CRUDE BIRTH RATE AND CRUDE DEATH RATE

Crude birth rate (CBR) and crude death rate (CDR) are two of the three main mechanism .responsible for temporal or spatial population changes. The third important mecha­nism is migration. The number of births and deaths per thousand persons in a year is known as CBR and CDR respectively. The difference in the number of births and deaths during a year determines the annual rate of natural increase or decrease. The CBR is highest in Africa, followed by Latin America and Asia. Africa also tops in the CDR, followed by Europe. Asia and Oceania has almost identical CDR. Europe is the only continent with a negative annual growth of population.

SPATIAL PATTERN OF POPULATION CHANGE

Africa's annual populati.on growth is the highest among the major world regions. In Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, the annual rate of population growth during 1975­2003 was 2.7 per cent. South America, Asia, Oceania and North America had average annual increase of over one per cent but less than two per cent. Europe with only 0.2 per cent population growth was at the other extreme.