Would raising the standard of living of the third world resolve the problem of global overpopulation?
There is a high correlation between development and family size. Most people in poor countries support themselves by subsistence farming. They have large families to help with their work and to support them in old age. As their lives are relatively insecure, with poor medical support, they have many children assuming that some will die in childhood from disease, etc. When a society becomes wealthier, however, it offers more security and choices. Better medical care reassures parents that their children will grow to maturity and so they opt for smaller families. Savings permit them to buy more consumer goods, instead of incurring the expense of large families. The renowned demographer, Nathan Keyfitz, argues that population growth can prevent societal developments that might lower fertility levels. In especially poor countries, population growth rates are persistently higher than the rates of growth of the GDP. Data from the World Development Report on-line report noted that in 44 count
