APES Population Pyramids

The Republic of Madagascar is located off the southeastern coast of Africa and is the fourth largest island in the world. It is a poor, preindustrial, developing nation that strongly depends on development aid from the United Nations, which sponsors improvements in road infrastructure, basic education, and agriculture. Constant political turmoil and exploitation of the country’s rich natural resources have led to environmental degradation and worsened the living condition of a large percent of the population. Madagascar has a population of 22,005,222 people, of which only 30% is urbanized. The nation’s GDP per capita is 273.44 USD, which is a sign of a very poor country (in comparison, the United States GDP per capita is over $49 thousand!). Madagascar’s total fertility rate is 4.45 children born/woman, and this reflects in the graph’s image of a very high birth rate. Although about 65% of the population has basic literacy, only 3% of the national GDP is reserved for education; similarly, only 6% of the national GDP is reserved for healthcare, thus reflecting the poor healthcare system in Madagascar and the high mortality rates from infectious diseases. Many consider Madagascar to be the “eighth continent” because of the large amount of native plants and animals, including over 100 of strictly Madagascar lemurs that are not found anywhere else in the world. The nation’s economy strongly relies of fishing and forestry; it is also the largest producer and exporter of vanilla in the world.

Qatar, located in the Middle East, is known for the large amounts of oil it ships to both Eastern and Western first-world countries. An absolute monarchy, Qatar is considered to be one of the richest countries in the world, with a GDP (PPP) of 182.009 billion. Although a wealthy country, Qatar is facing the issue of a population decrease and having a total fertility rate of only 1.93. The lack of women in the country could explain as to why Qatar's population is decreasing over time. By the time citizens are aged 30-34, there will be 283 million men and only 58 million women. This poses the threat of a population decrease that will cause a domino effect for future generations. Also, the idea of male dominance is powerful in Qatar. In legal matters, a woman's testimony is considered half that of a man's and sometimes, a woman's testimony will not even be considered. In terms of education and health care, Qatar offers one of the finest, having RAND organize their K-12 system and Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) their premier non-profit health care.

Djibouti is going through its transitional stage, which is very fitting for its growing economy. It has a GDP per capita of around $2,800, which puts it above the African average. Djibouti’s economy is on a constant and steady rise, with an annual growth rate of 4.8%. Djibouti has secured it spot as a vital part of the sub-Saharan trading system with its geographical location, and its ports. On the east coast of Africa, Djibouti has been very active in international trade and other maritime activities. One factor in Djibouti’s improving demographical situation is its emphasis on education. As of 2009, it allocated 20.5% of its governmental funds towards improving education. This improvement has been helping to contribute to the lowering of the Total Fertility Rate (7.2 in 1970 to 3.9 in 2010). While the Infant Mortality Rate has also been constantly improving, it is still relatively high, at 81 deaths for every 1,000 births. Djibouti’s population isn’t notable for its size. Having grown from 62,000 in 1950 to 800,000, it isn’t projected to hit 1.5 million until 2045. It has seen a large portion of its population move to the cities, with 76% of that 800,000 living in cities. The urbanization rate is still on an increase, growing at 2% annually.

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Qatar

Djibouti

• The pyramid shows that most citizens die at the age of 75-80 years old.
• The nation's population seems to be decreasing and is in the post-industrial stage.
• The drastic difference in the population of women to men could describe for the nation's population decrease.

Qatar's Background

• This population pyramid of Djibouti in 2010 shows that the country is experience a fairly large rate of population growth, and also a high rate of death

• At the end of the graph, it appears as if the population is reaching a degree of stability

• Most of the population is young, with a median age of 21. Only 3.3% of the Djibouti population is over 65, which corresponds with the life expectancy rate of 60.8 years.

Djibouti Graph 2

Madagascar

Djibouti Background

• In 2030, the rate of growth will be declining. The population is still increasing, but at a slower rate, possibly due to increases in education and the economy

• The proportion of the population over 65 years of age will have increased significantly

• There are more women in the age group of 25-44 than there are men, which could be attributed to more men dying in war

Djibouti Population 3

• By 2050, the population seems to have stabilized

• This population pyramid is indicative of a country coming close to becoming industrialized, so by 2050 it is

safe to assume that Djibouti’s educational system and economy will have improved very much

• The proportion of those over 65 years of age has increased dramatically, due to better medical coverage and disease prevention

• The graph shows that Madagascar is

not very developed and is in the pre-industrial stage.

• There is a very high birth rate, and the age structure suggests that most of the population dies between 25 and 40 years old.

• This may be due to the constant social unrest, poor healthcare, and struggling national economy.

Madagascar's Background

APES Population Pyramids

by Julie Jung, Adah Forer, Matthew Huang