Population distribution
The pattern of where people live. This can be considered at all scales from local to global, in an area or country
Population density
The number of people living in an area, usually given as people per km²
Population change
(Births - Deaths) - (In-Migration - Out-Migration)
Population number
Number of people in a city/town/region/country
Population parameter
Different measurable factors to describe population: density, distribution, rate of change, etc.
Optimum population
Refers to the size of a population that produces the best results according to chosen end targets
Carrying capacity
The number of people, animals, or crops which a region can support without environmental degradation
Demographic dividend
Refers to the growth in an economy that is the resultant effect of a change in the age structure of a country’s population. The change in age structure is typically brought on by a decline in fertility and mortality rates
Ecological footprint
Refers to the impact of human activities measured in terms of the area of biologically productive land and water required to produce the goods consumed and to assimilate the wastes generated
HIC (high income countries)
The most developed countries and have a high standard of living e.g. UK, USA, New Zealand
LIC (low income countries)
Countries at a lower stage of development and have a lower quality of life
MIC (middle income countries)
Countries that falls between low-income and high-income countries
BRICs
Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa
NEE
Newly Emerging Economy
MINTs
Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Turkey
N11 (Next Eleven)
Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Turkey, South Korea, Vietnam - countries that have potentially the fastest growing economies in the 21st century
CPEs
Centrally planned economies e.g. North Korea
RICs
Recently industrializing countries e.g. Chile
LDCs
Least developed countries
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
An international organization that works to build better policies for better lives. Their goal is to shape policies that foster prosperity, equality, opportunity and well-being for all
Exponential growth
Growth that increases by a constant proportion
Megacity
A city with a population over 10 million people
Millionaire city
A city with a population over 1 million people
Primate city
A disproportionately larger city in the urban hierarchy in a country
Urban hierarchy
The hierarchy of settlements in a country from megacities, cities, large towns and villages
Internal migration
The movement of people within a country for both voluntary and involuntary reasons
Core-periphery models
Suggest that some cities, regions or countries develop faster because of human and physical advantages and turn into the core regions
Pre-Industrial
This represents an agricultural society, with localized economies and a small scale settlement structure. Each settlement is fairly isolated, activities are dispersed and mobility is low.
Transitional
The concentration of the economy in the core begins as a result of innovation, capital accumulation and industrial growth. Among the numerous examples of such a phase are the early industrialization of Great Britain in the late 18th century.
Industrial
In economic theory, additional core regions form as part of the development process over time. The growth of these cores are filled by flows of raw materials and workers from neighboring areas.
Post-Industrial
The urban system becomes fully integrated. The economic activities are grouped with areas to allow for specialization and division of labor linked with intense flows along high capacity transport.
Backwash
Flows of people, investment and resources directed from peripheral core regions*. This process is responsible for the polarization of regional prosperity between regions within the same country.
Core-periphery system
The uneven spatial distribution of national population and wealth between two or more regions of a state or country, resulting from flows of migrants, trade and investment.
Peripheral
Countries are dependent on core countries for capital and have underdeveloped industry.
Core
Describes dominant capitalist countries which exploit the peripheral countries for labour and raw materials.
Semi-peripheral
Countries that share characteristics of both core and periphery countries
Regional imbalance
The unequal distribution of resources, wealth, development, and opportunity across different regions within a country
International migration
When people migrate from one country to another
Emigration
When someone leaves a country
Immigration
When someone enters a country
Labour migration
Based on the hope for a better economic future
Rural to urban migration
People from rural areas moving into the city
Counter-urbanization
People moving out of the city to rural areas. It’s both driven by demographic (population driven) and social process; and has to a lesser extent also involved the movement of some business and economic activities
Birth rate
The total number of live births 1000 persons per year
Death rate
The total number of deaths occurring during the year per 1000 people
Dependency ratio
A measure of how many people depend on the working-age population for economic support
Infant mortality rate
The number of infant deaths per 1000 live births of children
Natural increase
Birth rate is higher than death rate
Total infertility rate
The average number of children a woman would have in her lifetime
Ageing population
A higher than average number of elderly in a population
Demographic
Statistics relating to population (gender and age)
Transition
Change from one position to another over time
Model
Example of representation of something
Subsistence
Maintaining or supporting oneself
Demographic Transition Model (DTM)
Shows a simple change overtime with a country’s birth rates, death rates, and population growth
Population pyramid
A type of bar chart used to show the age and gender structure of a country
Dependency ratio
The average number of economically dependent population per 100 economically productive population for a given country
Economically dependent
The sum of the population under 15 years of age (young dependents) plus the population 65 years of age and over (old dependents) and over for a given country
Economically productive
Defined as the population between 15 and 64 years of age, for the same country, territory, or geographic area, at the same specific point in time
Favelas
Illegal settlements where people have built homes on land that they did not own. Areas of great social deprivation
Inequality
Differences between poverty and wealth, wellbeing, access to jobs, housing, and education. It creates certain groups to become marginalized and to become more disadvantaged. This leads to a lot of people receiving poor healthcare and a low standard of living for a lot of locals. Where there are large inequalities between affluent and poorer people, the poor may become frustrated and rally themselves, sometimes through the means of violence, in order to improve their economic position
Informal economy
Money that is earned and that is not taxed
Formal economy
Money that is taxed and contributes to a countries GDP (Gross Domestic Product)
Economic development
The actions of the government to improve the economic and social well-being of people living in that particular country.
Push factor
Reasons based at the origin of the migration and which initiate the migrants desire to move. They repel – e.g. soil exhaustion, poverty, natural disasters
Pull factor
Based at the intended destination of the migrant and attract people e.g. better job opportunities, better standards of living, more peaceful existence (such as 'American Dream' attracting Mexicans across the border)
Temporary
When the migrant intends to return to their place of origin
Permanent
When the migrant intends to stay in their destination
Step migration
The process of migration in a series of shorter movements, from the place of origin to the final destination. E.G. moving from a farm to a village, to a town, and finally a city.
Forced migration
Often follows natural disasters, persecution or wars but can also be a result of gradual deterioration of economic opportunity (e.g. result of desertification). Can be local or international scale & numbers involved can be huge. E.G. Following tribal based genocide in Rwanda in 1994, 2 million refugees fled to Zaire (now the DRC) and half a million to Tanzania
Permanent migration
This involves a permanent change of residence. This migration demonstrates distance decay – this means the shorter the move (e.g change of house within same community) the less upheaval and so greater numbers of migrants involved. As distances increase, number of migrants decrease. (EG. Larger numbers move from rural to urban areas – urbanisation – within LICs than move abroad -emigrate). Most challenging are the issues faced by those emigration overseas. Migrants face demands of adjusting to new cultures, climates, languages plus legal/financial disincentives.
Voluntary migration
Current circumstances & hope that a better standard of living is possible elsewhere are considered in making the decision. These migrants may form a migration stream if there are many from a particular country, region or city heading to a certain destination (E.G Immigration from the Caribbean to Britain in decades following WW2)
Labour migration
The movement of persons from their home state to another state for the purpose of employment. Today, an estimated 86 million persons are working in a country other than their country of birth.
Family migration
Term used to categorise the migration of people who migrate due to new or established family ties. It includes several sub-categories: reunification with a family member who migrated earlier, marriage between an immigrant and a citizen, international adoptions
Humanitarian migration
Involves persons in need of protection, including but not limited to refugees, persons with urgent protection needs, migrants in vulnerable situations, extended family members, or persons in need of medical assistance and care.
Asylum seeker
A person who has fled their country of origin and applies for asylum under the 1951 Convention on the ground that they cannot return to their country of origin because of a well-founded fear of death or persecution. While they wait for a decision on their application to be concluded, they are known as an asylum seeker
Economic migrant
A person who has voluntarily left their country of origin to seek, by lawful or unlawful means, employment in another country
Refugee
A person fleeing, for example civil war/natural disaster, but not necessarily fearing persecution as defined by the 1951 Refugee Convention. Legally however a refugee is an asylum seeker who application claim for asylum has been successful.
Conflict-Induced Displacement
Occurs when people are forced to flee their homes as a result of armed conflict including civil war, generalized violence, and persecution on the grounds of nationality, race, religion, political opinion or social group
Development-Induced Displacement
Occurs when people are compelled to move as a result of policies and projects implemented to advance ‘development’ efforts. Examples of this include large-scale infrastructure projects such as dams, roads, ports, airports; urban clearance initiatives; mining and deforestation; and the introduction of conservation parks/reserves
Disaster-Induced Displacement
Occurs when people are displaced as a result of natural disasters (floods, volcanoes, landslides, earthquakes), environmental change (deforestation, desertification, land degradation, global warming) and human-made disasters (industrial accidents, radioactivity).
Remittances
Are transfers of money from residents of one country to residents of another country and are often associated with migrants sending money to families and communities
Age dependency ratio
The ratio of dependents (people younger than 15 or older than 64) to the working-age population (those aged 15-64)
Total fertility rate
The average number of children a woman would have in her lifetime
Female foeticide
The procedure of abortion
Pro-natalist policies
Policies which are designed with a purpose of increasing the birth rate/fertility rate of an area. They are found in countries with either very slow natural increase or natural decrease and in areas with ageing population.
Anti-natalist policies
Aim to do the reverse: to encourage people to plan smaller families, lower fertility rates and reduce the number of births. These tend to be found in countries with high birth rates and rapidly growing populations
Human trafficking
The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of people through force, fraud of deception, with the aim of exploiting them for profit.
Demographic Dividend
The accelerated economic growth that can happen as a country's population age structure changes, together with investments in health, education, economic policy, and governance.