Demographic Terminology and Population Metrics
Core Demographic Concepts
- Settlement
- An area where people live.
- Population (Población)
- A group of people inhabiting a determined location.
- Census
- The official count of people in one place at a determined time.
- Municipal Census
- The count of people within a specific municipality.
- De Jure Population (Legal Population)
- Persons officially residing in a town but absent at the time of the census.
- De Facto Population (Actual Population)
- The sum of residents and passersby within a municipality at the time of the census.
Population Dynamics and Change
- Population Dynamics
- Indicates how a population evolves over time.
- Natality (Births)
- The number of births that occur in a population in a year.
- Birth Rate (Crude Birth Rate)
- The number of births occurring in a given population for 1 year per thousand total population.
- Mortality (Deaths)
- The number of deaths occurring in a population in 1 year.
- Mortality Rate (Crude Death Rate)
- The number of deaths occurring in a given population for 1 year per thousand total population.
- Infant Mortality
- The number of deaths in children under 1 year of age (0 to 12 months).
- Infant Mortality Rate
- The number of deaths of children under 1 year of age divided by total live births, multiplied by one thousand.
- Natural Growth (Vegetative Growth)
- The difference between the number of people who are born and those who die in a population over 1 year.
- Natural Growth Rate (Vegetative Growth Rate)
- The difference between the number of births and the number of deaths at a specific time and place, expressed as a percentage (%).
- Net Migration (Migration Growth)
- The difference between the number of people who arrive (immigrants) and those who leave (emigrants) a population in 1 year.
- Net Migration Rate
- The difference between the number of immigrants and emigrants at a specific time and place, expressed as a percentage (%).
- Real Growth (Total Growth)
- The sum of natural growth and net migration in a population over a given time, expressed as a percentage (%).
- Demographic Transition
- A model describing the shift from a traditional (pre-industrial) demographic regime to a modern demographic regime.
Population Structure and Labor
- Population Structure
- Describes the composition of a population based on characteristics such as age and sex.
- Population Pyramid
- A bar graph representing the structure of a population grouped by sex and age cohorts.
Age Cohorts
- Young Population: Individuals aged 0–14 years.
- Adult Population (Working Age): Individuals aged 15–64 years.
- Elderly Population (Old Age): Individuals aged over 65 years.
- Aging Rate
- The number of people over 65 years of age divided by the total population, multiplied by one hundred (expressed as a percentage).
- Aging Index
- Relates the population over 65 years of age to the population under 15 years of age. If the index exceeds 1, the population is considered old.
- Dependent Population
- The relationship between individuals typically not in the workforce (young and elderly) and the population of working age (15–64).
Labor Force Definitions
- Potential Workforce
- Individuals of working age (typically 16–65) who are able to work.
- Active Population
- Individuals who are employed or actively seeking employment (working or unemployed).
- Unemployed
- Individuals who are not working but are actively seeking employment.
- Inactive Population
- Individuals who are not working and are not seeking employment (e.g., students, retirees, homemakers).
Fertility
- Total Fertility Rate (TFR)
- An estimate of the average number of children a woman will have throughout her fertile life (typically 15–49 years).