Geography

Population change and structure

Population numbers change over time, influenced by births, deaths and migration. Watch this video to find out more.

Video

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Key points

  • Population numbers change over time due to births, deaths and migration.
  • Birth rate is the number of babies born per thousand of the population. Death rate is the number of deaths per thousand of the population and migration is the movement of people in and out of an area.
  • MEDCs have low population-growth because of low birth and death rates. LEDCs have high population-growth because birth rates and death rates tend to be high. Improved healthcare leads to falling death rates, while birth rates remain high.
  • Population structure is the 'make up' of a population, divided between males and females of different age groups. It is usually shown on a population pyramid.

All Geography videos

Population index

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