Cambridge IGCSE Environmental Management: Human Population — Revision Notes

Topic 7 of Cambridge IGCSE Environmental Management (0680) looks at where people live, how populations are structured, why they grow or shrink, what growth does to the environment and how governments try to manage population size. Exam questions often give a population pyramid or a map, so practise reading data, then link it to causes, impacts and strategies.

For the full explanation use the human population study guide; practise with the human population practice questions.

Syllabus coverage (0680, 2027-2029)

Ref	Learning outcomes
7.1.1-7.1.4	Density and distribution; interpreting pyramids; World Bank income groups; comparing LIC and HIC structure
7.2.1-7.2.2	Factors changing population size; impacts of population growth
7.3.1-7.3.2	Strategies to manage population size; benefits and limitations

Key definitions

Term	Definition
Population density	Number of people living in an area, usually people per km²
Population distribution	How people are spread over an area
Sparsely populated	Few people in an area
Densely populated	Many people in an area
Dependent population	Young (usually 0-14) and elderly (usually 65+) people supported by workers
Working population	People of working age (usually 15-64)
Birth rate	Measured here as children per woman
Death rate	Linked to life expectancy
Urbanisation	Growth in the proportion of people living in towns and cities

Worked density example: a district of 250 km² has 75 000 people. Density = 75 000 / 250 = 300 people per km².

How do you read a population pyramid? (7.1.2)

• Each bar shows the percentage (or number) of males (left) and females (right) in an age group.
• A wide base means many young dependants and a high birth rate.
• A narrow top means few elderly people and lower life expectancy.
• Straight sides or a wide top mean a low birth rate and long life expectancy.
• Compare male and female bars, such as more elderly women than men because women tend to live longer.

How do LIC and HIC structures compare? (7.1.3-7.1.4)

The World Bank classifies economies as low-income (LICs), middle-income (MICs) and high-income (HICs) countries.

Feature	LIC pyramid	HIC pyramid
Shape	Triangular, wide base	Column or “beehive”, narrower base
Young dependants	High proportion	Low proportion
Elderly dependants	Low proportion	High and growing proportion
Birth rate	High	Low
Life expectancy	Lower	Higher
Main challenge	Schools, jobs and food for a young population	Pensions and healthcare for an ageing population

What changes the size of a population? (7.2.1)

• Birth rates (children per woman): fall with access to education for girls, contraception and healthcare; stay high where children are needed for farm labour or as security in old age.
• Death rates and life expectancy: improve with clean water, sanitation, vaccination, healthcare and food supply.
• Migration: emigration (leaving) and immigration (arriving), driven by push factors (lack of jobs, conflict, hazards) and pull factors (jobs, services, safety).
• Rural-urban migration and urbanisation: people move to cities for work and services.

What are the impacts of population growth? (7.2.2)

Impact	Explanation
Informal urban settlements	Housing built without planning permission, often lacking water and sanitation
Megacities	Cities of over 10 million people
Resources and energy	Greater demand for food, fuel, materials and electricity
Sanitation and water supply	Systems overwhelmed, raising disease risk
Waste management	More waste than collection systems can handle
Land	Less land for farming and habitats
Facilities and infrastructure	Schools, hospitals and roads overcrowded
Pollution	Air, land, light, noise, visual and water pollution
Traffic congestion	More vehicles, longer journeys, more emissions
Employment	Changing opportunities, often informal work

How can population size be managed? (7.3)

Strategy	Benefit	Limitation
Access to contraception	Lets people choose family size; lowers birth rate	Cost, supply in rural areas, cultural or religious objections
Anti-natalist policy (fewer births)	Rapid fall in birth rate, as in China’s one-child policy (1980-2015)	Ageing population, gender imbalance, human rights concerns
Pro-natalist policy (more births)	Supports ageing countries; incentives such as child benefits	Expensive; often only a small effect on birth rate
Access to education	Educated women tend to have fewer children and later	Takes a generation to work
Access to healthcare	Lower infant mortality, so families need fewer children	Initially increases population as death rates fall
Control of migration	Manages labour supply and pressure on services	Can create labour shortages; ethical and political issues

Common mistakes and exam traps

• Confusing density (people per km²) with distribution (spread).
• Describing a pyramid without quoting figures from it.
• Saying healthcare always reduces population; at first it raises it by lowering death rates.
• Treating pro-natalist and anti-natalist as interchangeable.
• Forgetting to mention both benefits and limitations in “discuss” answers.

Frequently asked questions

How do I compare two pyramids? Comment on the base, the middle and the top of each, quote a figure for each, then explain the difference using birth rate and life expectancy.

What is the difference between a push and a pull factor? A push factor makes people leave a place, such as unemployment or conflict. A pull factor attracts them to a new place, such as jobs or better services.

Do I need World Bank income thresholds? No. The 0680 syllabus asks you to describe the three income groups (LICs, MICs and HICs), not to learn the dollar values, which the World Bank updates each year.

Official syllabus

Cambridge IGCSE Environmental Management (0680) syllabus for 2027, 2028 and 2029 - official syllabus PDF, Topic 7.