Final answer:
Lowest human well-being is associated with the highest population growth rates, often occurring in less economically developed countries. Countries in later stages of the demographic transition with shrinking populations face different challenges such as supporting an aging population. The goal is to achieve Zero Population Growth by balancing birth and death rates.
Step-by-step explanation:
Human well-being is often observed to be lowest where population growth rates are highest. In regions with high growth rates, typically less economically developed countries in Africa and Asia, resources are stretched thin. Rapid population growth can lead to a myriad of issues such as inadequate provision of essential services, increased pressure on the environment, food scarcity, and infrastructure that cannot cope with the growing demand.
Conversely, in countries where birth rates have fallen below death rates, and population is shrinking, such as Italy in Stage 5 of the demographic transition, there are also challenges. These include supporting a large aging population with a smaller workforce and the decline of growth-dependent industries. The balance point aimed for is the demographic transition, where a country evolves from a poor, fast-growing population to a well-off, slow or zero-growth population. Efforts to humanely lower birth rates are important to reach Zero Population Growth (ZPG), which is a condition when the birth rate equals the death rate. This approach can help stabilize population size and mitigate the strain on resources and infrastructure, promoting better well-being for all inhabitants.