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IB Geography revision notes

Group 3 · Individuals & Societies · SL / HL

Population geography asks where people live, why numbers change and how governments respond. Case studies with real figures are what earn top marks.

Course topics

Core 1 · Population distribution — changing population · Distribution, demographic change, migration, population policies · 3 subtopics
Core 2 · Global climate — vulnerability and resilience · Causes of climate change, impacts, mitigation and adaptation · 3 subtopics
Core 3 · Global resource consumption and security · Water, food and energy security, sustainability · 3 subtopics
Options · Freshwater, oceans, extreme environments, hazards, tourism, food, urban · 7 subtopics
HL · Global interactions · Power, places and networks, human development, global risks · 3 subtopics

Free lesson: Core 1 · Population distribution — changing population

Natural increase: Birth rate minus death rate (migration not included)
Demographic transition model: Five stages showing how birth and death rates change as countries develop
Dependency ratio: How many young and old people each working-age person supports

\[\text{natural increase }(\%)=\frac{\text{birth rate}-\text{death rate}}{10}\]

Birth and death rates are per 1,000 people.

\[\text{dependency ratio}=\frac{(\text{aged }0\text{–}14)+(\text{aged }65+)}{\text{aged }15\text{–}64}\times100\]

DTM: stage 1 both rates high; stage 2 death rate falls fast; stage 3 birth rate falls; stage 4 both low; stage 5 birth rate below death rate.
Migration: push factors (conflict, lack of jobs) and pull factors (work, safety, family).
Policies: pro-natalist (encourage births, e.g. France's family allowances) and anti-natalist (reduce births, e.g. China's one-child policy, 1980–2015).

Worked example

A country has 18 million people aged 0–14, 12 million aged 65+ and 45 million aged 15–64. Find the dependency ratio.

Add the dependent groups: 18 + 12 = 30 million.
Divide by the working-age group: 30 ÷ 45 = 0.667.
Multiply by 100: 66.7.
Meaning: about 67 dependants for every 100 people of working age.

Common mistakes

Giving case studies with no place names, dates or figures.
Including migration in natural increase.
Describing a map or graph without quoting values from it.
Assuming every country follows the DTM in the same way.

Quick check

Natural increase is…

birth rate − death rate. Natural increase only counts births and deaths.

In stage 2 of the DTM…

the death rate falls sharply while the birth rate stays high. Better healthcare and food cut deaths first, so population grows fast.

Which is an anti-natalist policy?

China's one-child policy. It aimed to reduce the birth rate.

0–14: 10 million, 65+: 5 million, 15–64: 30 million. What is the dependency ratio?

50. (10 + 5) ÷ 30 × 100 = 50.

Practise this in the app. Interactive diagrams, quizzes, exam-style papers with mark schemes and a personal study planner. Open Geography in FortyFive →

FAQ

What topics are in IB Geography?

IB Geography (SL / HL) is organised into: Core 1 · Population distribution — changing population; Core 2 · Global climate — vulnerability and resilience; Core 3 · Global resource consumption and security; Options; HL · Global interactions.

Are these IB Geography notes free?

Yes. The topic pages, key terms and the first lesson are free. The full lessons, interactive diagrams and exam-style practice papers with mark schemes are in the FortyFive app, which you can start for free.

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