Contributions of the Second World

     The graph above is a population  pyramid of Russia for the year 2005; 
it displays the age and  sex  distribution, in percent, from  which - once 
again - past and  future population growth can  be estimated. Up until the 
ages 20-24 years, there  are  more  males  than females in each age class. 
There are nearly equal numbers of males and females for the ages 25-29 and 
30-34 years.  From the ages 35-39 years up to 100+, there are more females 
than males in  each age class.  Once again,  this may  have to do with the 
fact that males have only one  X chromosome and  are more prone to exhibit 
recessive traits that could shorten their lifespan.                        
     The population  distribution of  Russia is  typical of that of second 
world countries  (former communist-socialist, industrial states).  In this 
particular graph, there are several noticeable baby booms.  The first baby 
boom is around  the 65-69 age class, the second  baby  boom is  around the 
45-49 age class,  and  the  third  is  around  the  15-19 age class.  Each 
subsequent  baby boom is likely the children of the one that  preceded it. 
The  most  recent baby  boom  appears to be slightly  smaller than the one 
before it.  This indicates  variable  population growth  that  has periods 
increase and  decline associated  with baby  booms.  Overall, however, the 
population  experiences fairly  slow  growth with a  negative growth rate. 
When looking at population  pyramids of other second world countries (such 
as those of  China, Kazakhstan, and  many  Eastern European countries) the 
age  structures  generally suggest  populations experiencing  little to no 
growth, or  negative  growth, in  which  the size  of  the  population  is 
actually projected to shrink.