Demography Lecture Notes Review

A set of flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the lecture on demography.

Demography

The scientific study of human populations, including their sizes, compositions, distributions, densities, growth, and other characteristics.

Fertility Rate

The actual reproductive performance of an individual, a couple, a group, or a population, often measured by the number of live births per 1,000 population in a given year.

Replacement Level Fertility

The level of fertility at which a couple has only enough children to replace themselves, approximately two children per couple.

Doubling Time

The number of years required for the population of an area to double its present size, given the current rate of population growth.

Demographic Transition Model

A model that describes how birth rates and death rates change over time, typically involving four or five stages of population change.

Carrying Capacity

The maximum population size that an environment can sustain based on available resources such as food, water, and habitat.

Age Dependency Ratio

The ratio of persons in dependent age groups (under 15 and over 64) to those in the economically productive age group (15-64).

Population Density

The measurement of population per unit area, commonly expressed as inhabitants per square kilometer.

Malthusian Theory

A theory by Thomas Malthus which posits that population growth will outpace food supply growth, leading to famine and societal collapse.

Boserup's Hypothesis

Ester Boserup's theory that argues population growth can stimulate agricultural innovation, leading to increases in food supply.