Week 1: Introduction to Demography

A population’s composition may be described in terms of basic demographic features – age, sex, family and household status – and by features of the population’s social and economic context – language, education, occupation, ethnicity, religion, income and wealth. The distribution of populations can be defined at multiple levels (local, regional, national, global) and with different types of boundaries (political, economic, geographic). Demography is a central component of societal contexts and social change.

Demography is the study of human populations – their size, composition, and distribution across space – and the process through which populations change. Births, deaths, and migration are the 'big three' of demography, jointly producing population stability or change.

Download Files

introduction.pdf (0.28 MB )