Population Pyramids

Geography: Cambridge International GCSE (2027 Exams), topic 6.2.5

Population pyramids show the number of people in each age band (cohort) and organise them by gender.

A pyramid with concave sides.
E.g. Remote tribes and some of the poorest nations.
These countries are similar to countries in Stage 1 of the Demographic Transition Model:
Very high birth rate.
The highest number of people are in the 0-4 years cohort.
The numbers then drop off quickly and the cohorts get smaller as the ages increase.
This is because of the high death rate.
There are very low numbers as people get to retirement age because most people have died by then.

Examples include most low-income countries, e.g. Madagascar and Afghanistan.
These countries are similar to countries in Stage 2 of the Demographic Transition Model:
High birth rate.
The highest number of people are in the 0-4 years cohort.
The numbers drop off as the age increases but at a slower rate than concave pyramids.
There are very low numbers of people over 60 years old.
The population is expanding.

Examples include high-income countries like the UK and USA.
These countries are similar to countries in Stage 4 of the Demographic Transition Model:
Low birth rate and low death rate.
The number of people in the cohorts from 0-60 years are even.
The number of people over 60 years starts to decrease slightly.

Examples include high-income countries like Japan and Germany.
These countries are similar to countries in Stage 5 of the Demographic Transition Model:
Low and further decreasing birth rate and low death rate.
There are fewer young dependents than old dependents.
These countries have an ageing population.
A lot of the population is over 60 years old.
The population size is getting smaller.

Test yourself on Population Pyramids

What stage of the demographic transition model are countries that have concave population pyramids similar to?