Population Composition

Introduction

We have a huge population and everyone is different from others, so how do we differentiate? When the population is characterized according to age group, gender, language, literacy rate, health condition, occupation, and more categories is called population composition. The population composition helps in understanding the population density of a society or country or state, how many males or females are there, how many are employed, and what is the health condition of the society. 

What is population composition? 

The key element of population composition is basically everything that can be categorized in society. Major population composition statistics are drawn on the basis of Age and Gender. 

Age

Dividing the population into various age groups is the most important element of population composition. So how is it done? Researchers or people who study population first make categories for and form different groups according to ages. Age grouping provides a useful factor in understanding the demography of society. We get to see how many working people there are, what the fertility rate, life-expectancy rate, and more are just by looking at this categorization of the population through age groups. These numbers from age groups impact society economically and socially. Generally, the developed countries have a high life-expectancy rate whereas the less developed countries have more young population. This ratio of the number of people that depends on the working/employed portion of the population is called the age dependency ratio. From age 0 to 15, people over the age of 65 fall in the age dependency ratio. If these numbers are higher than the compared working group, it is considered to be an economic burden.  

Gender 

The next major element of population composition is the division of population according to gender. The ratio of the number of males and females present in the population is known as the gender ratio. Usually, the ratio is expressed as the number of males over every 100 females. Gender ratio can vary because of migration patterns of population, for example in villages mostly male populations immigrate to cities looking for employment.  

Population Pyramid

The graphical representation of the age and gender ratio of the population is called a Population Pyramid.  Suppose you need to see the gender ratio of a particular age group, the population pyramid is an efficient way to do it, for this reason, the population pyramid is also called the age-sex pyramid. Population composition in the Age-Sex pyramid generally has males on the left side and females on the right side, there is a vertical line that separates males from females. Though the data and statistics are shown in graphs, it is called a pyramid because of its triangular shape.   

There are three types of population pyramids: expansive population pyramid, constructive population pyramid, and stationary population pyramid.  

The Expansive population pyramid represents the population that has a large younger people population, thus the lower bars of the graph are longer. The countries with this kind of graph have high fertility rates but have lower life-expectancy rates. Most underdeveloped country’s population composition has this kind of graph. This expanding population pyramid is a fast-growing population pyramid. 

The Constructive population pyramid is also known as the declining population pyramid, it has a narrow bottom. This pyramid represents the higher life-expectancy rate and has a lower fertility rate. Developed countries typically have this kind of graph, as they have higher literacy rates and access to better health treatment. The constructive pyramid suggests a higher age dependency ratio. 

The Stationary population pyramid generally represents the constant percentages of the population. This pyramid generally has a similar life expectancy and fertility rate, which makes a balanced pyramid. 

Conclusion

When the population is characterized according to age group, gender, language, literacy rate, health condition, occupation, and more categories is called population composition. The population composition helps in understanding the population density of a society or country or state, how many males or females are there, how many are employed, and what is the health condition of the society. Age and gender determine the classification of population composition. The graphical representation of the age and gender ratio of the population is called a Population Pyramid. There are three types of population pyramids: expansive population pyramid, constructive population pyramid, and stationary population pyramid.