Ms. Ross
Name: ____________
SS 11
Date:
____________
POPULATION PYRAMIDS
KEY INFORMATION
 Men are represented by the colour blue on the left side
 Women are represented by the colour red on
the right side
 Age intervals of 5 years are known as age
cohorts (ie. 0-4, 5-9, 10-14 etc)
 There are 4 models and they can be
connected to the DTM:
1. Early Expanding (Stage 2)
2. Expanding (Stage 3)
3. Stable (Stage 4)
4. Contracting (Stage 5)
 Developing nations have early expanding or expanding pyramids
 Developed (industrialized) countries have stable and contracting pyramids
How to find a country’s dependency ratio using Population Pyramids
Definition: Dependency ratio is the proportion of the population (children and elderly) that is
being supported by (or dependent upon) the working population.
FORMULA
Children (0-14) + Elderly (65+)
Working People (15-64)
*Tip: reduce this fraction into a number over 1 (interpret how many people one worker has to supported)
Let’s try some examples:
a) Chad 2010 – Fig. 11-18 on p. 372
Males 0-14 + Females 0-14 =
Male workers 15-64 + Female workers 15-64 =
Males 65 and older + Females 65 and older =
0-14 + 65 and over =
15-64 yrs
b) Try one on your own – either Iceland 2010 or Japan 2010 (using Fig 11-18 p. 372)
Males 0-14 + Females 0-14 =
Male workers 15-64 + Female workers 15-64 =
Males 65 and older + Females 65 and older =
0-14 + 65 and over =
15-64 yrs
CREATE YOUR OWN POPULATION PYRAMID
Use the data provided to create your population pyramid
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0
1
2
PERCENTAGE OF POPULATION
3
4
5
Mexico Population (2000)
Age cohort
0-4
5-9
10-14
15-19
20-24
25-29
30-34
35-39
40-44
45-49
50-54
55-59
60-64
65-69
70-74
75+
Males (% of population)
5.8
5.7
5.5
5.3
2.1
4.7
3.7
3.0
2.6
2.1
1.7
1.3
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.6
Females (% of population)
5.5
5.4
5.3
5.1
5.0
4.8
4.0
3.3
2.8
2.3
1.8
1.5
1.2
0.6
0.7
0.9
6
Interpreting Population Pyramids
1. How would you describe the birth rate
and death rate in Costa Rica in 2014?
2. What stage of the Demographic
Transition Model is this country in?
3. In relative terms, describe the
dependency ratio in 2014.
1. What is unique about this country’s
population pyramid? What challenge
does this pose for their society?
2. What stage of the Demographic
Transition Model is this country in?
3. What population challenge will Bahrain
have in 25 years time?