6.2.5

Population Pyramids

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Population Pyramids

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

Illustrative background for Concave pyramidIllustrative background for Concave pyramid ?? "content

Concave pyramid

  • 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.
Illustrative background for Straight-sided pyramidIllustrative background for Straight-sided pyramid ?? "content

Straight-sided pyramid

  • 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.
Illustrative background for Arch-shaped pyramidIllustrative background for Arch-shaped pyramid ?? "content

Arch-shaped pyramid

  • 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.
Illustrative background for Cone-shaped pyramidIllustrative background for Cone-shaped pyramid ?? "content

Cone-shaped pyramid

  • 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.

Jump to other topics

1Paper 1 - Changing River Environnments

2Paper 1 - Changing Coastal Environments

3Paper 1 - Changing Ecosystems

4Paper 1 - Tectonic Hazards

5Paper 1 - Climate Change

6Paper 2 - Changing Populations

7Paper 2 - Changing Towns & Cities

8Paper 2 - Development

9Paper 2 - Changing Economies

10Paper 2 - Resource Provision

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