Essential Demographic and Urban Geography Definitions
Settlement
An area where people live.
Population
A group of people inhabiting a given site.
Census
The official count of people in a place at a particular time.
Municipal Census
The official count of people within a municipality.
Legal Population (Población de Derecho)
People living in a municipality, both present and absent, at the time of the census.
De Facto Population (Población de Hecho)
The sum of residents and passersby in a municipality at the time of the census.
Population Dynamics
Indicates how a population evolves over time.
Natality
The number of births that occur in a population in one year.
Birth Rate
The number of births in one year per total population, multiplied by one thousand.
Mortality
The number of deaths that occur in a population in one year.
Mortality Rate
The number of deaths in one year per total population, multiplied by one thousand.
Infant Mortality
The number of deaths in children aged 0-12 months in one year.
Infant Mortality Rate
The number of deaths of children under one year in one year, divided by total live births and multiplied by one thousand.
Natural Growth (Vegetative Growth)
The difference between the number of births and deaths in a population over one year.
Natural Growth Rate (Vegetative Growth Rate)
The difference between the number of births and deaths in a particular place and time, expressed as a percentage.
Net Migration (Migration Growth)
The net change in population due to people arriving or leaving a population in one year.
Net Migration Rate (Migration Growth Rate)
The difference between the number of emigrants and immigrants at a determined time and place, expressed as a percentage.
Total Population Growth (Real Growth)
The sum of natural growth and net migration in a population at a given time, expressed as a percentage.
Demographic Transition
The passage from an old demographic regime (or pre-industrial demographic regime) to a new, modern demographic regime.
Population Structure
Indicates the composition of a population by age, gender, and other characteristics.
Population Pyramid
A bar graph that presents the structure of a population by age and gender groups.
Population Age Groups
- Young Population: 0-14 years.
- Adult Population: 15-65 years.
- Elderly Population: +65 years.
Aging Rate (Elderly Population Percentage)
The number of elderly individuals aged 65 years and over, divided by the total population and multiplied by one hundred (%).
Aging Index
The ratio of the population over 65 years to the population under 15 years. If this index exceeds 1, the population is considered aged.
Economic Dependency
The relationship between individuals of non-working age and those of working age in economic activity.
Dependency Ratio
The ratio of the population under 15 years and over 65 years to the working-age population.
Active Population
Those of working age (16-65 years) and available to work.
Employed Population
Those who are in gainful employment.
Unemployed Population
Those who have no job but are seeking employment.
Inactive Population
Those who are not of working age or are not seeking employment.
Fecundity
An estimate of the number of children a woman is biologically capable of having throughout her fertile life.
Fertility Rate
The ratio between the number of live births and the number of women of childbearing age (usually per thousand).
Life Expectancy
The average number of years a person born in a given country and year is expected to live, assuming current mortality rates remain constant for each age group in the future.
Demographic Policies
Policies that aim to influence fertility by stimulating the number of children per family, often considered ideal for societal replacement.
Demographic Projection
A probabilistic computation of the future population of a locality, or part thereof, based on several assumptions.
Reproduction Rate
For generational replacement, each fertile woman is typically required to have 2.1 children.
Masculinity Index (Sex Ratio)
The relationship between the male population and the total population (%), or often, the number of males per 100 females.
Diffuse City (Urban Sprawl)
An urban lifestyle that has spread throughout the territory.
Urban Population (Spain Definition)
In Spain, an urban area is considered a locality with over 10,000 residents.
Urban Township
An urban area that concentrates most of the population engaged in secondary and tertiary sectors.
Peri-urban Township
Spaces where large services and infrastructure are concentrated, typically bordering urban areas.
Suburban Township
A mode of living that is predominantly urban, often characterized by semi-detached or detached houses in a rural-like setting.
Rururban Settlement
A countryside area devoted to industrial or urban activities.
Rural Township
A sparsely populated area dedicated to the primary sector.
Concentrated Rural Population
Where the population is grouped in a single nucleus.
Dispersed Rural Population
Where the population lives in isolated houses or in several small towns scattered throughout the territory.
Urban Network
The set formed by diverse towns of different sizes that relate to each other and have areas of influence organized in a hierarchical manner.