Population Composition

A variety of groups of people live on this planet. Everyone is unique and beautiful in their own way. There are diverse groups that have inhabited this planet. The definition of population composition in Human Geography Class 12: Population Composition is the description of the characteristics of a particular group of people based on various factors. There are a variety of factors, but some important ones are: 

• Sex Composition
• Age Composition 
• Rural and Urban Composition  
• Literacy 
• Occupational Structure 

These factors help in describing the population composition. 

Sex Composition 

Sex composition or sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. It is the number of men and women in a population that shines on crucial demographic characteristics. 

It is the ratio of the number of females per 1000 males in the population. 

This ratio reflects a light on the status of women in a country. 

There are countries where there is a low sex ratio. The two main reasons responsible for this are: 

1. There is gender inequality in these areas. The status given to a girl in these areas is less as compared to the boys. Thus, the girl becomes a victim of female feticide, female infanticide, or other inhumane practices. 
2. Women have low socio-economic status in these areas as compared to men. 

Females always have a biological advantage over males because they are more resilient than men. But still, they cannot thrive in society because of the social discrimination they have to face every day. 

• On an average population of the world, there are 102 males per 100 females  
• Latvia is the only country with a sex composition of 85 males per 100 females.  
• In contrast to Latvia, Qatar has the lowest sex composition with 311 males per 100 females
• The Greater part of Europe (including Russia) has attributed to better status for women as the males are in the minority there
• As listed by United Nations, there are around 139 countries that have a higher sex ratio, and 72 countries have a lower sex composition ratio compared to them

Age Structure 

Age Structure describes the population composition based on the different age groups of people that live in that country. 

The Age structure is divided into three types of age groups in society: 

1. The young and teenage population is under 15 years old. If a region has a high rate of young children, it has a high birth rate.
2. Working population between 15-64 years. It means that most of the people in the country are working and contributing to the economic development of society. 
3. The elderly population is above the age of 65. If a country has this rate high, then it means that it would require a massive expenditure on the health of this community. 

Age and Sex Pyramid

The age and sex pyramid of a population describes the number of females and males in different age groups. It shows the age structure of a country’s population. 

The shape of the age and sex pyramid helps in telling some necessary characteristics of a country’s population. The left side in the age and sex pyramid represents the male population, while the right side represents the female population. 

Here are some age and sex pyramids of some countries which shows different things: 

1. Nigeria 

• The age and sex pyramid is like the shape of a of the pyramid. It is wide at the base and has a narrow top
• This shape reflects that the country has a high birth ratio and a massive young population. Countries that are less developed have a similar kind of age structure
• It is an example of an expanding population

2. Australia  

• The age structure of Australia, the age and sex pyramid is bell-shaped and has a tapered top
• It is an example of a constant population as the birth and death rates of a country are almost equal 

3. Japan 

• The age structure in Japan is different from the rest. The age and sex pyramid contains a tapered top and narrow base
• It shows that the country has low death and birth rates. The population composition consists of a mostly working-age group
• Population growth in most of the developed countries is almost 0 or negative. Thus, Japan’s population is an example of a declining population

Rural and Urban Composition 

One of the factors that describe the population composition is rural-urban composition. The lifestyles of rural and urban people are utterly different from each other.

1. Rural Areas – Rural areas are where the people’s primary occupation is primary activities. They are less developed as compared to urban areas. 
2. Urban Areas – Urban areas are where the people are engaged in non-primary activities. 

In Western Countries, males outnumber females in rural areas. Whereas in urban areas, the number of females outnumber males. Asia is a male-dominated continent and has a low sex composition ratio. The women here are more engaged in primary activities. 

Literacy 

Literacy is another factor that defines the socio-economic development of population composition. 

The level of economic development in a country is a cause and consequence of literacy. A high literacy rate population means the standard of living, educational facilities, and social status of women is comparatively higher than others. 

The literacy rate in India denotes the percentage of the population above seven who can read, write and do math with proper understanding. 

Occupational Services 

Occupational services describe the population composition of a country. It is dependent upon the different economic activities opted by the country’s working-age group.

The economic activities are divided into four main groups: 

1. Primary activities – These activities include farming, mining, forestry, and fishing. Primary activities include the extraction of resources.
2. Secondary activities – These activities deal with manufacturing and industrial activities of the resources. 
3. Tertiary activities – Tertiary activities deal with trade and communication services.  
4. Quaternary activities – These activities are related to research and technology development ideas.

In conclusion:

If the country is engaged mainly in primary economic activities, it means that the economy is still in the developing phase or primitive phase. If the population composition is occupied in all the four economic sectors, it means that the country’s development is thriving. Only the developed countries with well-built industries and infrastructure can accommodate workers in secondary, tertiary, and quaternary activities.