Bir

th ra

te(p

er 1

000

peo

ple

)Kazakhstan

Moldova

Georgia Turkmenistan Kyrgyzstan

Belarus

Armenia

Ukraine

Azerbaijan TajikistanUzbekistan

30

20

10

0

Dea

th ra

te(p

er 1

000

peo

ple

)

30

20

10

25

15

5

25

15

5

0

LatviaLithuania RussiaEstonia

A Birth and death rates in the former USSR

B Russia’s population

What is happening to Russia’s population?Source A shows Russia and the other countries which, up to 1991, used to form the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Russia’s population is likely to decline from 143 million in 2007 to 111 million in 2050. The main causes of this are a high death rate, low birth rate and a low level of immigration. Alcohol-related deaths in Russia are very high and life expectancy is low. Russian women, who are highly educated, do not want large numbers of children. Immigration into Russia is low, and many emigrants are moving away from Russia, particularly to Western Europe to look for a better lifestyle.

C Russian birth and death rates

18

16

14

12

10

8

Bir

ths/

Dea

ths

per

100

0

Year1980

19821984

19861988

19901992

19941996

19982000

20022004

20062008

Birth rate

Death rate

More than one million Russians with AIDS

Male life expectancy falls to 59

Lowest ever birth rates at 1.1 per woman

One pensioner for every worker in 20 years’ time

Russian death rates highest in peacetime

Task 1Study Source A.

a Name the country shown on the map with the highest rate of natural population growth.

bpeople.

c Name three other countries shown on the map that are experiencing population decline.

Task 2Study Source C.

a Describe how birth rates and death rates changed in

b Identify the years when the total population:

Task 3Match the following beginnings and endings of sentences to complete three population is now declining.Death rates are high … to have a career rather than

large numbers of children.Birth rates are low …

… as more people move out of

Population is lost through migration …

… because of high levels of alcoholism, heart disease and accidents.

8 Cambridge IGCSE Geography

CASESTUDY Population decline in Russia1b

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D Population graphs for the G8 countries

Population since 1990

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

0

Mill

ion

s

Canada France Germany Italy Japan Russia UK USA

Life expectancy at birth

85

80

75

70

65

60

Year

s

Canada France Germany Italy Japan Russia UK USA

Adult HIV infection (2007)

Japan

Germany

UK

Canada

France

Italy

USA

Russia

0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6

% of all 15–49 year-olds

0.8 1.0 1.2

TB infection (2007)

Japan

Germany

UK

Canada

France

Italy

USA

Russia

0 50 100 150

Number of cases per 100 000 population

200

1990

2004

1990

2004

2020 (projected)

E Cash for more babies! Task 4Study Sources B and D.

a Use Source D toidentify the main differences between

G8 countries. Use fi gures and examples in your answer.

b Use Source B tosuggest reasons for these differences.

Task 5Study Source E.

trying to decide whether to have a second child. Write a conversation between them which includes information about the advantages and problems of having another child.

Sample case study questionFor a country that you have studied, explain why it has a high rate of natural population growth.

A second baby? Russia’s mothers aren’t persuaded19 May 2006

President Vladimir Putin last week promised to spend some of the country’s oil profi ts on efforts to solve the population problem. He ordered parliament to more than double monthly child support payments to 1500 roubles (about US$55) and added that women who choose to have a second baby will receive 250,000 roubles (US$9200); a very large amount in a country where average monthly incomes are close to US$330.

On Monday, young women at the Family Planning Youth Centre in Moscow said they liked the sound of more money, but suggested that Mr Putin has no idea about their lives. ‘A child is not an easy project, and in this world a woman is expected to get an education, fi nd a job, and make a career,’ says Svetlana Romanicheva, a student who says she won’t consider having a baby for at least fi ve years.

Others say Putin is right. ‘Russian women typically have one child ... but many of my patients would like a second if they felt they had enough support,’ says Galina Dedova, a doctor at Happy Families, a private Moscow clinic. ‘Most of my patients count their roubles ... If they could get more money, some might have more children.’

9

Theme 1 Topic 1

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