Population Composition (UPSC Geography Notes)

How crowded a country is, has little to do with its level of economic development. For example, both Bangladesh and Japan are very densely populated but Japan is far more economically developed than Bangladesh.

To understand the role of people as a resource, we need to know more about their qualities. People vary greatly in their age, sex, literacy level, health condition, occupation, and income level. It is essential to understand these characteristics of the people. Population composition refers to the structure of the population.

The composition of the population helps us to know how many are males or females, which age group they belong to, how educated they are and what type of occupations they are employed in, what their income levels and health conditions are.

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Sex Composition

• The ratio between the number of women and men in the population is called the sex ratio. In India, the sex ratio is the number of females per thousand males.
• In some countries, it is calculated by the formula,

• The sex ratio is unfavourable to women in areas where the practice of female infanticide, female foeticide and domestic violence against them are prevalent. One of the reasons for the low sex ratio could be the lower socio-economic status of women. A high sex ratio does not necessarily mean that women have a better position, it may be due to the migration of men to other areas for employment.
• On average, the world population reflects a sex ratio of 102 males per 100 females. The highest sex ratio is in Latvia where there are 85 males per 100 males. On the contrary, Qatar has 311 males per 100 females. 
• The sex ratio is favourable for females in 139 countries of the world and unfavourable for them in the remaining 72 countries listed by the United Nations. 
• Countries like India, China, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Afghanistan have a lower sex ratio (lesser females). A greater part of Europe (including Russia) has a higher sex ratio. This is attributed to the better status of women and an excessively male-dominated out-migration to different parts of the world in the past.

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Age Structure

It represents the number of people of different age groups. Large size of the population in the age group of 15 – 59 represents a large working population while a greater proportion of the population over 60 years indicates an ageing population. Age structure is an important indicator of population composition. 

Age Sex Pyramid

It refers to the number of females and males in different age groups of a population. The age-sex pyramid is shown with the help of a population pyramid and its shape gives us the characteristics (expanding, constant or declining population ) of the population. The percentage of males is shown on the left side and the percentage of females is shown on the right side of the pyramid. 

• Expanding Population – It is characterised by a triangular-shaped pyramid with a wide base and is typical of less developed countries like Nigeria, Bangladesh and Mexico. These countries have larger populations in lower age groups due to high birth rates.

Image Source NCERT

• Constant Population – It is characterised by a bell-shaped pyramid with its top tapered. This shows birth and death rates are almost equal resulting in a near-to-constant population.

Image Source NCERT

• Declining population – It is characterised by a narrow base and a tapered top showing low birth and death rates. The population growth in developed countries is usually zero or negative.

Image Source NCERT

Rural-Urban Population –

• The classification of population into rural and urban is based on residence. The age-sex occupational structure, population density and level of development vary between rural and urban areas. Generally, rural areas are those where people are engaged in primary activities and in urban regions, the majority of the working population is engaged in non-primary activities.
• In western countries, males outnumber females in rural areas and in urban areas, females outnumber males. The reverse holds true for countries like Nepal, Pakistan and India. The higher population of females in urban areas of the western countries is due to the influx of females from rural areas to avail of the vast job opportunities. Farming in these countries is usually male-dominated.
• In Asian urban areas, the males outnumber females due to the predominance of male migration. In rural areas, females actively participate in farming activities. Shortage of housing, high cost of living, paucity of job opportunities and lack of security in cities discourage women to migrate from rural to urban centres.

Image Source NCERT

Literacy-

Literacy of a country determines its socio-economic development as it depicts the standard of living, social status of women, availability of educational facilities and policies of the government. The literacy rate in India denotes the percentage of the population above 7 years of age who are able to read, write and do mathematical calculations with understanding.

Occupational Structure –

• The working population is the number of women and men of the age group of 15 – 59. This working population takes part in various occupations ranging from agriculture, forestry, fishing, manufacturing construction, commercial transport, service sector, communication and other unclassified services.
• Primary activities include agriculture, forestry, fishing and mining. The secondary sector includes manufacturing; trade transport, communication and other services are classified as tertiary activities. Jobs related to research, information technology and development come under quaternary activities. 
• The proportion of the working population engaged in these four sectors indicate the level of economic development of a nation. If the economy of a country is in its primitive stages, then the proportion of people engaged in the primary sector would be high as it involves the extraction of natural resources. A developed nation can accommodate workers in secondary, tertiary as well as quaternary sectors.

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