The Power of the Pyramids
Look up the country assigned to you. Before you come to class tomorrow, you need to know where it is.
Countries are:
Afghanistan
Angola
Brazil
Cameroon
France
Qatar
Zimbabwe
Austria
Congo
(Brazzaville)
Laos
Jamaica
Senegal
Bangladesh
Denmark
Ghana
Saudi Arabia
Botswana
Ethiopia
Mexico
China
Morocco
El Salvador
Nigeria
South Africa
UAE
Ukraine
Mozambique
Nauru
Kiribati
Seychelles
From www.census.gov:
Go to: People (on top), International Data Base (IDB) (from long list)
Select your country, 2010 as the year, and under Select Report choose Demographic Overview.
Hit Submit. Read to fill in the following information for your country:
Crude Birth Rate?
Infant mortality rate?
Births (in 1,000s)
Crude Death Rate?
Deaths (in 1,000s)
Life Expectancy?
Total fertility rate
(TFR)?
How has the growth
rate changed over
time?
What is the growth rate
today?
One other interesting
fact
Then return to the report page (arrow back). Switch the Report Type to Population by 5 year Age Group.
Hit submit and print out this chart that should show population numbers for males and females for ages
0-4, 5-9, and so forth. You must have it in class on Wednesday, 8/29.
To construct the country’s pyramid you must first calculate the percentage of the population made up of
each gender’s age group. You do this by dividing each segment’s population by the total population (not
each gender) and multiplying by 100. For example, if a country has a total population of 263,119,000
and the population of males ages 0-4 was 10,515,000 then
10,515,000/263,119,000 x 100 = 4%
You must first complete the calculations for each cohort or age group. The numbers should add up to
something close to 100%. Record the values on the table below.
After you have calculated the % Males and % Females, use the graph paper to make an age-sex
population pyramid. Then answer the questions that apply to your country.
Age Group
Country = ____________________________
Male (M)
%
Female (F)
%
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
75-79
80-84
85-90+
Questions:
1. Describe the general shape of your graph and how closely it resembles a pyramid.
2. Which gender has the higher population in the youngest age groups on your pyramid? How do
you account for this? Explain.
3. Which gender has the higher population in the eldest age groups? How do you account for this?
Explain.
4. What can you tell about a country’s growth rate by looking at an age-sex population pyramid?
5. If birth and death rates remain the same as they are now, what will your pyramid look like in 25
years?
6. What are some factors that could change the shape of your pyramid?
7. Determine the percentage of the population that has yet to reach childbearing age. What do
these numbers indicate for prospects of future growth?
8. If your country is not increasing in population growth, what are some socio-economic problems
that might occur?
9. Can you determine from your age-sex population pyramid how many people make up the
population of your country? Why or why not?
10. Does your country have a baby boom in it (a bulge somewhere in the middle)? What could
account for this boom?
11. If you had a business and you wanted to capitalize on your information aobut the population
age distribution what would you sell and why?
12. What % of the population is above age 65?
13. Does your pyramid look like that of the World Population Pyramid? Why or why not?
14. From the information graphed, briefly discuss whether your country is increasing in population
size, decreasing, or is at or close to ZPG.
15. From your data and pyramid, is your country more likely to be a developed country or a
developing country? How do you know?