Dependency Load and Population Pyramids
At each stage of our lives we play different roles in our
society:
☺ Children – under 15 years old
☺ Working adults – 15 – 64 years of age
☺ Retired adults – 65+
Children under the age of 15 and older adults must be
supported by (or are dependent on) the working population.
The part of the population that must be supported is called
the dependency load.
Population Pyramids
☺ Special bar graphs to show the make-up of a population
by age and gender
☺ Useful to predict future needs of a city!
☺ Predict what a city needs if….
Large under 15 pop
Large working pop
Large retired pop