POPULATION PYRAMIDS

Different Ages, Different Roles: We play different roles at each stage of

our lives. Demographers identify 3 important stages:

1. Children (0-15)

2. Working Adults (16-64)

3. Older Adults (65 and older)

What is Dependency Load?

Children and older adults

They are proportion of the population that must be supported by the working population

Why does a high dependency load put pressure on the rest of society?

Society will have to provide:

Education (schools) Housing Healthcare Old age homes

What is a population pyramid? Graph that shows population

distribution by age and gender

Analyzing Population Pyramids

1. Rapid Growth (Bottom Heavy) Classic pyramid shape Largest age group is children Developing Countries

2. Slow Growth (Equal): Barrel shaped Largest age group is working adults and

older adults Developed countries

3. Negative Growth (Top Heavy) Population is not growing, possibly getting

smaller Developed countries