Question

What are the typical features of the age pyramids of underdeveloped countries?

Answer 1

1. The age pyramid or population pyramid is a graphical illustration that shows the distribution of various age groups in a population which forms the shape of a pyramid when the population is growing.
2. This tool can be used to visualise sex and age composition of a particular population. It is also used in ecology to determine the overall age distribution of a population, an indication of the reproductive capabilities and likelihood of the continuation of a species.
3. The population pyramid often contains stacked histogram bars. The population size is depicted on (horizantal) x- axis, and age groups on y-axis (vertical).
4. Males are conventionally shown on the left and females are shown on the right and they may be measured by raw number or as a percentage of the total population.
5. A population pyramid also tells how many people of each age range live in the area. There tends to be more females than males in the older age groups, due to females longer life expectancy.
6. Expansive Pyramid is a population pyramid that is very wide at the younger ages, characteristic of countries with high birth rate and low life expectancy. The population is said to be fast-growing, and the size of the each birth cohort gets larger than the size of the previous year.
7. NUNAVAT is an example of an expansive type population pyramid. Normally, the "expansive" age distribution is seen frequently in developing countries, such as African countries, while the stable pattern is a typical developed country pattern with a low birth rate.