ABSTRACT
Interest in the population growth of the Third World began after World War II, owing mostly to the growing concern for population pressure and its possible effects upon the economy, ecology, and political balance of the world. The sources of the high rate of population growth were the rapid decline of mortality and, to a lesser extent, the increase of natality. The primary concern was with Asia, in particular, China and the Indian subcontinent, and with Latin America, in particular Central America. Somewhat later, the demography of sub-Saharan Africa became a subject for research.
