Demography refers to the statistical study of human populations, specifically human populations living in a particular environment. Demography is considered as one of the most important economic tools used in planning social policies and managing population. Demographers are involved in collecting data on various demographics that include age and fertility, location and density of populations, health status, educational attainment and income levels of residents, and legal status of citizens. Demography has been widely used in all domains of economics including economic development, healthcare, housing, family structure, migration, immigration, social service and economic stability.
Demographics are indeed one of the fundamental aspects of demography. The term “demography” actually derives from the Greek word Demos (gene), which refers to the practice of count and map reproduction based on countable population. Demography further includes the study of all human populations for the purpose of understanding national borders and their demography. Demography also deals with the distribution of resources amongst populations and national groups. These are considered important because they help demographers understand the needs and aspirations of people living in different demography.
Demography has also been defined by international scholars as the process by which individuals, communities and nations to form and develop collectively. There are various international comparisons, which show that a country’s demography is highly influenced by factors such as immigration, age and genetics. International comparisons of Demography point out the fact that Europe, Asia and North America have very high fertility rates. These factors, according to these studies, have led to the creation of a new generation of Europeans, Asians and Americans who are much younger than their birth-ages. Thus we can understand that demography is a crucial aspect of any scientific study.
Demography of any country is important as it influences the way population is distributed within a nation. For example, India’s demography has resulted in the creation of number of states. These states, when added together, constitute a large population. These populations, according to demographers, will soon constitute a world population of more than a billion. The current world population, according to scientific studies, is steadily increasing. In order to have a glimpse into the future trends of the human population, it is important to demodulate the present population of a nation.
Demography is very important for demographers because it helps them in creating maps and pie-charts. Maps and pie-charts are important tools in cartography, which helps in determining the flow of human populations and the relationships among populations. Demography can be divided into three areas, each of which is vital for demographers to operate effectively. These include the historical demography, ethnic demography and social sciences demography. Let us see in detail how each of these three areas affects demography.
Historical demography refers to the data used by demographers to understand the patterns of population growth and decline. It includes the census-based population estimates, which represent historical facts about the past history of a country or state. These facts are usually available from the historical records. Demographers use these data to understand the trends in population growth and decline and how these patterns can affect future demographic changes.
Ethnic demography is concerned with understanding and measuring the differences among various human populations. It compares the proportion of people who are native, foreign born and those who are of different races, sexes and cultures. Demography also takes into consideration the size and percentages of the different age groups. All these factors are crucial for demographers to project the future of the human populations. Demographics can be used to identify the key fertility factors and to demarcate the borders among different countries.
Finally, we have the social science demography. This form of demography attempts to interpret the behavior of people in relation to the environment they live in. It tries to determine the relationships among people and to design policies that would help in preventing or reducing the negative effects of demographic change. Some examples of this type of demography include welfare demography, immigrant demography and marital status demography. Social scientists undertake a comprehensive study on all areas related to human populations and their changing patterns and trends.