Qatar has the third-highest Gross Domestic Product per capita of any country in the world- behind only Luxembourg and Switzerland. But, it scores relatively low on the gender equity scale. This is due to the differences between Qatar’s current economic climate and its longstanding cultural traditions. Based on previous evidence we can reasonably infer that Qatar’s gender equality is likely to rise to a point more in keeping with it’s Gross Domestic Product per capita, but we cannot know this for certain.

From the nineteenth century onwards, the industrialized world saw a remarkable improvement in mortality rates, especially among children but in all age demographics. The direct causes for this were varied, but included improved medical knowledge, better access to medical care, and improved sanitation standards. Some of the more indirect causes included more food sources due to better agricultural technology, wider social mobility, and more trust in modern science, which led there to be fewer famines and lower infection rates.

Stage 2 of demographic transition includes the formation of permanent towns and societies all the way up to the industrialization and formation of large cities. During this time, food has become more abundant due to agriculture, and humans are less susceptible to famine. In addition, medicine and healthcare become available, and hygiene improves, resulting in a decline in the mortality rate; however, birth rates are still very high during Stage 2, while the mortality rate will begin to decline. The population will also begin to increase sharply at this point.

Stage 1 of the demographic transition is typically pre-historic and occurs when the infrastructure and resources to guard against famine, disease, drought, and other disasters are generally not available (no flu vaccines, no food aid programs, etc.). This results in high and fluctuating birth and death rates, because environmental conditions and epidemics have a direct impact on birth and mortality rates.

Stage 3 of the demographic transition is the continuation of Stage 2, where the birth rate has begun to decline sharply while the mortality rate continues to decline but has begun leveling off. The continued decline in the death rate can be attributed to the increased presence of healthcare and medical facilities in matured industrial societies. The sharp decline in birth rates is attributed to the increase in accessible education for women, which tends to happen in industrialized societies.

Low fertility rates lead to population decline, reductions in the labor force, a smaller tax base, and slowed economic growth. These results actually hurt social programs benefitting the elderly (e.g. social security), which are paid for by taxes that are incurred when people work and spend. In general, a smaller tax base, which is a consequence of low fertility rates, will not facilitate increased funding for social services of any kind.

Malaria is spread by mosquitos that contain the malaria virus in their saliva. In 2013, there were an estimated 198 million cases of malaria, resulting in over 500,000 deaths (mostly children in the African region).

The average person in the U.S. will produce about 4 pounds of solid waste per day.

The World Systems Theory, created by Immanuel Wallerstein, divides countries of the world into three groups based on political power, social standing, and economic and technological development.  The theory does not categorize countries based on population.

Wallerstein’s World Systems Theory postulates that the world is one interconnected collection of nations and states that, due to the initial wave of European colonialism in the late fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, is dominated by economic centers in Europe and North America. The World Systems Theory also suggests that interconnectedness is constantly growing.