Demography: So What?

In this Demography Unit, we learned...

• How to accurately graph numerical data
• Types of population pyramids (slow, rapid, negative, no)
• How to read/interpret graphs such as population pyramids
• How to use statistics to explain the past (disease, war)
• How to use statistics to predict the future (become a slow growth pyramid from a rapid growth pyramid)
• What makes up the population (males or females, young or elderly)

What is the relevance of demographics to your life? 
Demography is relevant to my life because it affects the way I live and my lifestyle. I live in a developed country, Singapore, because of my dad's job. Due to the fact that Singapore's population is declining, the Singapore government is welcoming foreigners, like me, to stay here. If Singapore was a slow growth country, they government probably would not welcomed foreigners to live here.

Demographics also affect other people who live here too. For example, the locals. Due to the fact that Singapore allowed many foreigners to live here, many people who earn millionares could come here which would raise the average salary by a lot. So, the locals have to stay in dense HDBs where 5-7 people lived per flat. That's a big thing that will change their life and lifestyle. But Singapore hides it and covers it with things such as trees.


How will demography affect me in the future?
Demography will effect me in the future because our generation is facing a big issue, the consumption of Earth's resources. With the planet's huge population of 7 billion that will become 8 billion in 2025, the amount of resources we need to survive has to increase and the food production will need to double. The planet's population is rising quick but according to Hans, when the population reaches 11 billion by the end of the century, it'll slow down.

The more fortunate and wealthy people like us are consuming a lot of the Earth's resources which makes a domino effect on us. When we purchase things such as plastic water bottles, and we don't throw it away properly and it goes into the ocean, we get effected because of the fish that ate our plastic waste. Another example of the domino effect is when we buy things that need palm oil to be created. Sumatra is burning down trees to make space for palm oil production, which is creating a haze in Singapore that we were breathing for the past three weeks.

Due to the fact that the population is rising really fast, we have to consume more of Earth's resources and make more space for the rising population which is affecting the people of Earth a lot. This is why I believe that demographics have affected my life and this planet in a huge way.