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Population growth, poverty and health

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  • Kibirige, Joachim S.

Abstract

One of the most popular explanations for the many problems that face Africa is population growth. Africa's population has doubled since 1960. Africa has the highest fertility rate in the world and the rate of population growth is higher than in any other region. At the same time, Africa faces a social and economic situation that is viewed by many as alarming. Among the problems that devastate Africa is that of persistent poor health. Africa has lower life expectancy, higher mortality rates and is affected by more disease and illness conditions than any other region. Focusing on sub-Saharan Africa, this paper examines the relationship between population growth, poverty and poor health. While most analyses have focused on population growth as an original cause of poverty and underdevelopment, this paper argues that while both population growth and poor health play a significant role in exacerbating the problem of poverty, they are themselves primary consequences of poverty rather than its cause.

Suggested Citation

  • Kibirige, Joachim S., 1997. "Population growth, poverty and health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 45(2), pages 247-259, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:45:y:1997:i:2:p:247-259
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    Cited by:

    1. Ehsan Rasoulinezhad & Farhad Taghizadeh-Hesary & Farzad Taghizadeh-Hesary, 2020. "How Is Mortality Affected by Fossil Fuel Consumption, CO 2 Emissions and Economic Factors in CIS Region?," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-13, May.
    2. Mathy Sane & Miroslav Hajek & Chukwudi Nwaogu & Ratna Chrismiari Purwestri, 2021. "Subsidy as An Economic Instrument for Environmental Protection: A Case of Global Fertilizer Use," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-20, August.
    3. Gnangnon, Sèna Kimm, 2020. "Aid for Trade flows and Poverty Reduction in Recipient-Countries," EconStor Preprints 213807, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    4. Hossain, Monzur & Yoshino, Naoyuki & Taghizadeh-Hesary, Farhad, 2021. "Optimal branching strategy, local financial development, and SMEs’ performance," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 421-432.
    5. Lawrence Kazembe, 2009. "Modelling individual fertility levels in Malawian women: a spatial semiparametric regression model," Statistical Methods & Applications, Springer;Società Italiana di Statistica, vol. 18(2), pages 237-255, July.
    6. Esso-Hanam Atake, 2018. "Health shocks in Sub-Saharan Africa: are the poor and uninsured households more vulnerable?," Health Economics Review, Springer, vol. 8(1), pages 1-13, December.
    7. Onipede Wusu & Emmanuel O. Amoo, 2016. "Fertility Behaviour and Wealth Situation in Nigeria: Evidence from 2013 Demographic and Health Survey," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 128(1), pages 1-14, August.
    8. Ian G. J. Dawson & Johnnie E. V. Johnson, 2017. "Does Size Matter? A Study of Risk Perceptions of Global Population Growth," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 37(1), pages 65-81, January.

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