EXPLORING LINKS BETWEEN POPULATION INDICATORS AND ECONOMIC INDICATORS: A COMPARISON OF JAPAN AND SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
This research examines links between population indicators and economic indicators through a comparison of data for Japan and Sub-Saharan Africa. The data for this analysis were obtained from the World Development Indicators Web Site of the World Bank (2004).
Data were obtained for Japan and for Sub Saharan Africa for two population indicators and two economic indicators. The population indicators were (a) population growth rate and (b) total population. The economic indicators were (a) gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate and (b) gross domestic product per capita. Data were collected for 2001, 2003, and 2003.
Relationships between the Population Indicators and the Economic Indicators: Comparisons between Japan and Sub-Saharan Africa
In Japan, the total population was quite stable over the period of analysis (2001-to-2003), with a population of 127.037 million in 2001 and a population of 127.210 million in 2003. GDP per capita fell over the period of analysis by 3.93 percent, from US$35,920 in 2001 to US$34,510 in 2003.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, the total population grew substantially over the period of analysis, from a population of 673.128 in 2001 to a population of 702.587 in 2003. GDP per capita grew 4.26 percent over the period of analysis, from US$470 in 2001 to US$490 in 2003.
On the one hand, the comparison between Japan and Sub-Saharan Africa indicates that population growth and economic growth could be positively linked, as both indicators increased in Sub-Saharan Africa, while GDP per capita fell in Japan while population remained stable. On the other hand, however, the population in Sub-Saharan Africa is 5.3 times as large as is the population of Japan, while the GDP per capita in Japan is 70.4 times as large as is GDP per capita in Sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, the contr
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