortality, have all contributed to the rise in population.

Population increases, however, have not taken place around the world. In some countries, the population has actually only increased by a small degree, while in other countries, increases have reached massive proportions. Some cultures have the expectation that parents will be taken care of in their old age by their children. Parents use children as insurance or strive for larger families to ensure that future. During the 1930s, the average life expectancy of a man in India was 24, while for a man in France it was 60. Therefore, large families were required in these countries to be certain the parents are cared for.

In contrast to large families in various parts of the world, many European countries did not experience the same explosion. In France, for example, a law was passed forcing land to be divided equally between all children upon the death of the parents. This meant farmers had to divide their land into small plots depending on the number of children. These small plots would not be able to support the families of the children, so as a result, French farmers would have fewer children to make the future farms economically viable. Laws such as this have had the effect of lowering the birth rate of European nations, while rates in Asia and Africa continued to increase.

A number of challenges remain, in dealing with the population question, especially in developing nations. The combination of over population, poor farming techniques and natural disasters, all contribute to the severity of the problem. Developed countries produce sixty percent of the world's food, but hold only thirty-six percent of the population. Distribution of food and wealth, therefore, remains a priority for the United Nations Organization.