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The future of the world's population

Lesson details

Learning outcome

I can describe different theories of population change and understand that climate change will impact population change.

Key learning points

  1. There are different theories about how population will change in the future.
  2. The population of some places around the world is likely to significantly increase.
  3. The population of some places around the world is likely to decrease.
  4. Climate change will have an impact on the movement of people around the world.

Keywords

  • Population density - the number of people living in a defined area, e.g. 300 people per square kilometre

  • Climate change - a large-scale and long-term change in the planet’s climate, including weather patterns and average temperatures

  • Migration - moving from one place to another with the intention of staying there

Common misconception

World population increses equally across the globe.

Population is expected to increase in some parts of the world but in other areas the population is expected to decrease.

Teacher tip

Use Our World In Data website to explore population changes and projected changes across the globe.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
(Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
What is the term for the number of people living in a specific area?

Correct answer: Population
Density
Growth rate

Q2.
What is population growth?

Correct answer: The increase in the number of people living in an area
The decrease in the number of people living in an area
The movement of people from one country to another
The total number of jobs in an area

Q3.
is the movement of people from one place to another.

Correct Answer: Migration

Q4.
Which continent is expected to see the largest population growth in the next few decades?

Europe
North America
Asia
Correct answer: Africa

Q5.
What is climate change?

Correct answer: A large-scale and long-term change in the planet’s climate
Heatwaves
If it is rainy, sunny, or windy each day

Q6.
What is a drought?

A period of more rainfall than expected
Correct answer: A period of less rainfall than expected
A period of time with tropical storms

4 Questions

Q1.
Population is the number of people living in a defined area, e.g. 300 people per square kilometre.

Correct Answer: density

Q2.
Which continent is predicted to have the biggest decrease in population from 2020 - 2100?

Africa
Asia
Correct answer: Europe
Oceania

Q3.
The impacts of climate change can result in people moving from one place to a different place. This movement of people is know as ...

Correct answer: migration
population
urban

Q4.
How might tropical storms influence population?

there isn't enough water for people to grow crops
Correct answer: homes, schools and farms destroyed
Correct answer: increasing frequency, making them happen more often so areas are no longer safe

To help you plan your 7 geography lesson on: The future of the world's population, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...