population pyramid

noun

, Sociology.

1. a graph showing the distribution of a population by sex or gender, age, etc., the depiction of which is typically pyramid-shaped.

population pyramid

noun

1. a pyramid-shaped diagram illustrating the age distribution of a population: the youngest are represented by a rectangle at the base, the oldest by one at the apex

Word History and Origins

Origin of population pyramid¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

The population pyramid, where older people form the top tip, has shifted more toward a rectangle because of the large baby boom generation, said Bea Rector, secretary of the state Department of Social and Health Services’ Aging and Long-Term Support Administration.

From Seattle Times

If that happens, the population pyramid would essentially flip.

From New York Times

“Having a society where the population pyramid is inverted, where there’s fewer people in the age group behind you and more people in the age group ahead of you – which is where we’re rapidly heading – just has incredibly profound effects on every aspect of how our society is organised,” he says.

From The Guardian

“There is a totally inverted population pyramid. There are many more elderly people than young people and life expectancy is among the highest in the world; that in itself has its own repercussions,” says Emilio García, mayor of Parres, one of the 78 councils in Asturias, the region where Menéndez and the other volunteers in his group operate.

From Los Angeles Times

Looking at Western Europe and Japan we can get an idea of what might happen here at home in the near future—the upside-down population pyramid problem, meaning that fewer babies are being born and that the elderly are living longer, which leads to imbalanced demography and potential socioeconomic collapse.

From Scientific American