Final answer:
The rapid increase in the world's population is mainly due to advances in public health, technological innovations during the industrial age, exploitation of fossil fuels, and human migration. These factors collectively reduced death rates and allowed for greater survival rates, thereby contributing to significant demographic changes and population growth.
Step-by-step explanation:
Factors Contributing to Historical Population Growth
The significant increase in the world's population can be attributed to a variety of factors. Notably, public health advancements, such as the development of sanitation systems, antibiotics, and vaccines, played a crucial role in reducing the mortality rates associated with infectious diseases. This shift allowed more individuals to survive illnesses that would have previously resulted in high death tolls, like the bubonic plague which decimated Europe's population in the fourteenth century.
Another major factor contributing to population growth was the technological advancements of the industrial age. The exploitation of fossil fuels revolutionized agriculture with the introduction of mechanization, pesticides, and fertilizers, thus supporting a much larger human population. Additionally, the migration of humans to nearly every inhabitable landmass on Earth also increased population sizes by expanding the area available for human habitation.
Furthermore, the demographic transition, which includes a decrease in death rates and a sustained high birth rate in developing agricultural societies, led to the rapid population growth witnessed in the 20th century. Countries on the African continent, such as Ethiopia and Nigeria, continue to experience high fertility rates, which will likely contribute to significant population increases in the forthcoming decades.