Overview A country where half of the population is very young
has different problems than one with a large elderly population
Population composition gives us a more detailed view of the
population Sex ratio (gender) Dependency ratio (age) Marital status
& education Population pyramids Y axis represents age X axis
may represent raw numbers or a percentage of the population
(M/F)
Slide 4
Rapid Growth Poorer stage 2/3 countries with higher death rates
and even higher birth rates (Gaza Strip, Pakistan, Yemen,
Guatemala, The Congo and Laos)
Slide 5
Moderate (& Slowing Growth) Stage 3 countries in transition
to stage 4 as the birth rates decline. (Mexico and Sri Lanka)
Slide 6
Slow Growth Wealthier stage 4 countries with low birth and
death rates experience slow growth. The rising bulge represents
shrinking TFRs. Also, women outnumber the men at the top of the
pyramid due to higher life expectancies. (US and Canada)
Slide 7
Population Decline Some countries, such as Denmark, are
actually experiencing negative growth, and their population
problems will deal with the very old, instead of the very
young
Slide 8
Total Fertility Rate A countries TFR can reach replacement
fertility (2.1) and not reach zero population growth (ZPG)
Demographic momentum The child bearing cohorts are still large The
elderly cohorts who are dying off are still small Basically, the
birth rate has declined, though not enough to make up for the small
number of people dying at the top of the pyramid. Canadas TFR=1.5,
NI=.3 France, China, Thailand, Ireland & S. Korea