POPULATION PYRAMIDS

CHAPTER 4
MISS AMANDA GUMEDE
 WHAT IS A POPULATION PYRAMID?

❑ Aka population profile

❑ It is used as a method of picturing and comparing the age and sex of a population
❑ They portray a graphic representations which are valuable in terms of being predictive and practical
❑ Horizontal axis show gender
❑ Vertical axis show age:
▪ 5- or 10-year age groups/cohorts
❑ Usually shown in percentages for easier comparisons between countries
 POPULATION STRUCTURE

Old dependents

Independent/
economically
active

Five year
age bands Young dependents
 WHAT DOES A POPULATION PYRAMID SHOW US?

❑ Descriptions:
▪ Red arrows show the slope of the pyramid which
depicts death rates
▪ Green horizontal arrows show the width of the
pyramid base which shows birth or fertility rates
▪ Mustard arrows pointing towards each other
show the share of men and women which can
also show migrations between the two sexes More Less Economically
Economically Developed
▪ Vertical orange arrow which shows the height of Developed Country
the pyramid shows the life expectancy Country

▪ Indent in the graph either show a drastic

decrease in birth rates or an increase in death
rate The shape of the population pyramid can point to whether a
▪ The total areas of the pyramid (within the
country is an
boundaries of the graph) show the total Economically More Developed Country or Economically Less
population. This shows total age groups and Developed Country
accounts for both sexes
 WHAT IS A POPULATION PYRAMID?
CONT…

❑ The information presented may be useful and influential in providing information on the demand and
provision of goods and services, for instance:
▪ If a country has many young people will have an increased demand for educational institutions as well as specific
health care services
▪ If a country has many old people, it will face more responsibilities to provide pension and health care and the
population will need younger, working-age people to take care of them
❑ A pyramid shaped image was used initially as it depicted how many countries looked in the 1800s in
terms of their sex and age compositions:
▪ Broad base showing younger people and narrows as age increases to the narrow apex with older people
▪ Different shapes now represent different populations
 WHAT IS A POPULATION PYRAMID?
CONT…
❑ The size of the different age groups shown on the pyramid depicts the effects of events such as the baby
boon, reduction in birth rates, wars reducing populations as well as migrations
❑ Fast growing countries will have people mostly in the younger age groups, this narrows as age increases
showing a decrease in older people- this shows a classic pyramid shape with stepped sides
❑ For developing countries, female life expectancy decreases in older age groups, making it lower than
that of developed countries- this may be a result of culture as opposed to the economy
❑ Wealthier countries may depict slow population growth rates with an equally or almost equally divided
population among age cohorts- the pyramid here has vertical sides
❑ A pyramid with smaller groups at the bottom results when fertility rates are below replacement level- this
pyramid may have more women than men within the older age groups because women may have a
bigger life expectancy
❑ Varying population issues result in contrasts between pyramids of different countries within developed
and developing worlds
WHAT IS A POPULATION PYRAMID?
CONT…

❑ With changes in the profile of a country comes new pressures on that

country’s socio-economic systems
❑ Dependency ratio:
▪ Percentage of economically dependent individuals that each 100
independent individuals (people their productive years) need to support
▪ People under 15 years + people over 65 years / people between the ages of 15
to 64 years x100
▪ Visually represented on population pyramids
❑ Future issues may be predicted from population pyramids using current
population data, policies and practices
 LOOKING AT POPULATION PYRAMIDS
IN RELATION TO THE DEMOGRAPHIC
TRANSITION MODEL

Stage 1 Stage 2-wide base Stage 3- wide middle Stage 4- slender Stage 5- Narrow base
High birth and Exponential rate of Population growth continues Low Crude Birth
death rates. population growth because at slower and Crude Death Rates
Population of decrease in CDR. Higher rate. Low CDR. Dependency ratio is higher with
growth rates are population in the middle- Drastic decrease in CBR. longer life expectancy.
slow but population aged cohort. e.g., Scotland between 2870- Slight increase in CDR because of
Is usually restored Life expectancy increased 2950 and Morocco ageing population.
because of high birth Infant mortality rate
e.g., present day Scotland, USA and
rate. Life decreases.
Japan
Expectancy is short e.g., Scotland between
e.g., Scotland before 1760-1830 and the Republic
1760 of Congo
LOOKING AT POPULATION PYRAMIDS
IN RELATION TO THE DEMOGRAPHIC
TRANSITION MODEL CONT…

Stage 2-wide base Stage 3- wide middle

Stage 4- slender Stage 5- Narrow base

EXAMPLES OF POPULATION PYRAMIDS:
LESS ECONOMICALLY DEVELOPED
COUNTRIES

Male Female

High
Death
Rate.
High Birth
Rate

Population in millions
 EXAMPLES OF POPULATION PYRAMIDS:
MORE ECONOMICALLY DEVELOPED
COUNTRIES

Male Female
The biggest
The number of cohort of
people in people were
each age born
group is approximatel
approximately y 40 years
the same. ago.

Population in millions
 EXAMPLES OF POPULATION PYRAMIDS:
MORE ECONOMICALLY DEVELOPED
COUNTRIES CONT…

Male Female

In the future older

people will make up
Decreasing the biggest cohort of
birth rate. the population.
Population in millions
 EXAMPLES OF POPULATION PYRAMIDS
CONT…

Male Female

Large number
of temporary
workers. These
are migrants
who most likely
came for work. Population in millions
 IMPLICATIONS OF POPULATION
PYRAMIDS
❑ A broad population pyramid base implies that:
▪ Need for more schools and homes
▪ Need for more food production
▪ Need to create future jobs for the youth
▪ Need to enhance birth control methods
▪ Increased demand for food
▪ Increased dependents
▪ Possible overpopulation issues
❑ A narrow population pyramid base implies that:
▪ Low birth and death rates
▪ Need for incentives for more births
▪ Ageing population
▪ Need for health care services for the elderly
▪ Need for foreign labor
 RECAP OF POPULATION PYRAMIDS
AND DEMOGRAPHIC STAGES
❑ Characteristics shapes of ‘pyramids’
▪ wide base (true pyramid)
▪ wide middle (bulge), with a wider base
▪ urn- or bottle-shaped
▪ reversed pyramid
❑ Different shapes have different implications and effects
❑ The age-structure suggest different scenarios for specific countries.
❑ The percentage of a country’s population in each age group largely influences the demand for goods
and services within that national economy.
❑ Country with high percentage of young has high demand for educational facilities and health delivery
services.
❑ Population Pyramids show dependency ratios and population groups.
❑ Population pyramids also foretell future problems from present population policies or practices, for
example, China’s population policies skewed in favor of males.