Zero Population Growth (ZPG)

Zero population growth (zpg) refers to a state in nature at which the birth rate is equivalent to the death rate, meaning that the population remains exactly at a specific level. There has been speculation about the appropriate level of population that may be sustainable given the restraints of existing economic and environmental resources. In a small state such as Singapore, where severe spatial restraints exist, it has been necessary to limit population growth [Page 2010]for the sake of maintaining a consistent standard of living. However, the measures necessary to achieve this are believed by many people to infringe civil liberties or religious tenets on birth control. In other countries where space is not so limited, innovations in productivity and technology have so far managed ...