Population Structure and Pyramids

Vocabulary flashcards covering population structures, population pyramid shapes, dependency ratios, demographic transition stages, and related case studies.

Population Structure

The characteristics of a population—including the distribution of age, sex, ethnicity, and religion—which result from changes in fertility, mortality, and migration.

Population Pyramid

An age structure graph used to display the gender and age distribution of a given population across age groups and between male and female.

Concave Population Pyramid

A population pyramid shape characteristic of LEDCs in Stages $1$ and $2$ of the Demographic Transition Model (such as Niger), indicating high birth rates, low life expectancy, high death rates starting to decrease, high infant mortality rates, and a dominant young dependent population.

Convex Population Pyramid

A population pyramid shape characteristic of LEDCs and NICs in Stage $3$ of the Demographic Transition Model (such as Nepal), indicating decreasing birth rates, increasing life expectancy, decreasing death rates, decreasing infant mortality, and a larger working-age population.

Column-Shape Population Pyramid

A population pyramid shape characteristic of MEDCs in Stage $4$ of the Demographic Transition Model (such as the USA), indicating decreasing birth rates, increasing life expectancy, decreasing death rates, low infant mortality, and a larger working-age population.

Pentagon-Shape Population Pyramid

A population pyramid shape with a narrowing base characteristic of MEDCs in Stage $5$ of the Demographic Transition Model (such as Japan), indicating decreasing birth rates, increasing life expectancy, a death rate higher than the birth rate due to an ageing population, and low infant mortality.

Dependency Ratio

A calculated metric measuring the proportion of dependents relative to the working-age population: $\text{dependency ratio} = \frac{\text{young dependents} + \text{old dependents}}{\text{working population}} \times 100$.

Ageing Population

A population structure with an increasing proportion of elderly dependents caused by increasing life expectancy and falling birth rates, leading to issues such as increased pension costs and healthcare pressure.

Fertility Replacement Rate

The fertility rate needed for a population to replace itself from one generation to the next, which is $2.1$ births per woman.

Pro-Natalist Policies

Government measures introduced to increase the birth rate and encourage larger families.

UAE Population Imbalance

A distorted population structure in the UAE caused by male labor migration for oil, gas, and construction, resulting in males aged $25$–$39$ making up approximately $29\%$ of the population while females aged $25$–$39$ make up only $10.5\%$.

Demographics of Japan Case Study

A population profile where total population fell from $128\text{ million}$ in $2007$ to $125.8\text{ million}$ in $2020$, with a fertility rate of $1.36$, a birth rate of $6.8\text{ per }1000$, a death rate of $11.1\text{ per }1000$ (up from $6\text{ per }1000$ in $1979$), and a life expectancy of $84.36\text{ years}$.