Population means the number of people living in an area. This can be the world, a country, a town or even a small

area.

Population Structure

• The population structure of a country means the ‘make up’ or composition of a population (e.g. made up of people of different ages, and of males and females).

• The common method to show the structure is by a population pyramid. This diagram is made up by putting two bar graphs (one for male, one for female) side by side.

• From this you can read off what percentage of a population is of a certain gender and age range.

• The largest percentage of this population is in what age group (be specific). How do you know this?

Can you explain this graph?Think about these questions?1.What does this graph show? 2.Which is the largest age group.3.Which is the smallest age group4.What percentage of males are aged between 35-39

Population Structure - Developing Countries• In the example below 4% of the population are females aged between 25

and 29.

• This population pyramid is wide at the base, which means there are a large proportion of young people in the country. It tapers very quickly as you go up into the older age groups, and is narrow at the top. This shows that a very small proportion of people are elderly.

• This shape of pyramid is typical of a developing country, such as Kenya or Afghanistan.

Population Structure - Developed Countries

• This shape is typical of a developed country. It is narrow at the base, wider in the middle, and stays quite wide until the very top, as there is a sizable percentage of older people. Note that there are more old women than

men. Canada and Japan have population structures that are of this shape.

This pyramid is typical of a country such as Afghanistan or

Kenya.

Narrower at the base which means that birth rates are lower.

Developing CountryWide at the base which means there are a large proportion of young people in the country.

Wide at the top because there is longer life expectancy.

4% of the population is female aged 25-29.

Narrow at the top which shows that there is a small proportion

of elderly people.

Wider in the middle which means that people are living longer, less

infant mortality.

Developed CountryThis pyramid is typical of a

country such as Canada and Japan.

Task 1 – Identify key features

This pyramid is typical of a country such as

Kenya or Afghanistan.

Narrower at the base which means that birth rates are lower.

Wide at the base which means there are a large

proportion of young people in the country.

Wide at the top because there is longer life expectancy.

4% of the population is female aged 25-29.

Narrow at the top which shows that there is a small proportion of elderly people.

Wider in the middle which means that people are living longer, less infant mortality.

This pyramid is typical of a country such as Canada and Japan.

Developing Country Developed Country

Progress?

• 5-6 statements correct• 3-4 statements correct• 1-2 statements correct

Learning Objective1. To be able to identify the key features of a population pyramid.

True or False

• A pyramid with a wide base indicates a low birth rate

• A pyramid with a tall, wide top is an indicator of low life expectancy

• Developed countries have a high birth rate• A large number of people in the 40 to 65 age range

indicates a low death rate• Japan is a developed country• Kenya is a developed country

Pyramid #1Developing Country or Developed Country?

Wide base shows there are lots of children

Low height shows people don’t live long

Concave sides show population dying off quickly

Thin middle means less workers and less wealth

Pyramid #2

Thin base shows there are not a lot of children

High pyramid shows people live a long time

Convex sides show population in good health

Wide middle means more workers and more wealth

Developing Country or Developed Country?

Analysis Population Pyramids

Developing Country Developed Country

Wide base = high birth rate Narrow base = low birth rate

Concave side = high death rate Convex sides = low death rate

Narrow & short pyramid = short life expectancy

Thick and tall pyramid = long life expentancy

QUALITY OF LIFE MAP

How do we know how manypeople there are?

Believe it or not there are people who study population as a job.

These people are called DEMOGRAPHERS.

They help predict what will happen to the population in the future.

THE CENSUS• A census is a questionnaire issued by the

government every 5 years.• The last census will took place in 2011.• The questionnaire asks about age, sex, ethnic

group, religion and occupation.• Everyone must be included in the census by

law.

Why do governments need population information to plan for the future?