The population pyramid displays the age
and sex structure of a country or given area
OLD DEPENDANTS
Population in
Five Year
Age bands
ECONOMICALLY
ACTIVE
YOUNG
DEPENDANTS
MALES
To the left
Usually, but not always,
in % to make for easier
comparisons
between countries
FEMALES
To the right
Note: x axis here
is total persons
not percentage of
population
How to read a population pyramid
Shape of the sides shows death rate:
concave sides=high death rate
convex sides=low death rate
Angola
Israel
Mexico’s “other” pyramids
left: 1980
right: 2010
Concave to convex=death rates falling
(this is Mexico entering what DTM stage?)
Width of base relates to birth rate (CBR) and
fertility rate (TFR)
Benin
Netherlands
Base narrowing=falling birth rates
(The first two pyramids shows South Korea
moving through what stages of the DTM?)
What stage does the last pyramid show?
Height of pyramid can indicate life
expectancy (ignoring very thin tips)
Japan
Afghanistan
Irregularities or “kinks” in the sides indicate some
demographic anomaly that caused rapid birth or
death rates.
India (not kinky)
Russia (kinky)
U.S.’s kink: the post WWII
baby boom
Canada had an even more pronounced baby
boom after WWII than the U.S.
Note when the baby boomers reached reproductive age
they created a baby “boomlet”.
Finland’s
“kinks”
Russia’s kinks
WWI +
Russian
Civil War
Stalin
Famines
WWII
WWII “echo”
and
Urbanization
Echo of the
echo
Declining TFR
China’s kinks
Mao:
“strength in
numbers”
“Great Leap
Forward”
One Child
Policy
Iran’s kink
Contraception
is anti-Islamic
Contraception is
ok after all
Population Pyramids related to the
Demographic Transition Model
Stage 1
IMPLICATIONS
Both birth rates and
Death rates are
High, so population
growth rates are
slow but population
Is usually restored
Due to high birth
Rate. Short life
Expectancy
EXAMPLES:
Afghanistan, Ivory
Coast
Stage 2
Stage 3
IMPLICATIONS
IMPLICATIONS
IMPLICATIONS
Population continues
to grow but at slower
rate. Low C Death
Rate.
Dramatically declining
Crude Birth Rate.
Low Crude Birth Rate
and Crude Death Rate
Higher dependency ratio
and longer life expectancy
Crude Death Rate does
Rise slightly because of
The ageing population
EXAMPLES: Ireland,
China, New Zealand
EXAMPLES: United States,
Japan
Population starts
to grow at an
exponential rate due to
fall in Crude Death Rate.
More living In middle age.
Life expectancy rises
Infant mortality rate falls.
EXAMPLES: Jordan,
Thailand
Stage 4
There is some merit in including or considering
a Stage 5 today with a declining population
Shape: classic pyramid
Cape Verde: stage 2 in DTM
Because of mid-20th century famines, Cape Verde was one
of last countries on earth to enter stage 2.
Shape: half ellipse
Chile: stage 3 in DTM
Chile moved into stage 2 (lowered death rates) in 1930’s
and stage 3 (lowered birth rates due to family planning
policies and bad economy) in the 1960’s
Shape: chimney
Denmark: stage 4 in DTM
Denmark has been in stage 4 showing little population
growth since the 1970’s.
The two “billionaires”:
China has suffered more cataclysmic demographic events
than India. But looking past the “kinks”, what shape is
China’s pyramid trending towards?
Now it’s your turn:
1) Working with a partner, analyze the
12 population pyramids on the back of
your handout.
2) In the table provided, match the
letter below the pyramid with the
region or place it describes.
Naples, FLA
Sudan
Germany
Unalaska, AK
Botswana
Brazil
Washington, D.C.
suburbs
Qatar
Iran
Japan, 2050
projection
Lawrence, KS
(Univ. of Kansas)
AGE GROUP
Population Pyramid for ()
100+
95-99
90-94
85-89
80-84
75-79
70-74
65-69
60-64
55-59
50-54
45-49
40-44
35-39
30-34
25-29
20-24
15-19
10-14
5-9
0-4
10
8
6
4
2
0
2
PERCENT OF TOTAL POPULATION
4
6
Males
8
10
Females
AGE GROUP
Population Pyramid for ()
100+
95-99
90-94
85-89
80-84
75-79
70-74
65-69
60-64
55-59
50-54
45-49
40-44
35-39
30-34
25-29
20-24
15-19
10-14
5-9
0-4
2012-2013
AGHS AP
Human
Geography
Class
10
8
6
4
2
0
2
PERCENT OF TOTAL POPULATION
4
6
Males
8
10
Females