STRUCTURE AND COMPOSITION OF POPULATION

Population structure describes the qualitative characteristics of population. These include the age
and sex composition of the population.
THE AGE COMPOSITION OF POPULATION:
The population of an area includes persons of various ages. The age composition is important for
understanding the fertility and. mortality of a community. Age differences may. Create social
and economic differences. The importance of age composition is discussed in the coming lines.
Importance of Age Composition:
 The age composition of a population (sometimes called age structure or age distribution)
is one of the most basic characteristics of a population. One cannot proceed very far in
the study of population growth or migration without an examination of age composition.
 All aspects of an individual’s life-social attitudes, economic activities, - political
Propensities and so on, are affected by age.-
 Age influences the needs, thinking, attitude and behavior of people.
 The age structure very much influences the socioeconomic life of a nation.
 Age data are functional, to those responsible for planning different, .types of activities.
The LIC depends very much on the age data.
 Age data are also required for employment, marriage, retirement and a number of other
social and economic activities of life.
 The age structure enables us to determine the proportion of the labor force in the total
population.
 It is helpful in finding out the dependency load.
 It indicates the approximate number of people who are attaining working age and
retirement. Thus, an estimate may be made of the net addition to the working force for
which new jobs are to be created.
 The relative proportion of producers and, consumers will determine- the capacity of a
community to save - and invest. Consumption and production also depends to a
significant extent on the age structure.
 For understanding the future growth of population, it is necessary to know the age
structure because it affects the marriage rate and reproductive performance of the
population. Thus, on the basis of age structure, it is possible to know whether a country
has a progressive or regressive type of population.
 The study of a age structure also helps us in knowing the number of old persons for
whom old-age pensions may have to he provided by the state.
However, age data in a country are most likely to be inaccurate:
 Apart from ignorance and carelessness, there are many reasons to hide the actual age of
persons.
 The patterns of unmarried girls who have reached marriageable age will under-state the
age of the girls.
 Similarly, widowers and bachelors (who are becoming old), will give lower ages,
particularly it they are eager to marry.
 Another reason for giving a wrong age is the superstitious belief that it is unwise to state
ones age correctly asit is liable to reduce ones span of life.
 For the population geographers it is very difficult to map the age statistics. Secondly, not
all countries conduct censuses to collect regularly the data for age.
  In LDCs, people are also ignorant about their exact dates of birth. Mostly, in the case of
females instances of understatement, regarding age seem to be very high.
THE AGE DETERMINANTS:
The population geographers, while making use of age composition data, do take the help of
different devices like;
Age Pyramids
Age Grouping
Age Indices
These techniques can help to minimize the incidence of errors in age statistics.
Age Pyramids: The age pyramids determine the population proportion in different age
categories with respect to male and female.

 Normally the males are kept to the left and the right side of the vertical axis.
 The shape of the pyramid will differ according to the relative proportion of the different
age groups in. the total population. Certain basic types of pyramids may be distinguished.
 First: if a population has unchanging fertility and mortality it is a stationary population
and each step in the pyramid differs from the one below only by the number of deaths in
that age group.
 Death, emigration and reduced fertility will affect the shape of the pyramid in those
groups which are involved.
 If, however, the number of births increases from year to year, the population type will
become progressive arid the pyramid will widen at the base;
 Decline in the number of births causes a regressive population with a pyramid which is
narrow at the base and has the shape of a bell.
 A high rate of growth of fertility (baby boom) will enlarge the base of the pyramid. But
low fertility and death will reduce the base of the pyramid.
 The LDCs have broad-based pyramids, whereas the DCs have narrow-based pyramids.
 In. the industrialized countries; however the pyramid has a narrow base. And tapers, off
much more gradually.
 However, the age, pyramids do not permit cartographic representation. Thus, they are not
helpful for making regional comparison of age structure.
Age Grouping:
 Regional comparison of population can be made possible by dividing the population into
various age groups.
 The age groups are devised quinquennially, decennially or into just three groups (Young,
adult and aged).
 For which data may be presented as absolute numbers or as percentage of total
population.

Age Indices:
Age indices are used for the calculation of different ratios which are significant from the point of
view of manpower planning and analysis of growth, migration and so on. The following are the
important age indices of population:

(i) Young (iii) Young (v) Aged

Adults Adults-Aged Adults

(ii) Young (iv) Aged (vi) Aged

Aged Young+ Adults Young

(vii) Young + Aged

Adults

The last ratio (vii) in the above pattern is one of the most important ratios. It is known as the
dependency ratio. It compares the proportion of a population which is in the relatively non
productive ages, under 20 (or 15) and over 60, with those of the working age 20 to 59. . It
reflects the percentage of the population which is unproductive.