Human Population Growth in Afghanistan
International Finance and Globalization Academic Essay
September 9, 2020Scales of measurement are commonly broken down into four types, nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio. Define each of the following four scales of mea
September 9, 2020Human Population Growth in Afghanistan
Human Population Growth in Afghanistan
A high population density within a certain geographical area leads to depletion of environmental resources such as water, food, forests, soils fisheries and fossil fuels. In the same vein, a high population growth leads to a higher rate of depletion of more environmental resources than in the past. The depletion of resources affects the structure of the ecosystem since it leads to lack of balance between the resources available and resources needed for use by the biotic components of the ecosystem. Also, the functioning of the ecosystem is affected since the depletion implies that biotic and abiotic components no-longer interact well as a system and energy flows and nutrition cycles are affected (Eccleston, 2011).
Changes in Population Growth Afghanistan
The first census of the population of Afghanistan was carried out in 1979 and the next one in 2010. Thus, most of the existing statistics on the population are based on estimates. Estimates done in 1978 indicated that the population of Afghanistan was above 17 million (CIA, 2013). However, the census conducted in 1979 showed that the number of people who were living in Afghanistan were around 15.5 million. The decline was caused by Marxist coup that occurred in 1978, leading around 4 million of the population to leave the country (Afghanistan Population Reference Bureau, 2014). In 1983, Central Statistics Organization estimated that the population had increased to around 15.96 million. The increase was attributed to birth. More recently, the population of Afghanistan has been increasing rapidly as a result of high birth rate. A survey carried out in 2009 indicated that the population increased to 24.5 million and by 2011, it had increased to around 26 million. In 2013, it had risen to around 28.4, without including refugees living in other countries (CIA, 2013).
The population pyramids of Afghanistan indicate that the rate of population growth and ratio of male to female was constant between 2002 and 2008. The rate of changes of the population dynamics such as gender and age group also remained constant during the period. However, there was significant increase in the rate of population change among young children aged between 0 and 4 years, between 2008 and 2012 (United States Census Bureau, 2013). With regard to that change, the rate of population growth was higher among male children than female children. During the same period, a seemingly equal increase in the rate of population growth among males and females aged between 10 and 14 years was recorded. By 2013, the rate of population increase was recorded among males and females aged between 0 and 19 years. There was no significant variation in the rate of change in population among male and female children aged between 0 and 4 years (United States Census Bureau, 2013). Unless circumstances change, it is estimated that the rate of population growth will continue rising in the future.
The government of Afghanistan has, in the past, noted about the booming population and it has been advising the locals to use birth control methods in order to reduce the growth rate. In fact, the government has even been importing contraceptives for use by the local population. However, the policy has not been effective in inhibiting the population growth since the government has been facing opposition from Islamic scholars and aid groups that support the population growth (Krause & Mallory, 2014). Currently, the government is still stressing on the same policy.
The economy plays a significant role in controlling population growth. Population size may rise to the extent that the economy becomes unable to support the key basic needs of all people. For instance, the government of Afghanistan may not be in a position to support education and healthcare services for a population that is double the current one (Mosher, 2011). Also, income per capita is likely to decline as a result of too high population, implying that a family may not have enough income to support many children. When this happens, families realize that there is a danger in bearing many children without considering the availability of basic needs to support them (Mosher, 2011). Lack of ample healthcare support from the government implies that the infant mortality rate is going to rise. Parents will respond to the danger through the use of birth control methods to avoid bearing many children. In case the situation worsens, emigration rate is likely to rise as people move to other countries to seek for lives (Mosher, 2011).
References
Afghanistan Population Reference Bureau (2014). Afghanistan Population Estimates. Retrieved
from http://www.prb.org/Countries/Afghanistan.aspx
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (2013). The World Factbook. Retrieved from
http://www.worldcat.org/title/world-factbook/oclc/644186015
Eccleston, C. H. (2011). Environmental Impact Assessment: A Guide to Best Professional
Practices. Florida: CRC Press
Krause, J. & Mallory, C. K. (2014). Afghanistan, Pakistan and Strategic Change: Adjusting
Western Regional Policy. New York, NY: Routledge
Mosher, S. (2011). Population Control: Real Costs, Illusory Benefits. New Jersey: Transaction
Publishers
United States Census Bureau (2013). International Programs. Retrieved from
