Demography

Demography is the study of human population dynamics. It encompasses the study of the size, structure and distribution of populations, and how populations change over time due to births, deaths, migration and ageing. Demographic analysis can relate to whole societies or to groups defined by criteria such as education, nationality, religion and ethnicity.

Data and methods

Demography may rely on the use of large amounts of data, including census returns and vital statistics registers, or incorporate survey data using indirect estimation techniques. The earliest modern census was carried out in Britain in 1801, although Sweden and Finland are the only nations in the world with complete demographic statistics from as far back as 1749.

Related Topics:
Census - Vital statistics - Britain - 1801 - Sweden - Finland - Demographic statistics - 1749

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In many countries, particularly in the third world, reliable demographic data are still difficult to obtain; census is often equated in the minds of the people with taxation, so the people scatter when a census taker comes around. During the 1980s, for example, the population of Nigeria was widely estimated to be around 101 million people, before it was established to be as little as 89 million people (without adjustment for undercounting) in a census carried out in 1991.

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