Gambia, Youthful Population

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Youthful population – The Gambia, Africa. The Gambia is one of the 50 poorest countries in the World, with a GDP (GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT – how much an individual earns in a year) of only $1000 a person on average. It also has a high youthful population. This means that there are more young people in the country than older people. This has consequences for the country and the people. A high youthful population means that The Gambia has a high DEPENDENCY RATIO, as there are many young people who depend on those people who are of working age. Currently, for every 100 people in The Gambia, there are 92 people who rely on them. The Gambia has a high BIRTH RATE because: Lack of contraception Lack of education on family planning Children needed to work on the family farms to generate income for the family To replace the children who die through the high INFANT MORTAILY RATE (IMR) Problems of The Gambia’s youthful population: The increased pressure on resources such as wood. DEFORESTATION is a major problem in The Gambia as people cut down the forests to use the wood for fuel to feed their large families. This results in a great loss of forests in the country. 2/3rds of the forest in The Gambia is now lost to deforestation. The population will continue to grow and be more and more UNSUSTAINABLE (meaning that the country will not be able to look after the huge numbers of people in the future). The high birth rate will continue to build up the population, but the death rate will continue to be high as there is no money to improve medical care – so the youthful population will continue to be a problem. Solutions to The Gambia’s youthful population: Through the input from a NON-GOVERMENTAL ORGANISATION (NGO) which is like a charity, the country has been able to offer affordable and accessible contraception to all. Even the most remote parts of the

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