Short Questions and Answers
Q1. What is demography?
Answer: Demography is the study of the composition of the human population and how it changes over time.
Q2. What is a census?
Answer: A census is the official count of people living in a country at a particular time, along with information about their characteristics.
Q3. What are the three main components of demography?
Answer: The three main components are population size, structure and composition, and pattern and trend.
Q4. Which country became the world’s most populous country in 2023?
Answer: India became the world’s most populous country in 2023, surpassing China.
Q5. What is the birth rate?
Answer: The birth rate measures the number of live births per 1,000 people in a year.
Q6. What is the fertility rate?
Answer: The fertility rate is the average number of children a woman would have during her lifetime.
Q7. What is the replacement level fertility rate?
Answer: A fertility rate of 2.1 is called the replacement level fertility rate because it is the number of children needed to replace the parents in a population.
Q8. What is the death rate?
Answer: The death rate, also called the mortality rate, is the number of deaths per 1,000 people in a year.
Q9. What is migration?
Answer: Migration is the movement of people from one place to another within or outside a country to settle temporarily or permanently.
Q10. What is life expectancy?
Answer: Life expectancy is the average number of years a newborn is expected to live under the existing health, safety and living conditions.
Q11. What is the sex ratio?
Answer: The sex ratio is the number of females per 1,000 males in a population.
Q12. What is a population pyramid?
Answer: A population pyramid is a graph that shows the number of people in a country according to their age groups and gender.
Q13. What is a youth bulge?
Answer: A youth bulge is a situation in which a large portion of the population consists of young people, particularly those aged 16–30 years.
Q14. What is a demographic dividend?
Answer: A demographic dividend is the economic growth potential of a country resulting from a younger and productive age structure.
Q15. What is an ageing population?
Answer: An ageing population is one in which the proportion of elderly people increases compared with younger people.
Long Questions and Answers
Q1. Why is it important for a country to study its population through demography?
Answer: Demography helps us understand the size, structure and composition of a population. Governments use this information to plan schools, hospitals, roads and housing. It also helps manage resources and provide employment opportunities according to people’s needs.
Q2. Explain the factors that determine the population of a country.
Answer: The population of a country is determined by birth rate, fertility rate, death rate and migration. A high birth rate can increase population, while a high death rate can reduce it. Migration also changes population as people move into or out of a country.
Q3. Explain the three stages of demographic transition.
Answer: In Stage 1, both birth and death rates are high, so population growth is slow. In Stage 2, the death rate falls while the birth rate remains high, leading to rapid population growth. In Stage 3, both rates are low as birth rates begin to decline, slowing population growth.
Q4. What factors have contributed to falling fertility and birth rates?
Answer: Improved access to quality education, especially among girls, has contributed to falling fertility rates. Educated women are more likely to marry later and have fewer children. Rapid urbanisation and the high cost of living in cities also encourage families to have fewer children.
Q5. How does migration affect the population and resources of cities?
Answer: People migrate to cities for better employment opportunities, education and other facilities. Cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru have experienced population growth due to migration. However, a large population puts pressure on water, air, land, transportation and housing.
Q6. What does a population pyramid tell us about a country’s population?
Answer: A population pyramid shows the distribution of people according to age groups and gender. A wide base indicates many children and a young, growing population. A wider middle indicates more working-age adults, while a wider top indicates a larger elderly population.
Q7. How has India’s population pyramid changed over time?
Answer: In the 1950s, India’s population pyramid had a narrow triangular shape, indicating many children and fewer elderly people. In recent years, it has become more bell-shaped because families are having fewer children. The working-age population has increased, and the top is gradually widening as people live longer.
Q8. What is India’s demographic dividend, and how can it benefit the country?
Answer: India’s demographic dividend refers to the economic growth potential created by its large working-age population. Young people can work in farms, factories and offices or start businesses. Their earnings and taxes can support economic growth and help the government develop public facilities.
Q9. What challenges can an ageing population create for a country?
Answer: An ageing population means more elderly people need care and fewer young people are available to work. This can put pressure on healthcare systems and slow economic growth. Governments may also face difficulties in paying pensions and providing services because there are fewer young taxpayers.
Q10. How can India make the most of its demographic dividend before 2050?
Answer: India needs to invest in good education, skill development and healthcare to prepare its young population for productive work. More employment opportunities should be created so that young people can contribute to the economy. Supportive family systems and childcare facilities can also help more women participate in the workforce.
Leave a Reply