Understanding Population Structure
Population structure means how a country's population is divided up by age and gender (male and female). It shows us how many young people, working-age adults, and elderly people live in a country.
We divide the population into three main age groups:
- Young dependents (0-14 years) – Children who are too young to work and depend on others for support
- Economically active (15-59 or 15-64 years) – Adults of working age who can earn money and support themselves and others
- Old dependents (60+ or 65+ years) – Elderly people who have usually retired and depend on others for support
Population Pyramids
A population pyramid is a special type of graph that shows the age and sex structure of a population. It has:
- Age groups on the vertical axis (left side), starting from 0-4 at the bottom up to 100+ at the top
- Number or percentage of population on the horizontal axis
- Males shown on the left side
- Females shown on the right side
How to read a population pyramid:
- A wide base means lots of children are being born (high birth rate)
- A narrow base means fewer children are being born (low birth rate)
- A wide middle means a large working-age population
- A wide top means many elderly people (high life expectancy)
- The overall shape tells us if the population is growing, stable, or declining
Pakistan's population pyramid (1990):
- Very wide base showing a very high birth rate
- Tapers quickly showing high death rates and low life expectancy
- Small top showing few people reach old age
- This pyramid shape is typical of a developing country with rapid population growth
Pakistan's population pyramid (2014):
- Still a wide base but slightly narrower than 1990 (birth rate beginning to fall)
- Wider middle section (more working-age people)
- Slightly wider top (more elderly people due to improving healthcare)
Forecast for 2040:
- Narrower base (lower birth rate)
- Much wider middle (large economically active population)
- Wider top (ageing population, higher life expectancy)