Population Studies: Key Terms and Concepts
A
Asylum
Protection granted by a state to someone who has left their home country as a political refugee.
Alien
A person who is not a citizen or national of the country in which they are living.
C
Census
An official count or survey of a population, typically recording various details of individuals.
Modern Cycle
A period in demographic history characterized by low birth rates and low mortality, resulting in slow natural growth.
Zero Population Growth
A situation in which a country’s birth and death rates are equal, resulting in no net population growth.
“White Collars”
A term used to identify highly qualified people working in professional or managerial positions.
D
Demography
The statistical study of populations, especially human beings. It encompasses the study of the size, structure, and distribution of populations, and spatial or temporal changes in them in response to birth, migration, aging, and death.
Population Density
The number of people per unit of area, such as square kilometers.
Foreign Currency
Currency of another country received in exchange for exported products, tourism, and remittances from emigrants.
E
Emigration
The act of leaving one’s own country to settle permanently in another; moving abroad.
Migrant
A person who moves from one place to another, especially in order to find work or better living conditions.
Life Expectancy
The average period that a person may expect to live.
F
Fertility
The ability to conceive children or young.
Phylloxera
A microscopic, sap-sucking insect that attacks the roots and leaves of grapevines, causing serious damage and often death to the plant.
“Hollow Generation”
A group of people born during a period when birth rates were significantly lower than in prior and subsequent years, often due to war, epidemics, or other major events.
G
Geography of the Population
The study of the relationship between population and space, drawing on demography and other related fields.
I
Dependency Index
The ratio of the dependent population (0-15 years and 65+ years) to the working-age population (16-64 years), expressed as a percentage.
Aging Index
The ratio of the population aged 65 and over to the total population, expressed as a percentage.
Femininity Index
The ratio of females to males in a population, expressed as a percentage.
Sex Ratio
The ratio of males to females in a population.
Immigration
The action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country.
Immigrant
A person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country.
M
Malthusianism
The idea that population growth is potentially exponential while the growth of the food supply or other resources is linear, which eventually reduces living standards to the point of triggering a population die-off. It is named after Thomas Robert Malthus.
Inter-Rural Migration
Population movement between rural areas, often driven by economic factors.
Intercity Migration
Population movement between cities, typically influenced by economic opportunities or other factors.
Working Migration
Migration driven by employment opportunities.
Residential Migration
Migration between cities and their surrounding areas, including suburbs and exurbs.
Suburban Migration
Population movement from cities to nearby rural areas or suburbs.
Other Key Terms
Morbidity
The condition of being diseased or the rate of disease in a population.
Pendular Movement
Regular population displacement that occurs periodically, often related to work or leisure.
Daily Relocations
Short-term population movements, often for work, leisure, or other daily activities.
Birth Rate
The number of live births per 1,000 people in a population per year.
Nuptiality
The frequency or rate of marriage in a population.
Padrón
A municipal register of inhabitants in Spain, providing demographic data and other information.
Stabilization Plan
A government policy aimed at stabilizing the economy, often involving measures to control inflation and reduce government spending.
De Jure Population
The population legally residing in a particular area.
De Facto Population
The population physically present in a particular area at a given time.
Refugee
A person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.
Generational Replacement
The process by which younger generations replace older generations in a population.
Rural Return
The return of former rural migrants to their place of origin, often after retirement or for other reasons.
Net Migration
The difference between immigration and emigration.
Secondary Sector
The sector of the economy that transforms raw materials into manufactured goods.
Subnatality
A birth rate that is lower than the death rate, leading to a declining population.
Participation Rate
The percentage of the working-age population that is actively employed or seeking employment.
Natural Growth Rate
The difference between the birth rate and the death rate, expressed as a percentage.
Real Population Growth Rate
The sum of the natural growth rate and the net migration rate.
General Fertility Rate
The number of live births per 1,000 women of childbearing age (usually 15-49 years).
Total Fertility Rate
The average number of children that would be born to a woman over her lifetime if she were to experience the current age-specific fertility rates.
Infant Mortality Rate
The number of deaths of infants under one year old per 1,000 live births.
Mortality Rate
The number of deaths per 1,000 people in a population per year.
Marriage Rate
The number of marriages per 1,000 people in a population per year.
Unemployment Rate
The percentage of the labor force that is unemployed.
Demographic Transition
A model that describes the historical shift from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates as countries develop economically.