- What is demographics?
- Demographic characteristics
- Types of demographics
- Importance of demographics
- Demographic data
We explain what demographics are, how it is classified, its importance and other characteristics. Also, what are demographics.
Demography analyzes various aspects of human populations.What is demographics?
Demographics is the science that studies human populations statistically, that is, based on data numerical data and calculations that allow the analysis of various aspects such as size, density, the distribution and the vitality rates of a population.
The statistics it uses are obtained through instruments of scientific evidence (databases, surveys, censuses and others).
The Arab Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406) is considered the founder of demography, as he was the first to include statistical data in his research. They were followed by the German Johann Peter Süssmilch (1707-1767) and the British John Graunt (1620-1674) and Thomas Robert Malthus (1766-1934) for their important contributions to the discipline.
Demographic characteristics
Demographics analyzes a wide variety of data in a population (age, gender, race, etc.) based on certain variables, What:
- The size. It refers to the total number of individuals and is also called “absolute population”.
- The density. It refers to the average number of inhabitants per square kilometer of a territory.
- The distribution. It refers to the number of concentration level of inhabitants in the different regions of a population.
- Vitality rates. Refers to the statistical number of birth rate, fertility, migrations, mortality, etc.
Types of demographics
There are two general types of demographics that are often related in research:
- Static. Is he analysis statistic that examines the size (set of inhabitants) and structure (made up of variables of age, gender, race, etc.) of the population at a time of weather determined.
- Dynamic. It is the statistical analysis that analyzes the variation of factors over time, such as birth rate, fertility, migration and emigration, population aging, etc.
Importance of demographics
Contemporary demography deals with analyzing the most diverse problems, such as:
- The "population explosion".
- The interaction between the population and its economic development.
- The effects of birth control.
- Urban congestion.
- The immigration illegal.
- Labor force.
The statistical analysis of these problems provides conclusions that allow to improve the decision making and make forecasts on certain issues, for example, around the Health, to social customs or politics economic.
Demographic data
Demographic data are indicators that allow a population to be statistically investigated, such as age, gender, race, marital status, income, profession, socioeconomic status, etc.
Depending on the objective of the analysis, demographic data is interrelated with other disciplines or general variables such as biometrics, psychometrics or genetics, to understand health states, IQ, genetic code, among other characteristics of the population.