The document discusses population topics including population structure, population pyramids, census data collection, and the demographic transition model. It describes how population pyramids show the age and gender composition of a population and can reveal changes over time. It also explains that censuses aim to count every person in a country and collect key data like age, gender, occupation that help governments plan services. The demographic transition model shows typical stages of population change from high birth/death rates to low as countries develop.

1. Higher Geography
Population

4. Let’s have a look at what’s in store for
us in this unit...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbF3fG2cc8I
...and look at how many of us there are!
http://www.ibiblio.org/lunarbin/worldpop

5. Aims of Unit
• To understand population structure and
interpret ‘population pyramids’
• To know how a census is conducted and
describe problems with its accuracy/use
• To describe and explain factors that cause
changes in population – both in EMDCs &
ELDCs
• To understand the Demographic Transition
Model (DTM)

6. World Population Density
Pop. Density:
People per
sq.km

7. Population Structure
Population Structure describes the
composition of a country’s population in
terms of its age and gender.
The best way to show this data is by using a
‘Population Pyramid’

8. A simple way of understanding a population pyramid is
to think of it as a visual aid telling you how many
people of different ages there are in a population.
In theory, there will be more babies at the base of
the ‘pyramid’ than elderly people at the top!

9. What do the pyramids tell us?
• The shape of a population pyramid gives us information about birth
and death rates as well as life expectancy.
• A population pyramid tells us how many dependants there are
living in an area. There are two groups of dependants; young
dependants (aged below 15) and elderly dependants (aged over
65).
• Those of working age are classed as economically active
Dependants rely upon the economically active for economic
support.
• Many ELDCs have a high number of young dependants, whilst
many EMDCs have a growing number of elderly dependants.

10. Progressive pyramid – A Pyramid with
a high birth rate and a high death rate.

11. Regressive pyramid – A declining birth
rate and a low mortality rate.

12. Stationary pyramid – A population
pyramid showing an unchanging
pattern of fertility and mortality.

16. By studying a succession of
pyramids from a country
over different years, we
can notice and interpret
changes that can happen.
This is Italy’s population
from 2000 and predicted
to 2050.
What do you notice
happening? Describe the
shapes and explain any
changes.

17. In the exam you may be asked to interpret a population pyramid, with a
question such as:
Look at the diagram showing the projected population structure of Italy in
2025 and describe the main features of the structure.

18. A good answer to this question would include the
following information:
• The largest age groups in Italy are 50-54 and 55-59,
where there are almost five million people in each
group.
• There are much smaller numbers in the 0-4 and 5-9
groups, with around two million people in each group.
• There are more than one million males and one million
females in all age groups up to 75-79. In the age groups
beyond this, there are more females than males.
• Boost your revision by looking again at the population
pyramid.
Can you suggest reasons for the pattern it shows? And
can you explain the consequences of the population
structure?

19. Impact of a changing population
 The increased population of older people means that:
• there is an increased demand for health and social care
• it becomes increasingly difficult for governments to
provide satisfactory pensions, which are ultimately
funded by the working population
 The reduced numbers of babies and children means that:
• there is less need for schools and school teachers
• industries which provide products for children - for
example pram manufacturers - may suffer
• in the longer term, companies may have difficulty
recruiting youthful workers

20. Possible Solutions
• These are some of the issues, but are there any
solutions? A statement from an MSP that “Scots should
be paid to breed” suggests that the use of financial
incentives is one possible solution. The Singapore
government has launched a pro-natalist campaign, and
hopes to increase the birth rate by:
o giving financial inducements for third children
o giving paid maternity leave
o providing state-funded child care centres
• Whether these incentives would make any difference in
Western Europe is debatable. The alternative option,
tried in a number of countries experiencing a labour
shortage, is to encourage immigration.

22. The Demographic Transition Model
Population changes over time can be shown using a
Demographic Transition Model (DTM).
The key here is the word transition – as every country’s
population goes through periods of fluctuation, increase
and decrease over the long term.
It is also important to remember that this a model – so it
only gives us a general idea/pattern about what we
would expect to see in terms of a country’s development.

24. Stage 1: High Fluctuating
• Birth Rate and Death rate are both high. Population growth is slow and
fluctuating.
Reasons:
• Birth Rate is high as a result of:
• Lack of family planning
• High Infant Mortality Rate: putting babies in the 'bank'
• Need for workers in agriculture
• Religious beliefs
• Children as economic assets
• Death Rate is high because of:
• High levels of disease
• Famine
• Lack of clean water and sanitation
• Lack of health care
• War
• Competition for food from predators such as rats
• Lack of education
• Typical of Britain in the 18th century and the Least Economically
Developed Countries (ELDCs) today.

26. Stage 2: Early Expanding
• Birth Rate remains high. Death Rate is falling.
Population begins to rise steadily.
Reasons:
• Death Rate is falling as a result of:
• Improved health care (e.g. Smallpox Vaccine)
• Improved Hygiene (Water for drinking boiled)
• Improved sanitation
• Improved food production and storage
• Improved transport for food
• Decreased Infant Mortality Rates
• Typical of Britain in 19th century; Bangladesh;
Nigeria

28. Stage 3: Late Expanding
• Birth Rate starts to fall. Death Rate continues to
fall. Population rising.
Reasons:
• Family planning available
• Lower Infant Mortality Rate
• Increased mechanization reduces need for
workers
• Increased standard of living
• Changing status of women
• Typical of Britain in late 19th and early 20th
century; China; Brazil

30. Stage 4: Low Fluctuating
• Birth Rate and Death Rate both low.
Population steady.
• NOW YOU THINK OF SOME REASONS WHY
STAGE 4 IS LIKE THIS!!!
• Typical of USA; Sweden; Japan; Britain

31. Problems/Anomalies with the DTM
Like all models, the demographic transition model has its
limitations. It failed to consider, or to predict, several factors
and events:
1 Birth rates in several EMDCs have fallen below death rates
(Germany, Sweden). This has caused, for the first time, a
population decline which suggests that perhaps the model
should have a fifth stage added to it.
2 The model assumes that in time all countries pass through
the same four stages. It now seems unlikely, however, that
many ELDCs, especially in Africa, will ever become
industrialised.

32. 3 The model assumes that the fall in the death rate in Stage 2 was
the consequence of industrialisation. Initially, the death rate in
many British cities rose, due to the insanitary conditions which
resulted from rapid urban growth, and it only began to fall after
advances were made in medicine. The delayed fall in the death
rate in many developing countries has been due mainly to their
inability to afford medical facilities. In many countries, the fall
in the birth rate in Stage 3 has been less rapid than the model
suggests due to religious and/or political opposition to birth
control (Brazil), whereas the fall was much more rapid, and
came earlier, in China following the government-introduced
‘onechild’ policy.
4 The timescale of the model, especially in several South-east
Asian countries such as Hong Kong and Malaysia, is being
squashed as they develop at a much faster rate than did the
early industrialised countries.
5 Countries that grew as a consequence of emigration from
Europe (USA, Canada, Australia) did not pass through the early
stages of the model.

34. Censuses
• Information about a population is often
collected by a census
• Most countries update their census every
10 years
• It is a legal requirement in the UK for
each household to complete the census
form and accurately disclose information

35. The first known census was taken by the
Babylonians (from an area that is now
Northern Iraq) in 3800 BC, over 5000
years ago!
Records suggest that it was taken every
six or seven years and counted the
number of people and livestock, as well
as quantities of butter, honey, milk, wool
and vegetables.

37. So, how does it work?
• Since 1801, every ten years the nation has set
aside one day for the census - a count of all
people and households. It is the most complete
source of information about the population that
we have. The latest census was held on Sunday
29 April 2001.
• Every effort is made to include everyone, and
that is why the census is so important. It is the
only survey which provides a detailed picture of
the entire population, and is unique because it
covers everyone at the same time and asks the
same core questions everywhere. This makes it
easy to compare different parts of the country.

38. • The information the census provides allows
central and local government, health
authorities and many other organisations to
target their resources more effectively and to
plan housing, education, health and transport
services for years to come.
• In England and Wales, the census is planned
and carried out by the Office for National
Statistics. Elsewhere in the UK, responsibility
lies with the General Register Office for
Scotland and the Northern Ireland Statistics
and Research Agency.

39. What is asked in a census?
• No. of males & females
• No. and age of residents in household
• No. of rooms in household
• Country of birth of residents and languages
spoken
• Occupation of residents
• How people get to work

40. DISCUSS:
How does the Government benefit from
having census data?
Describe and explain your findings.

41. Strange but true...
The 2001 census was the first year in which the
government asked about religion. Perhaps encouraged
by a hoax chain letter that started in New Zealand,
390,000 people entered their religion as Jedi Knight
(more than Sikhs, Buddhists or Jews), with some areas
registering up to 2.6% of people as "Jedi".
It was wrongly implied in emails that stating "Jedi" on
the form would cause it to become an "official
religion". No such thing exists in the United Kingdom.
However, the director of reporting and analysis at the
ONS stated that it may have helped with the collection
process as it encouraged young people, who are often
missed, to complete forms!

43. Problems with taking censuses
• Some countries have problems with either
taking an accurate census or conducting a
census altogether
• Vital Statistics (registration of births,
marriages and deaths) can be used instead to
monitor population change
• These can be up-to-date but aren’t as detailed
whilst some countries would still encounter
problems with accuracy from this information

44. Nomads in Mali, North Africa

45. Ethiopia: a poor country

46. Mountains in Afghanistan

47. Piraha Tribe: Amazon Rainforest, Brazil

48. Schoolgirl in Bangladesh

49. Bomb damage outside UN, Iraq

50. Why is a Census important?

51. A rich source of information...
o The Census collected information about people, households and
their housing.
o The information from the forms was processed to produce a
database from which results are drawn - information about
identifiable individuals is never released.
o They are presented either as simple counts, such as the number of
young children, or as figures which relate one topic to another,
such as the number of children in one parent families.
o The linking of topics is one of the most valuable features of a
Census.
o Most figures are about the people who live in an area, but others
are about people who work in an area or about migrants from an
area.

52. What does the Census tell us?
The last census in Scotland took place in 2001.
You can view this data at the SCROL (Scotland’s
Census Results Online) website:
http://www.scrol.gov.uk/scrol/common/home.jsp