Question

Why has growth rate increased in India despite the fall in birth rate?

Answer 1

Growth rate:

• The growth of the population is measured as the difference between birth rate and death rate.
• If the birth rate is more than the death rate, the growth rate becomes positive, which means the number of people is increasing in the population.
• If the birth rate is less than the death rate, the growth rate becomes negative, which means there is no increase in the population.

Demographic momentum:

• Most of India’s population rate increased by mid-century due to the large numbers of young people present.
• They continue to boost the population despite the fall in birth rate, hence an increase in growth rate.
• This is termed demographic momentum, which means, the tendency for growing populations to continue growing after a fertility decline because of their young age distribution