Poverty-Led Higher Population Growth in Bangladesh

Ashraf Nakibullah and Aminur Rahman
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Ashraf Nakibullah: Department of Economics, University of Bahrain
Aminur Rahman: Independent University, Dhaka

Bangladesh Development Studies, 1996, vol. 24, issue 1-2, 151-164

Abstract: At present the governments of many densely populated developing countries, including Bangladesh, actively pursue antinatalist policies such as official family planning programmes. There is much concern that economic development will be thwarted by excessive population pressure. A large part of the gain in gross domestic product (GDP) has been used simply to support a larger population at the same low per capita GDP. Thus, it is necessary to check population growth in order to reap the benefits of economic progress. Writers on economic development have summarized the development problem as one of "increasing fertility of the soil and reducing the fertility of human beings" (Meier 1989, p. 433). Bangladesh is an overly populated poor agrarian country. Meier (1989) in a note on population and poverty argues that for poor agrarian countries, a high rate of population growth not only adversely affects food supplies, but also creates constraints on savings, foreign exchange and human resources. Rapid population growth depresses savings per capita and retards growth of physical capital per labour.

Keywords: Fertility rates; Economic development; Real gross domestic product per capita; Human capital; Economic growth models; Population growth rate; Steady state economies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1996
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ris:badest:0355

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