Who controls population growth
World population has grown very fast over the past 200 years, and that growth puts pressure on land, food, water and public services. Planning for the future means deciding who has the right to shape population change and who has the responsibility to do so. There are two main ways population can be influenced: through birth control (affecting how many children are born) and through migration (affecting who moves in or out).
This raises a debatable question. Should people be free to have as many children as they wish, or can that choice be limited for the good of society and the planet? Several groups claim a say:
- Individuals and couples decide whether and when to have children.
- Governments pay for schools, hospitals, housing and transport, so they need to plan for how many people will use them.
- NGOs and charities fund health care and family planning, often working across borders.
Planning for population change so that the needs of people today are met without harming the ability of future generations to meet theirs, while respecting people's rights.
Some governments have used strict legal limits on family size, which the lesson on China's one-child policy covers. A gentler route is investment that changes the choices families make for themselves. Niger, where the population grows by 3% a year, shows why that route matters.
How far policy choices could change future world population is covered in the lesson on components of population growth.
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