population

Table of Contents

Introduction
The basic components of population change
- Fertility
  - Biological factors affecting human fertility
  - Contraception
  - Abortion
  - Sterilization
- Mortality
  - The epidemiologic transition
  - Infant mortality
  - Infanticide
  - Mortality among the elderly
- Marriage
- Migration
  - Early human migrations
  - Modern mass migrations
  - Forced migrations
  - Internal migrations
- Natural increase and population growth
  - Population growth
  - Population “momentum”
Population composition
- Age distribution
- Sex ratio
- Ethnic or racial composition
- Geographical distribution and urbanization
Population theories
- Population theories in antiquity
- Mercantilism and the idea of progress
- Physiocrats and the origins of demography
- Utopian views
- Malthus and his successors
- Marx, Lenin, and their followers
- The Darwinian tradition
- Theory of the demographic transition
Trends in world population
- The developing countries since 1950
- The industrialized countries since 1950
Population projections

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images, Videos & Interactives

world population

Is overpopulation a problem?

Population density of the world

projected population, 2025

History and future of urban growth

Know the factors that favor higher production of baby boys than girls which result in skewed sex ratio with human populations

Discover

Close up of praying mantis walking on stone ground against a blurred background in Japan

6 Animals That Eat Their Mates

Nelson Mandela, undated photo.

15 Nelson Mandela Quotes

Estimated battle casualties, Normandy invasion, World War II. WWII, D-Day

Estimated Battle Casualties During the Normandy Invasion and Campaign to Liberate Paris (June–August 1944)

Dancers at a Cinco de Mayo festival at the Mission District, San Francisco, California. (Photo dated 2019.) holidays

Is Cinco de Mayo Mexico's Independence Day?

Statue of Nostradamus

Nostradamus and His Prophecies

Scolex (head) of the tapeworm Taenia solium. The hooks of the scolex enable the tapeworm to attach to the intestinal wall.

Uninvited Guests: The 7 Worst Parasitic Worms

Demystified - Do Lemmings Really Commit Mass Suicide? illustration

Do Lemmings Really Commit Mass Suicide?

population: Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Photos and Videos

world population

projected population, 2025

Is overpopulation a problem?

History and future of urban growth

Know the factors that favor higher production of baby boys than girls which result in skewed sex ratio with human populations

See All Videos, Images and Interactives →

Topics

sex ratio population distribution morbidity fecundity cline population movement population momentum population fluctuation minimum viable population population pyramid climate hydrosphere atmosphere earthquake biogeographic region continental landform urban culture ocean World Heritage site weather

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Irene Barnes Taeuber

American sociologist

Conrad Taeuber

American sociologist

Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin

British naturalist

Charles Elton

English biologist

Vavilov inspecting citrus trees at Maykop, Russian S.F.S.R., in 1935

Nikolai Vavilov

Russian geneticist

Kingsley Davis

American sociologist

Richard Cantillon

Irish economist

Sir Alexander Carr-Saunders

British educator

Corrado Gini

Italian statistician

Quiz

Flags of the world against blue sky. Countries, International. Globalization, global relations, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Poland, Palestine, Japan. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

Which Country Is Larger By Population? Quiz