demography

[ dih-mog-ruh-fee ]

noun

1. the science of vital and social statistics, as of the births, deaths, diseases, marriages, etc., of populations.

demography

/ dɪˈmɒɡrəfɪ /

noun

1. the scientific study of human populations, esp with reference to their size, structure, and distribution

demography

1. The quantitative study of human populations. Demographers study subjects such as the geographical distribution of people, birth and death rates, socioeconomic status , and age and sex distributions in order to identify the influences on population growth, structure, and development.

Derived Forms

• deˈmographer, noun

Other Words From

• de·mog·ra·pher de·mog·ra·phist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of demography¹

First recorded in 1875–80; demo- + -graphy

Word History and Origins

Origin of demography¹

C19: from French démographie, from Greek dēmos the populace; see -graphy

Example Sentences

The group was founded in 2001 by a former UK ambassador, Lord Green, and an Oxford demography professor, David Coleman.

From BBC

“Demography,” these left-wing optimists liked to say, “is destiny.”

From BBC

Mike Madrid, an anti-Trump Republican strategist who specialises in Latino voting trends, told the BBC that the problem with “demography is destiny” was that it risked treating all non-white Americans as an “aggrieved racial minority”.

From BBC

Declining fertility rates are not just about people delaying parenthood, but about a growing trend of people not having children, says Brienna Perelli-Harris, professor of demography at the University of Southampton.

From BBC

But policies to encourage people to have more children, such as loans or tax incentives, "are not only expensive but have limited evidence they will raise the overall fertility rate", said Melinda Mills, a professor of demography and population health at the University of Oxford.

From BBC

Related Words

• anthropology